August 1, 2025 • 10 mins
In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: In August 2015, 27-year-old nursing student Aliyah Boomer left a friend’s apartment in Brooklyn’s Red Hook Houses. She was headed to a barbecue but she never made it. Nearly a decade later, a 3AM phone call and a cryptic letter are the only clues left behind. Anyone with information about this case should contact the New York Police Department at 212-694-7781.
This is the story of Aliyah Boomer.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that took place in Brooklyn, New York,
back in August twenty fifteen. This case has remained unsolved
(00:21):
for nearly a decade and centers around a twenty seven
year old nursing student who vanished without a trace after
leaving a friend's apartment in the dead of night. This
is the story of Aliah Boomer. Aliah Boomer was born
on January sixth, nineteen eighty eight. Friends and family knew
(00:45):
her by her nickname Ley. By twenty fifteen, at twenty
seven years old, Aliyah was a determined young woman pursuing
her dreams of becoming a nurse while studying at college.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
At the time she.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Disappeared, she lived with her mother in the sheep Shed
Bay area of Brooklyn, where she was known for her
vibrant personality and distinctive style.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Aliyah had multiple tattoos, including her.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Own name Aliah on her left arm, Vicky on her
right arm, stars on her wrist, an abdomen, a moon
on her foot and a ladybug with a name Kim
on her back.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Her nose, ears, and nibble were.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Pierced, and she often wore her hair naturally in an
afro or twist, though sometimes she'd switch it up and
wear a wig. Aliah was the kind of person who
stayed in touch with her family, especially her sister. But
on a hot summer night in twenty fifteen, Aliah would disappear.
(01:52):
August fifteenth, twenty fifteen, a Saturday evening in Brooklyn, Elia
spent the day at a bar and Prospect Park with
a friend. It was a typical summer day, warm, social,
filled with laughter and good food. After the barbecue ended,
Aliyah and her friend headed to the friend's home in
(02:14):
the Red Hook Houses, specifically the four hundred block of
Columbia Street. Red Hook Houses, which was previously called Red
Hook Housing Projects, once was one of New York's most
dangerous neighborhoods, but in recent decades it had been improving
(02:35):
and was not nearly as much of a threat, but
it still carried some of the weight of its troubled past.
As the evening wore on, Aliah learned about another barbecue
happening elsewhere. She wanted to go, but her friend preferred
to stay home. At eleven PM, Aliah left the apartment alone.
(02:59):
She was wearing a black short sleeve top, multicolored capri pants,
and black patent leather Jordan sneakers. That was the last
time anyone saw her. Alia never made it to the
second barbecue. Somewhere between her friend's apartment in Red Hook
and her intended destination, she vanished, but the story doesn't
(03:26):
end there. At three am on August sixteenth, four hours
after she left her friend's place, Aliah's phone made a call.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
It was her sister's number.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
She was calling, but her sister was asleep, so she
didn't answer, and Aliah didn't leave a message. This three
am phone call would become one of the most haunting
aspects of the case. Where was Aliah calling from at
three in the morning? Why was she calling her sister?
(04:02):
Was she in trouble? Was it even Aliyah on the
other side. That phone call would be the last sign
from Aliah Boomer Sunday, August sixteenth, twenty fifteen. When Aliah
didn't come home that night, her mother wasn't immediately concerned.
(04:23):
Aliyah was twenty seven years old and had stayed out
over night before she was an adult living her life.
But as Sunday turned to Monday and Monday approached August eighteenth,
her sister's birthday, the family began to worry. Aliah would
never miss her sister's birthday. She would never go this
(04:46):
long without contacting her family. The woman who was working
toward her nursing degree, who maintained such close relationships with
her family, who had supposedly called her sister just days earlier,
had seemingly vanished from the face of the earth.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
When the family.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Reported Aliah missing, the New York Police Department began their investigation.
They retraced her last known movements, interviewed her friend from
Red Hook, and canvassed the area where she was last seen,
but the trail went cold quickly. Red Hook, with its
kneze of housing projects in limited street lighting, could hide
(05:30):
many secrets. The waterfront area, the industrial sections, the numerous
places where people could disappear all became part of the
search area. Weeks turned to months, months turned to years,
and the case was classified as an endangered missing person,
(05:50):
but no substantial.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Leads had emerged.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Aliah's family refused to give up hope, but the silence
was deafening. Then, in twenty twenty two, seven years after
Alia's disappearance, her mother received something that would reignite hope
and fear into the case. A mysterious letter arrived in
(06:15):
the mail. The letter mentioned something called a lick. Now, initially,
Alia's mother didn't exactly know what that meant. Through her
own research, she learned that in the streets, a lick
refers to when people are sent out to sell drugs
and things go wrong and they don't show up.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
The implication was chilling.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Was Alia somehow involved in a drug deal blonde bad?
