The boy’s father, John Barry Shannon, 25, kidnapped the baby on June 9, 1973. Two hours later, Shannon died in a car crash, but the baby was missing from the automobile. — Darren Jason Shannon was born to John Barry Shannon and Michelle Shannon in South Australia in 1972. The elder Shannon met his wife after she and her parents immigrated to Australia from the United Kingdom for a better life. By Easter 1973, the marriage was on the rocks, and the…

Carla Lenz, 17, disappeared on Nov. 12, 1986. Her brother-in-law, John R. Weber, nearly killed her sister two years later. During the search of the Weber property, police found a cassette tape in which Weber spoke in great detail about Carla’s horrific death. — Trigger Warning: This article contains graphic details of sexual assault and violence that some readers may find distressing. Gene and Caroline Lenz married on April 21, 1966, in Beresford, South Dakota, and ultimately had five children together — three sons and two daughters, Emily and Carla. Gene Lenz has two…

Two men known to the teenager set her alight when she refused to become a sex worker for their prostitution ring. — Palmina Martinelli, 14, lived in Fasano, Italy, about 200 miles southeast of Naples, in the province of Brindisi, located in the heel of the boot of Italy and roughly 40,000 in population. Her father was unemployed, so her mother became the breadwinner, working as a cleaner to support their 11…

On Sept. 29, 2016, three men violently abducted two-year-old Insiya Hemani from her maternal grandmother’s Amsterdam home in a military-style operation. The men were part of a team that Shehzad Hemani, Insiya’s father, hired to smuggle the girl to India. Nadia Rashid, the girl’s mother, has spent nearly six years trying to bring Insiya back to the Netherlands. — Nadia Rashid met Shehzad Hemani in Amsterdam in 2010 during the International Film Academy Awards (IIFA) while volunteering for the show.

Lisa Marie Mott, 12, vanished on Oct. 30, 1980, as she walked toward her home in Collie, Western Australia. She had spent the evening with a friend at the local basketball courts. — Situated in the Collie River Valley of Western Australia lies the small, picturesque town of Collie, 60 kilometers east of the regional port city Bunbury and 200 kilometers south of Perth. Collie is known for coal mining, and one can visit Coalfields Museum and Historical Research Center on Throssell Street…

On Nov. 28, 1991, Nymphe Poolman, 6, and her father went grocery shopping in Vriescheloo, Groningen, Netherlands. The family lived near the store, and Nymphe asked her father if she could walk home alone for the first time. Her father said yes and never saw his daughter again. — Nymphe Poolman was born in the Netherlands in 1984 to Peter and Jacqueline Poolman. Her mother described her as an empathetic child who had no problem defending herself when needed. She treasured family adventures and visited every zoo in the Netherlands.

Nicole Lynn Bryner, 3, went missing from Pittsburgh in March 1982. Her mother claimed someone abducted her from a local supermarket, but her boyfriend admitted to killing Nicole years later. — PITTSBURGH — Nicole Lynn Bryner was born on Feb. 20, 1979, to Michael Bryner and Melody Thomas Childs. Her parents were teenagers when they met and married. The couple separated in November 1981 after Childs began an affair with Timothy Wayne Widman, then 21.

On Nov. 10, 2008, an unknown arsonist poured an accelerant through Léa’s letterbox and set it alight as the older woman slept. — Léa Brooke grew up in Herentals, Belgium, where she met her future husband, Lindsay Brooke, while Lindsay served in the Army during WWII. After marrying, the couple moved to Wakefield, West Yorkshire, about a half-hour drive from Leeds, and ultimately had five children.

Stella Farrugia, 18, vanished from Henley Beach, South Australia, in October 1984, leaving behind her beloved dog and personal belongings. Her live-in boyfriend is one of two persons of interest in her case. However, he died in 2010. — Stella Mary Farrugia grew up in Sunshine, Victoria, Australia, the youngest child of Michael and Rose Farrugia, who had immigrated to Australia from Malta in the 1950s. Her conservative parents held traditional solid beliefs from their Maltese origins, which caused Stella to clash with them.