The day Teresa vanished...

The following information was gathered through my own personal research of news articles and other resources. These bits of information are not guaranteed to be 100% accurate but are so to the best of my knowledge.

It has been reported that Teresa's mother stated that she last saw Teresa at approximately 2:30pm on Sunday August 15, 1999. Teresa's mother went out looking for her after the child did not return home later that evening. 

Apparently two different neighbors reported that they saw Teresa at approximately 6:00pm sitting on her front porch holding a small puppy.

Another neighbor reported seeing her as late as 8:00pm walking down the country road near her home.

Investigators focused on the hours after 8:00pm.

At 11:00pm the Twiggs County Sheriffs Deputies were informed that Teresa Dean had not returned home.

Search teams scanned the area for over a week in hopes of finding eleven year old Teresa. Search dogs were used as well. Eventually Cadaver-sniffing dogs were brought in to assist but there was nothing to be found. The outlook appeared gloomy and the girl was presumed dead. Cadaver dogs are different than search/trail dogs in that they are trained to locate dead human bodies.

Flyers were made and posted around the area.

Teresa lived in a small blue trailer on Lawrence Drive in Macon, Georgia. She lived there with her mother, two sisters and her mother's male companion.

It was said that Teresa loved animals and had a habit of taking stray animals home to care for. It was reported that the family had 20 cats, four dogs and four puppies residing at the residence. Teresa's favorite dog was a cream colored one that she called "white dog". She loved playing outside...even in the rain.