Saturday, November 28, 2020

The Disappearance of Shemika Cosey


Shemika Cosey disappeared at the age of 16 on December 29th, 2008. The teen girl lived with her mother in Berkeley, Missouri at the time of her disappearance. Days before she vanished, Shemika celebrated Christmas with her family. Since she was on a break from school, Shemika decided to spend the night of December 28th with her aunt and cousins at her aunt's house on Napier St.

Shemika was last seen at her aunt's house around 1:30 AM. Her aunt and cousins awoke the next morning around 8:30 AM to discover that Shemika was gone. She has never been seen or heard from again.

Police were called shortly after Shemika's family noticed that she was missing. When the police showed up at her aunt's house, they reportedly did not find any signs of a break-in - but they did notice that there was a door left unlocked. Police quickly came to the belief that Shemika left on her own accord - and as a result, they reportedly did not search for her. 

Shemika's mother has acknowledged that it is likely that Shemika did leave the house voluntarily - but she believes that she intended to return. Shemika left behind her overnight bag and many other personal belongings. Her family members do not believe that she would voluntarily leave home and drop out-of-touch. 

Before Shemika's disappearance, her mother learned that Shemika had been using a fake I.D. get into local nightclubs. It is possible that Shemika left her aunt's house that evening to go to a club, but her family believes she intended to return to her aunt's house before anyone noticed she was gone. Still, police labeled Shemika as a runaway, and her case maintains that label today. 

Years later, Shemika's mother was packing up some belongings when she stumbled upon a notebook that Shemika had used to pass notes with a friend at school. In one of the notes, Shemika wrote about a boyfriend she thought might have gotten her pregnant. She also indicated that her relationship with said boyfriend had turned sour. 

In an entry dated just months before her disappearance, Shemika wrote, "I can't allow him to feel like he got power over me." Shemika's mother turned the notebook over to police, and the boyfriend was subsequently interviewed - but no reported leads or clues were found. 

Shemika remains missing today. Her family fears she may have fallen victim to trafficking. If you have any information that could lead to Shemika's whereabouts, please call (314) 400-3847 to submit an anonymous tip.

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