Michaela Garecht
Encyclopedia
Michaela Joy Garecht was abducted on November 19, 1988 in Hayward, California
, San Francisco Bay Area
. Garecht was nine years old and was abducted outside a grocery store which was known as Rainbow Market at the time but is now called Mexico Super. The location of the market is at the corner of Mission Boulevard
and Lafeyette Avenue. She has been missing for 23 years.
The abductor drove a large older model American-made sedan. It was possibly a four-door vehicle and was either cream or tannish gold in color. The car may have had cement splatters on the sides and lights set into the rear bumper. The front bumper was battered; the vehicle appeared run-down, it may have previously been in an accident. The car was last seen speeding south on Mission Boulevard towards nearby Union City, California
with Michaela inside.
reported that police had followed up more than 15,000 leads. More than two decades later, the investigation at the Hayward Police Station continues. Chief investigator Inspector Robert Lampkin declared, "we'll go anywhere, any corner of the earth to try to bring Michaela home".It has also remained an open case with the FBI and it is believed to still be solvable.
At the time of the kidnapping, Garecht's photo was featured as a missing child on milk cartons nationally and thousands of fliers and posters were spread throughout the community.
Garecht's kidnapping was one the most high-profile missing child cases and received national media attention.
Garecht's case was the first missing child case to feature on America's Most Wanted
in 1988. The case featured once again on the show in 2009.. The case has also featured on numerous other television shows including Unsolved Mysteries
(twice) and many talk shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show
, Dateline NBC
, Larry King
, CNN
, Geraldo, Leeza
, Maury
, The Susan Powter Show
, The Jane Whitney Show, The Today Show
, Good Morning
and The Early Show
. The case has since caught the attention of the international media.
The reappearance of kidnapped school girl Jaycee Lee Dugard after 18 years in captivity, led police to be initially hopeful that Phillip Garrido might have also been involved in Garecht's disappearance. Hayward is within an hour's drive from Garrido's Antioch home and Garecht's abduction took place three months after Garrido was freed from prison for rape and kidnapping. Like Garecht, Dugard was also thrown into the back of a car in broad daylight and in the presence of witnesses. The general description of the kidnapper and the car used in both kidnappings are also similar.
Although no evidence has been found linking Garecht's abduction to the Garridos; a connection to the abductors has not yet been ruled out and the investigation continues.
The anniversary of Garecht's kidnapping is marked every year at the location where the kidnapping took place. Several ribbons are tied to the tree next to where the kidnapper's car was parked.
If still alive today Garecht would be years old.
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
, San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Garecht was nine years old and was abducted outside a grocery store which was known as Rainbow Market at the time but is now called Mexico Super. The location of the market is at the corner of Mission Boulevard
Mission Boulevard
The following roads are named Mission Boulevard:*Mission Boulevard in the San Francisco Bay Area*Mission Boulevard...
and Lafeyette Avenue. She has been missing for 23 years.
Abduction
Garecht was abducted at approximately 10:15 am on November 19, 1988. Garecht and a friend left home at 10:00 am and rode their scooters to the market two blocks away from Garecht's home. They left the scooters by the side door as they went inside the store. Upon leaving the store, the two girls started walking home completely forgetting about the scooters. When they realized they had forgotten them they turned back to where they left them however they realized that Garecht's scooter was missing. Garecht spotted her scooter further down in the market parking lot where it had been deliberately placed near a parked car. When Garecht bent down to pick the scooter up, an unidentified white male jumped out of the parked car, picked up Garecht from behind, and threw her in to the back of his car. Garecht's friend was the only witness and she ran back into the store to get help. The abductor managed to escape with Garecht and she has not been seen or heard from since.Witness' description
Garecht's abductor is described as a white male and approximately 18 to 24 years old at the time of the abduction. The most distinguishing characteristic was that he seemed to have severe acne, boils and pockmarks on his face. He had shoulder length, dirty blonde hair. He may have been wearing his hair in a ponytail at the time. He was around 6 ft 0 in height and had a slender build.The abductor drove a large older model American-made sedan. It was possibly a four-door vehicle and was either cream or tannish gold in color. The car may have had cement splatters on the sides and lights set into the rear bumper. The front bumper was battered; the vehicle appeared run-down, it may have previously been in an accident. The car was last seen speeding south on Mission Boulevard towards nearby Union City, California
Union City, California
Union City is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It was incorporated in 1959, combining the communities of Alvarado and Decoto. Alvarado was the original county seat of Alameda County, and the site of the first county courthouse is a California Historical Landmark . The city...
with Michaela inside.
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Garecht's kidnapping led to one of the most extensive police investigations by the Hayward Police department and they received 5000 tips in the first year alone. In 1994, The Daily ReviewThe Daily Review
The Daily Review is a daily broadsheet newspaper, serving Bradford and Sullivan Counties of Pennsylvania. Its main office is in Towanda, Pennsylvania with branch offices in Troy and Sayre...
reported that police had followed up more than 15,000 leads. More than two decades later, the investigation at the Hayward Police Station continues. Chief investigator Inspector Robert Lampkin declared, "we'll go anywhere, any corner of the earth to try to bring Michaela home".It has also remained an open case with the FBI and it is believed to still be solvable.
At the time of the kidnapping, Garecht's photo was featured as a missing child on milk cartons nationally and thousands of fliers and posters were spread throughout the community.
Garecht's kidnapping was one the most high-profile missing child cases and received national media attention.
Garecht's case was the first missing child case to feature on America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
in 1988. The case featured once again on the show in 2009.. The case has also featured on numerous other television shows including Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until 2002, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
(twice) and many talk shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
, Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Geraldo, Leeza
Leeza
Leeza is a daytime television talk show hosted by Leeza Gibbons. The show ran on NBC between 1994 and 2000, and was also shown on other stations in markets where the local NBC affiliate pre-empted it in favor of other programming...
, Maury
Maury (TV series)
Maury is a syndicated American tabloid talk show hosted by Maury Povich.When the series first aired in 1991, the show was called The Maury Povich Show and was produced by MoPo Productions in association with Paramount Domestic Television...
, The Susan Powter Show
The Susan Powter Show
The Susan Powter Show was an American talk show broadcast in Syndication from 1994 to 1995 and hosted by 1990s TV diet guru Susan Powter.-Format:...
, The Jane Whitney Show, The Today Show
The Today Show
Today is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
, Good Morning
Good morning
Good morning may refer to:* a commonly used greeting.In television:* Good Morning!!! , a children's show* Good Morning , a daytime talk show...
and The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
. The case has since caught the attention of the international media.
The reappearance of kidnapped school girl Jaycee Lee Dugard after 18 years in captivity, led police to be initially hopeful that Phillip Garrido might have also been involved in Garecht's disappearance. Hayward is within an hour's drive from Garrido's Antioch home and Garecht's abduction took place three months after Garrido was freed from prison for rape and kidnapping. Like Garecht, Dugard was also thrown into the back of a car in broad daylight and in the presence of witnesses. The general description of the kidnapper and the car used in both kidnappings are also similar.
Although no evidence has been found linking Garecht's abduction to the Garridos; a connection to the abductors has not yet been ruled out and the investigation continues.
The anniversary of Garecht's kidnapping is marked every year at the location where the kidnapping took place. Several ribbons are tied to the tree next to where the kidnapper's car was parked.
If still alive today Garecht would be years old.
External links
- Missing Michaela Website
- FBI Case Profile Michaela Joy Garecht
- Still Missing Michaela Garecht Missing since November 19, 1988
- Dear Michaela Letters to Michaela by Sharon Murch (Michaela's mother)
- Hayward Police Department