In 1996, Rachel attended Ward Middle School as a seventh-grader. She missed school on January 31 of that year because of a sore throat. She was last seen in the afternoon dozing off in her bedroom at her family’s home in Bolingbrook, Illinois. When her stepfather Vincent Mellon last saw her, she was swaddled in a blue blanket.

Vincent claimed that after playing video games with Rachel, she fell asleep, and at 2:30 p.m., he left the house to walk the family’s German Shepherd. While he was gone, he left the door unlocked. He claimed that the dog got loose from its leash while chasing a rabbit, which caused him to stay away longer than he had intended. He left the house for a half hour before coming back.

Although Vincent claimed he did notice his stepdaughter had vanished after he finished the walk, the authorities maintain that he never checked on Rachel when he got home. When her mother, Amy Mellon, and some other family members got home around 5:00 p.m., Rachel was reportedly reported missing to detectives. She has never been heard from again.

The blue blanket she was wrapped in, two pillows, and other items have disappeared. Even though the wind chill that day was 20 degrees below zero, her winter clothing, shoes, and coat were left unattended. She also left behind her purse and Walkman at her home. There were no signs of an unauthorised entry. There were no traces of Rachel anywhere in the vicinity despite a thorough search. Authorities claimed that if she had been outside and exposed to the elements, she could not have endured for very long.

The original theory, which was later disproved, was that some of Rachel’s kin had taken her out of the country. Since she vanished, her bank account has not been touched, and there is no proof that she has bought bus or plane tickets to travel anywhere.

When Rachel’s case was reopened and a grand jury was called to investigate in 2000, Vincent provided blood, semen, saliva, and hair samples to the authorities. The samples were collected by the authorities under a warrant.

Amy said she thought Rachel was still alive and that other people knew where she was. The attorneys for the Mellon family claimed that the case was being re-examined as a result of interest from America’s Most Wanted, a television show that wanted to air a segment about Rachel’s disappearance.

Authorities have stated that they think Rachel’s disappearance was the result of criminal activity. For many years, Vincent has been thought of as a potential suspect in her case. After she vanished, he noticed that he had scratches all over his body and claimed that he had been hurt while fixing his car. In connection with Rachel’s disappearance, he failed a lie detector test and has a long history of domestic violence. Without any indictments being issued, the grand jury investigation came to an end in 2000.

Over a year before she vanished in 1996, Rachel ran away and spent time at a friend’s house. Soon after leaving, she voluntarily went back home. Authorities don’t think she escaped in 1996. She kept a diary, which the police examined after she vanished. Months before she disappeared, she mentioned that Vincent had kissed her and inappropriately touched her in one journal entry.

At the time of Rachel Skemp’s disappearance, her father, Jeff Skemp, was a resident of Dallas, Texas. When Rachel was a young child, he and Amy had divorced. According to Skemp, Rachel called his mother on the day she vanished. Since Rachel was not permitted to speak to her grandmother, he claimed that this was unusual for Rachel. Science was Rachel’s favourite subject in school and she was an honours student at the time of her disappearance. She had a passion fora the environment and recycling.

Skemp keeps his phone number available in case Rachel calls, but he thinks she was the victim of foul play. In 2006, he held a memorial service for her. After 1996, Amy and Vincent eventually left the region. Although Rachel’s disappearance is still unsolved and no one has been arrested in connection with it, it is being treated as a homicide.

If you have any information regarding to this disappearance must contact with Bolingbrook Police Department 630-226-0600