Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie
"The blue wall is firm like stand by your own. This is like so disheartening like the I've seen this over and over like the more cases we've done, the more families I've worked with families really have no rights when it comes to like how they're treated or what they have access to information wise." — Britt
"My mind honestly even goes to like adoption fraud situation. Like is anyone looked at what the motive would be if it were foul play like who is the intended target?" — Britt
"I would just like to say to Jennifer that I hope they are and I pray that they are safe. I really wish that someday I would be able to hear from Jennifer and know that they're okay." — Vicky Lankaster
The episode details the baffling disappearance of 20-year-old Jennifer Lankaster and her two infant daughters, Sydney (14 months) and Monique (newborn), from Topeka, Kansas, on May 13, 2000. Jennifer's mother, Vicky, reported them missing when they failed to return home, noting that Jennifer had left her phone behind and that several of her belongings were also missing, suggesting a potential planned departure. Despite initial police reports indicating Jennifer may have left voluntarily, her family struggled with this conclusion due to Jennifer's reliance on her mother for childcare and her recent struggles with mental health, potentially postpartum depression.
The investigation, largely driven by Vicky and Jennifer's sister Jessica, uncovered several leads, including the discovery of Jennifer's car parked at an apartment complex, found to be unusually clean and with the car seats missing. The family also pursued information from Jennifer's brief return to work at a local gentlemen's club, "Baby Dolls," where a wealthy man from Florida receiving treatment at a mental health facility was noted by her manager. Further attempts to gain traction were made through a mysterious "thank you card" and coupons from Steak 'n Shake in St. Louis, which the family hoped might have been sent by Jennifer as a signal. A significant development occurred in 2011 when police informed Vicky of potential female remains in Illinois, though DNA testing later confirmed they were not Jennifer's.
In April 2025, a woman named "Nora" from Ontario, Canada, contacted the family, believing she was Monique, Jennifer's youngest daughter, and claiming to have been trafficked. While initial hope was high and DNA kits were sent, Nora eventually went "dark," and subsequent DNA results in July 2025 definitively concluded she was not related to the Lankaster family. The case remains open, with the family continuing to seek answers and hold out hope for the safe return of Jennifer and her daughters.