Was she in the wrong place at the wrong time,
or was someone just trying to mislead the family and investigators.
A professor and retired NYPD sergeant who once led a
cold case squad reviewed the letter.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
His assessment was cautious.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
He suggested the letter writer could be trying to throw
off the family and the investigation.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
The mystery only deepened.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Was this letter a genuine clue from someone who knew
what happened to Aliah? Was it from someone feeling guilty
after seven years of silence, or was it a cruel
hoax designed to torment a grieving family.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
The letter raised more questions than it answered, but.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
It suggested that maybe somewhere out there, someone knows something.
Aliah's story has been highlighted alongside other missing persons of
color to draw attention to many of the disparities that persist.
Her family has worked to keep her name in the
public eye, creating Facebook pages and working with advocacy groups.
(07:59):
But awareness pains can't replace the one thing Aliah's family
needs the most answers.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Today.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Aliyah would be thirty seven years old. She might have
graduated from nursing school by now. She might have been
helping patients, saving lives, making the.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
World a better place.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
But instead her family is left with questions, memories, and
a mysterious phone call at three am that still continues
to haunt them to this day. Somewhere in New York,
perhaps in Brooklyn, perhaps somewhere else entirely, someone knows what
happened to Aliah Boomer.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
The Red Hook.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Houses where Aliah was last seen have continued to evolve
over the years. The neighborhood has seen development and gentrification,
but the questions about that night in twenty fifteen still
remain unanswered. My thoughts and prayers are with the family
and friends of Aliah Boomer. Her case remains open with
(09:06):
the New York Police Department. They continue to follow up
on tips and investigate new leads. You can find their
contact information in the description box below. Her family continues
to hope that someday someone will come forward with the
information that could finally bring Aliah home, or at least
(09:28):
provide the answers they've been seeking for nearly a decade.
As we close out this episode, don't forget to click
the follow button to stay updated on Alia's case and
others like it. Be short to subscribe to Hunting for
Answers on YouTube and follow us on Instagram and TikTok
for our true crime updates, and if you are watching
(09:49):
us on YouTube, let us know your thoughts on this
case down in the comments. Thank you so much for
joining us on another episode in time untill next time.
(10:09):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that took place in Brooklyn, New York,
back in August twenty fifteen. This case has remained unsolved
(00:21):
for nearly a decade and centers around a twenty seven
year old nursing student who vanished without a trace after
leaving a friend's apartment in the dead of night. This
is the story of Aliah Boomer. Aliah Boomer was born
on January sixth, nineteen eighty eight. Friends and family knew
(00:45):
her by her nickname Ley. By twenty fifteen, at twenty
seven years old, Aliyah was a determined young woman pursuing
her dreams of becoming a nurse while studying at college.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
At the time she.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Disappeared, she lived with her mother in the sheep Shed
Bay area of Brooklyn, where she was known for her
vibrant personality and distinctive style.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Aliyah had multiple tattoos, including her.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Own name Aliah on her left arm, Vicky on her
right arm, stars on her wrist, an abdomen, a moon
on her foot and a ladybug with a name Kim
on her back.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Her nose, ears, and nibble were.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Pierced, and she often wore her hair naturally in an
afro or twist, though sometimes she'd switch it up and
wear a wig. Aliah was the kind of person who
stayed in touch with her family, especially her sister. But
on a hot summer night in twenty fifteen, Aliah would disappear.
(01:52):
August fifteenth, twenty fifteen, a Saturday evening in Brooklyn, Elia
spent the day at a bar and Prospect Park with
a friend. It was a typical summer day, warm, social,
filled with laughter and good food. After the barbecue ended,
Aliyah and her friend headed to the friend's home in
(02:14):
the Red Hook Houses, specifically the four hundred block of
Columbia Street. Red Hook Houses, which was previously called Red
Hook Housing Projects, once was one of New York's most
dangerous neighborhoods, but in recent decades it had been improving
(02:35):
and was not nearly as much of a threat, but
it still carried some of the weight of its troubled past.
As the evening wore on, Aliah learned about another barbecue
happening elsewhere. She wanted to go, but her friend preferred
to stay home. At eleven PM, Aliah left the apartment alone.
