Detroit, Michigan | December 4, 2014
Jasmine Moody was 19 years old, a straight-A student at Texas Woman’s University, and a young woman with plans that stretched far beyond college.
Originally from Arkansas, Jasmine was popular, social, and energetic. She was involved in ROTC and dreamed of one day joining the United States Armed Forces. During her first semester of college, she made new friends, including Brittney Gurley, a young woman from Detroit whom Jasmine had met through social media.
“My daughter was real popular. She had a lot of friends. She was very social and very energetic. She always had a smile on her face. Always, always,” Jasmine’s mother, Lisa Kidd, told Dateline.
Jasmine Travels to Detroit
In November 2014, Jasmine traveled from Texas to Detroit to spend the Thanksgiving holiday break visiting Brittney and her family. Jasmine was nearly 1,200 miles from home, in a city where she had no local ties and reportedly knew no one outside of the people she had traveled there to visit.
Then, on December 4, 2014, something happened inside the home on the 3000 block of Baldwin Street.
According to Brittney and her family, an argument erupted that evening over posts Jasmine had made on social media. They told authorities that Jasmine put on a hoodie and walked out of the house around 7:30 p.m.
They said she never came back.
But Jasmine allegedly walked away without her cell phone. Without her identification. Without her purse, wallet, money, or personal belongings. She did not take a heavy winter coat.
Outside, temperatures were below freezing and snow was on the ground.
Brittney’s family reportedly told authorities they searched for Jasmine for approximately 15 minutes before contacting police.
Jasmine’s Belongings Were Left Behind
When Jasmine’s family arrived in Detroit, what they found inside the home only deepened their concerns.
“I found her cellphone, I.D., jacket, purse, and all her personal belongings inside Brittney’s house,” Jasmine’s stepfather, Patrick Kidd, told Dateline. “It’s not normal for a 19-year-old girl to walk away without those things.”
Her family has never believed Jasmine simply chose to disappear.
“I don’t believe she just left the porch and walked away,” Patrick said. “In my heart, I feel like she’s dead. If somebody had her, she would have gotten her way out of there and called us.”
The Search for Jasmine Moody
Jasmine’s parents hired private investigator Scott Lewis to look into her disappearance. Lewis has publicly said he believes Jasmine could have been kidnapped after leaving the home.
“She disappeared in quite a dangerous neighborhood that she didn’t know,” Lewis said. “The answer is somewhere in that neighborhood.”
Despite searches by the Detroit Police Department, volunteers, and Jasmine’s loved ones, no confirmed trace of her has ever been found.
No cell phone activity.
No contact with family.
No verified sightings.
Jasmine Moody seemingly vanished after reportedly walking away from a Detroit home without the very things most 19-year-olds would never willingly leave behind.
What Did Jasmine Moody Look Like?
At the time of her disappearance, Jasmine was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed approximately 130 pounds. She had a light brown complexion, black hair, and brown eyes.
She had a nose ring, a tongue piercing, and a prominent flower tattoo on her abdomen.
Jasmine was last seen wearing blue jeans, brown boots, and a white Texas Woman’s University hoodie with burgundy lettering.
A Family Still Waiting for Answers
A $2,500 reward has been offered for information leading to a resolution in Jasmine’s case.
“It still hurts as if it happened yesterday because I don’t have any closure,” Lisa said.
More than a decade has passed since Jasmine flew to Detroit to visit someone she considered a friend.
Her family is still waiting for her to come home.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Jasmine Moody is urged to contact the Detroit Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 313-596-5752 or 313-596-5156. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-SPEAK-UP (1-800-773-2587).
© The Vivid Faces of the Vanished
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