Where Is: Destiney Gunnison

In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: In May 2024, 30-year-old Destiney Gunnison, a woman with a cognitive disability and a life-threatening seizure disorder, left her father’s house for a short visit—and never returned. As months passed with no word and few leads, her family feared the worst. Vulnerable, trusting, and in urgent need of medication. Now, over a year and a half later, Destiney’s disappearance has left more questions than answers. Anyone with information about this case should contact the East Point Police Department at 404-761-2177. 

This is the story of Destiney Gunnison. 

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 from May twenty twenty four. A thirty
year old woman with a cognitive disability left her father's

(00:21):
home to visit a friend. She never came back. She
suffers from a severe seizure disorder that requires daily medication
and without it, your life is in danger. She's been
missing for over a year and a half night, and
her mother believes foul play might be involved. This is

(00:47):
the story of Destiny Gunnison. Destiny Gunnisson was thirty years
old in the spring of twenty twenty four. She lived
in East Point, Georgia, a city just southwest of Atlanta.
To those who knew her, Destiny was kind, trusting, and

(01:09):
deeply connected to her family. She stood five feet five
inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. She walks
with a light She walks with a slight twist and
sometimes has a light tick. Destiny lived with a cognitive disability,
which made her more vulnerable. Her mother, Erica Gunnison, explained

(01:34):
it this way. She doesn't distinguish good and bad, from
who's good and who's bad. She just thinks everyone has
a good heart. Destiny also suffered from a serious medical condition,
a severe seizure disorder. According to her mother, Destiny experiences
seizures and they require daily medication to control. Without that medication,

(02:01):
the seizures could become extremely life threatening. Her mother says,
my main concern is her seizures and whether or not
she's getting medication, because that's the most serious symptom she
can have. This wasn't just about a missing person. This
was a race against time. Sunday, May twelfth, twenty twenty four,

(02:26):
Mother's Day, that was the last time anyone saw Destiny Gunnison.
She left her father's house in East Point that afternoon.
She told him that she was going to visit a
friend in Oakland City, a neighborhood just a few miles away.
It seemed like a simple trip, ordinary, But Destiny never

(02:49):
came home, and she never called. For Destiny's family, The
silence was immediately alarming. Her mother told reporters that that
she had never missed a holiday, never missed a phone call,
never went days without checking in. She's never missed a Thanksgiving.

(03:10):
She's just never missed anything, so not hearing from her
is concerning. Erica said. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned
into months, Summer came and went, then fall, then winter.
By December twenty twenty four, Destiny had been missing for

(03:30):
seven months. As the months had passed without any sign
of her, her mother became increasingly convinced that something terrible
had really happened. When Erica spoke to local media about
her daughter's disappearance, she requested that her face not be
shown on camera due to fears of foul play and

(03:53):
concerns for her own safety. But what did she suspect
and who did she fear? These questions remain unknown. Other
questions surrounding Destiny's disappearance also remain unknown. Who was the
friend that she was visiting that day, did Destiny ever

(04:13):
make it there, and if she did, what happened next.
Police have not publicly identified this friend or confirm whether
they've been interviewed. The lack of information has left the
family and the public with more questions than answers. In
December twenty twenty four, Erica Gunnison was desperate to find

(04:38):
her daughter. She sought the help of local news stations,
pleading for help from the community. Destiny has been missing
for seven months, and I'm just reaching out to the
community because she has health issues, and I would really
like the community to pitch in and find her so
we can get her back home, she said. She emphasized

(05:00):
that anyone with information could remain anonymous. All that mattered
was finding Destiny. Her words were unmistakable. This was a
mother who just wanted her daughter home. Destiny's case caught
the attention of the Black and Missing Foundation, a national
nonprofit that has worked since two thousand and eight to

(05:22):
raise awareness for missing people of color. The Foundation began
posting about Destiny's disappearance on social media, sharing her photo
and any other information across multiple platforms. As of October
twenty twenty five, very little information about Destiny Gunnison's case

(05:43):
has been released to the public. It isn't publicly known
if any suspects have been identified. We don't know if
the friend in Oakland has been cleared. We don't know
if Destiny's phone, wallet, or any personal belongings have ever
been found. What we do know is that a vulnerable
woman has been missing for over a year and a half.

(06:06):
And her family is hoping to find her safe and
bring her home. So one question remains, where is Destiny Gunnison.
Anyone with information about Destiny's disappearance should contact the East
Point Police Department. Their contact information can be found in

(06:27):
the description below. You can also reach out to the
Black and Missing Foundation or leave a tip anonymously. Destiny's
family needs answers, they need closure, and most importantly, if
there's any chance that Destiny is still alive, they need
to bring her home. My thoughts and prayers are with

(06:50):
the family and friends of Destiny Gunnison, and I hope
for her safe return. As we close out this episode,
remember sharing Destiny's story not only keeps her case in
the public eye, but could also lead to answers that
her family is desperately seeking. It also shines a light

(07:10):
on the risks that vulnerable individual's face and the importance
of community awareness and protecting them and protecting ourselves. Don't
forget to subscribe to Hunting for Answers on YouTube and
follow on Instagram and TikTok to stay updated on this
and other cases. If you're watching us on YouTube, share

(07:33):
your thoughts on this case in the comments below. Thank
you so much for joining us on another episode until
next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of the

(07:56):
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.