(02:59):
She was wearing a black short sleeve top, multicolored capri pants,
and black patent leather Jordan sneakers. That was the last
time anyone saw her. Alia never made it to the
second barbecue. Somewhere between her friend's apartment in Red Hook
and her intended destination, she vanished, but the story doesn't
(03:26):
end there. At three am on August sixteenth, four hours
after she left her friend's place, Aliah's phone made a call.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
It was her sister's number.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
She was calling, but her sister was asleep, so she
didn't answer, and Aliah didn't leave a message. This three
am phone call would become one of the most haunting
aspects of the case. Where was Aliah calling from at
three in the morning? Why was she calling her sister?
(04:02):
Was she in trouble? Was it even Aliyah on the
other side. That phone call would be the last sign
from Aliah Boomer Sunday, August sixteenth, twenty fifteen. When Aliah
didn't come home that night, her mother wasn't immediately concerned.
(04:23):
Aliyah was twenty seven years old and had stayed out
over night before she was an adult living her life.
But as Sunday turned to Monday and Monday approached August eighteenth,
her sister's birthday, the family began to worry. Aliah would
never miss her sister's birthday. She would never go this
(04:46):
long without contacting her family. The woman who was working
toward her nursing degree, who maintained such close relationships with
her family, who had supposedly called her sister just days earlier,
had seemingly vanished from the face of the earth.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
When the family.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Reported Aliah missing, the New York Police Department began their investigation.
They retraced her last known movements, interviewed her friend from
Red Hook, and canvassed the area where she was last seen,
but the trail went cold quickly. Red Hook, with its
kneze of housing projects in limited street lighting, could hide
(05:30):
many secrets. The waterfront area, the industrial sections, the numerous
places where people could disappear all became part of the
search area. Weeks turned to months, months turned to years,
and the case was classified as an endangered missing person,
(05:50):
but no substantial.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Leads had emerged.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Aliah's family refused to give up hope, but the silence
was deafening. Then, in twenty twenty two, seven years after
Alia's disappearance, her mother received something that would reignite hope
and fear into the case. A mysterious letter arrived in
(06:15):
the mail. The letter mentioned something called a lick. Now, initially,
Alia's mother didn't exactly know what that meant. Through her
own research, she learned that in the streets, a lick
refers to when people are sent out to sell drugs
and things go wrong and they don't show up.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
The implication was chilling.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Was Alia somehow involved in a drug deal blonde bad?
Was she in the wrong place at the wrong time,
or was someone just trying to mislead the family and investigators.
A professor and retired NYPD sergeant who once led a
cold case squad reviewed the letter.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
His assessment was cautious.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
He suggested the letter writer could be trying to throw
off the family and the investigation.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
The mystery only deepened.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Was this letter a genuine clue from someone who knew
what happened to Aliah? Was it from someone feeling guilty
after seven years of silence, or was it a cruel
hoax designed to torment a grieving family.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
The letter raised more questions than it answered, but.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
It suggested that maybe somewhere out there, someone knows something.
Aliah's story has been highlighted alongside other missing persons of
color to draw attention to many of the disparities that persist.
Her family has worked to keep her name in the
public eye, creating Facebook pages and working with advocacy groups.
(07:59):
But awareness pains can't replace the one thing Aliah's family
needs the most answers.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Today.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Aliyah would be thirty seven years old. She might have
graduated from nursing school by now. She might have been
helping patients, saving lives, making the.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
World a better place.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
But instead her family is left with questions, memories, and
a mysterious phone call at three am that still continues
to haunt them to this day. Somewhere in New York,
perhaps in Brooklyn, perhaps somewhere else entirely, someone knows what
happened to Aliah Boomer.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
The Red Hook.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Houses where Aliah was last seen have continued to evolve
over the years. The neighborhood has seen development and gentrification,
but the questions about that night in twenty fifteen still
remain unanswered. My thoughts and prayers are with the family
and friends of Aliah Boomer. Her case remains open with
(09:06):
the New York Police Department. They continue to follow up
on tips and investigate new leads. You can find their
contact information in the description box below. Her family continues
to hope that someday someone will come forward with the
information that could finally bring Aliah home, or at least
(09:28):
provide the answers they've been seeking for nearly a decade.
As we close out this episode, don't forget to click
the follow button to stay updated on Alia's case and
others like it. Be short to subscribe to Hunting for
Answers on YouTube and follow us on Instagram and TikTok
for our true crime updates, and if you are watching
(09:49):
us on YouTube, let us know your thoughts on this
case down in the comments. Thank you so much for
joining us on another episode in time untill next time.
(10:09):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
Host
Hunter Gilmore
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