Unadilla, Georgia | September 4, 1998
Eight-year-old Shy’Kemmia Shy’Rezz Pate was excited.
Everyone called her “Shy Shy.”
That Friday evening, she was looking forward to attending a high school football game with her older sister.
Her sister left briefly to put gas in her car before picking Shy Shy up.
While she was gone, Shy Shy stepped outside to play near her family’s home on Crumpler Avenue.
When her sister returned…
Shy Shy was gone.
A Child Vanishes
At first, the family believed she may have ridden to the football game with another relative or family friend.
But as the minutes turned into hours, panic set in.
No one had seen her.
Law enforcement launched an extensive search involving deputies, helicopters, search teams, volunteers, and investigators.
Despite those efforts, no trace of Shy Shy has ever been found.
Investigators have said that early confusion about her whereabouts delayed the official search, costing valuable time during those critical first hours.
Authorities now believe Shy Shy was likely abducted by someone familiar with her or her family.
Distinctive Features
When she disappeared, Shy Shy was wearing a bright neon-green Atlanta Braves button-up baseball jersey with red lettering, Levi’s jeans, and white K-Swiss sneakers.
Her black hair was styled in shoulder-length braids with twirls in the front decorated with 10 to 12 small gold beads.
She also wore a medical leg brace because of a displaced kneecap and had a surgical scar along her waistline.
Shy Shy required regular medication for severe asthma, an underdeveloped kidney, and a weak bladder, making her disappearance even more urgent.
More Than 27 Years Without Answers
Her mother, Veronica Pate, has never stopped searching for her daughter.
For more than 27 years, she has continued to hope that someone, somewhere, will finally come forward with the truth.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Shy’Kemmia “Shy Shy” Pate is urged to contact the Dooly County Sheriff’s Office at (229) 645-0920 or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Tip Line at 1-800-597-TIPS.
Someone knows what happened to that little girl on Crumpler Avenue.
Her family has waited far too long for answers.
© The Vivid Faces of the Vanished
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