Long Gone: Myra Lewis

In this episode of Hunting 4 answers: On a quiet Saturday in Camden, Mississippi, two-year-old Myra Lewis vanished from her front yard without a trace. Despite Amber Alerts, FBI involvement, divers, and even psychics, no evidence has ever surfaced. More than a decade later, her disappearance remains one of Mississippi’s longest-standing mysteries. What happened to Myra Lewis? Anyone with information about this case should contact the Madison County Sheriff’s Department at 601-859-2345 or the FBI at 601-948-5000.

This is the story of Myra Lewis. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

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 happened on March first, twenty fourteen.
A two year old little girl was playing with her

(00:20):
sister outside their family home in Camden, Mississippi. Their mother
left to go run errands, instructing her daughters to go
inside the house, but the toddler never made it inside.
When the family realized that she was missing hours later,
an extensive search began that would span years. Multiple agencies,

(00:44):
canine units, divers, and even psychic detectives search for the
little girl, but no trace of her was found. Today,
her case is one of Mississippi's longest standing unsolved amber alerts.
This is the story of Mara Lewis. Mara Rena Lewis

(01:10):
was born on November thirtieth, twenty eleven. By March twenty fourteen,
she was a bright two year old living with her parents,
Erica and Gregory Lewis, on Mount Pilgrim Road in Camden, Mississippi.
Myra's grandmother, who lived next door, described her as very obedient,
and smart. According to her, Myra would often walk next

(01:34):
door to visit during this time. Mara is described as
standing three feet one inch tall, weighing about twenty seven pounds,
with black hair and brown eyes. Saturday, March first, twenty
fourteen had started like any other day for the Lewis family.

(01:55):
Erica Lewis had errands to run and preparations to make.
Gregory was home, reportedly playing video games and caring for
their newborn baby. Around ten thirty to eleven o'clock am
Erica saw Mara playing outside with her sister. Before leaving,
she gave her daughters a clear instruction to go inside

(02:18):
the house. What happened next remains a mystery. Hours had passed,
Gregory assumed Mara was with her mother. Erica, returning from
running errands, had assumed that Mara was at home with
her father. It wasn't until late afternoon, four or five

(02:38):
hours after Myra was last seen that the family realized
that she was missing. Gregory searched frantically, Erica rushed to
join him. When their efforts failed, they called the police.
Law enforcement responded immediately. Canine units focused on a four

(02:58):
square mile area around the Lewis home, including a pond
directly across the street. Despite the comprehensive search, no sign
of Myra was found. On March second, Madison County officials
issued an amber alert. Myra was described as wearing white

(03:20):
or khaki pants, a turquoise sweater with a bear on
the front, and pink tennis shoes. By March third, authorities
classified her case as a child abduction. As the investigation intensified,
so did scrutiny of her family. On March seventh, after

(03:41):
searching the Lewis family home, police arrested Erika Lewis for
a probation violation. She would remain in jail for seventy
nine days. Critics questioned whether jailing the mother of a
missing child, was appropriate, especially when her presence could help
the search. While Erica was away, Gregory continued to search,

(04:07):
sometimes alone, sometimes with authorities, seeking any sign of Myra.
Three days later, on March tenth, twenty fourteen, the FBI
added Myra to their list of most sought missing persons.
They announced a twenty thousand dollars reward for any information
leading to her whereabouts. Despite the reward offer, leeds remained scarce.

(04:33):
On March thirteenth, divers returned to the pond across from
the Lewis home for a second search. Once again, they
found nothing. By October twenty fourteen, seven months into the investigation,
desperation led authorities to an unconventional approach. The Madison County

(04:56):
Sheriff's office consulted psychic detectives, hoping their guys idence might
pinpoint new search locations. The psychics provided suggestions, authorities followed up,
but like every lead, this too yielded no new evidence.
When Erica was released from jail in May twenty fourteen,

(05:18):
the Lewis family became vocal about their belief that Myra
had been abducted. They also criticized the delayed release of
the Amber Alert. One year later, in March twenty fifteen,
the family made a public appeal. They argued that if
the Amber Alert had been issued sooner on the day

(05:39):
Myra disappeared, they might have had a better chance of
finding her. Every hour matters in child abduction cases. They
felt precious time had been lost. As years passed, the
case continued to baffle investigators. In twenty eighteen, four years

(06:00):
after Myra's disappearance, the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children released an age progressed image showing what Myra might
look like at six years old. By twenty twenty two,
eight years after her disappearance, the Madison County Sheriff's office
admitted they were no closer to locating Myra than they

(06:23):
were on the day she vanished. The Lewis family eventually
left Camden, leaving the home where Myra disappeared. The National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children continues to release age
progressed images that FBI still maintains their twenty thousand dollars reward.

(06:44):
In March twenty twenty four, ten years after Myra's disappearance,
authorities had reconfirmed that no concrete leads have emerged, and
as of October twenty twenty five, there have been no
no public reports of arrests or charges in the case.

(07:05):
Myra's case raises troubling questions. How does a two year
old vanish from her front yard in broad daylight? Was
the delay in issuing the Amber alert detrimental to finding her?
And could different investigative approaches have yielded different results. Madison

(07:27):
County Sheriff Randy Tucker stated he has no doubt in
his mind who knows what happened to Myra. As reported
by dark Horse, Press. If Myra is still alive, she
would be thirteen years old today. She deserves to be
found and to have a resolution brought to her case.

(07:47):
Anyone with information about Myra Lewis's disappearance to contact the
FBI or the Madison County Sheriff's Office. You can find
their contact information in the description below. If we close
out this episode, remember sharing Myra's story helps spread awareness
and could help lead to the answers that have been

(08:08):
weighing heavily on her family for over a decade. Don't
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(08:31):
this case and the comments below. Thank you so much
for joining us on another episode Until next time. Hunting

(08:51):
for Answers is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network.
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