15-year-old Rachel Pratt lived in Garden City, Kansas with her parents and seven younger siblings. She did well academically speaking and participated in several extra-curricular activities.
Rachel never ran away from home, broke her curfew, or got into trouble of any kind so it came as quite a shock to her parents when she was caught stealing from Walmart on New Year's Eve 1994.
But it was what Rachel had tried to steal that truly disturbed her parents: A pregnancy test.
They took Rachel to the doctor and confirmed that she was indeed pregnant. Rachel told her parents that her boyfriend, an 18-year-old senior at her high school, was the baby's father.
Rachel's parents paid a visit to the young man's home, and his parents were outraged. His mother accused Rachel of being a liar and insisted that the unborn baby wasn't her son's responsibility.
Rather than celebrate the new year, the Pratts spent the evening filing charges against the boy since their daughter was a minor. Rachel was supposed to testify against him, instead, she disappeared.
On January 15, 1995, Rachel performed in a band concert at her high school. Her parents came to support her, cheering her on from the sidelines. Afterward, the Pratt family went home and had dinner together. Later that evening, Rachel's mother, Jan, kissed her kids goodnight and left for work.
Rachel was last seen by her 3-year-old sister, Layne, when she woke up to get a drink of water at 1 am on January 16th. At the time, Rachel was watching a movie with her brother.
Jan called home at midnight but the line was busy. She felt uneasy and wondered who was up at that hour, talking on the phone. Trusting her motherly instinct, Jan left work early, arriving home at 2 am. She found Rachel's brother asleep on the couch but Rachel was gone and so was her jacket. The rest of her belongings had been left behind including her clothes, ID, and Social Security card.
Jan waited up hoping Rachel would return. At 5 am, she heard a car drive by her home. She looked outside and noticed it was the same car that Rachel's boyfriend drove, however, the car didn't stop.
The Pratts reported Rachel missing that day but she was labeled a runaway. They disagreed, insisting their eldest child wouldn't have abandoned her younger siblings, who she adored.
Five days later, a group of girls said they saw Rachel and her boyfriend talking to someone on a payphone. They said Rachel asked them for a ride to Dillon’s, a grocery store. A friend of Jan's also reported seeing Rachel and her boyfriend near his home where he lived with his parents. However, neither of these sightings were confirmed and it's unclear where it actually was Rachel.
The charges against Rachel's boyfriend, whose identity has not been revealed to the public, were ultimately dropped since Rachel wasn't around to testify against him. He denied being with her after she went missing but he has not officially been ruled out as a suspect.
Rachel missed several prenatal appointments and there is no evidence she ever gave birth, received a driver's license, or used her Social Security Card to apply for a job. She left everything behind indicating she planned to return, yet 28 years have gone by with no sign of her.
Today, Rachel would be 43.
If you have any information, contact Garden City PD at 620-276-1300.