Account
Nov 28, 2019
Sep 16, 2020
Arieanna
Day
6
24 inches
14 lbs
Black / African American
Female
In the quiet city of Roanoke, Virginia, a heart-wrenching mystery began to unfold on September 11, 2018, with the disappearance of three-month-old Arieanna Renee Day. That evening, her mother, Jessica Day, reported to police that she had put her daughter to bed in their home on Hanover Avenue, but when she went to check on her about an hour later, the infant was gone. Responding officers found no signs of a forced entry into the residence. This initial report of a possible abduction would soon devolve into a complex and contradictory series of accounts from Arieanna's parents, leaving investigators and the community with more questions than answers. The case quickly captured public attention, as the search for the missing baby intensified. The narrative of Arieanna's disappearance took a dramatic turn when her father, Andrew Terry, provided a disturbing account of the night she went missing. He claimed that Jessica Day had given him the baby, who he said was bruised and barely alive. According to Terry, Arieanna passed away in his car as he drove towards Montgomery County. He then told investigators that he had buried her in a shallow grave he dug with his hands. However, when he led police to the location he described, extensive searches yielded no sign of Arieanna's body. In a confusing twist, Terry later recanted his confession, only to revert to his original story shortly after. This inconsistency cast a deep shadow of doubt over his credibility and significantly hampered the investigation. The conflicting stories did not end with Andrew Terry. Arieanna's mother, Jessica Day, also gave multiple, contradictory statements to the police. At various times, she claimed that Arieanna might have been taken by an adoption agency, that she had sold her, or that she had given the baby to Terry's cousin. During Terry's trial for illegal disposal of a body, Day's testimony was inconsistent, and she admitted to having memory lapses. The trial itself ended in a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Subsequently, the charge against Terry was dropped. To this day, Arieanna Day has not been found, and authorities believe she is likely deceased. Both of her parents remain persons of interest in the case, which continues to be an active investigation. The lack of a body and the constantly changing stories from the two people who were last with her have left a painful void for a community still hoping for answers and justice for the little girl whose life was cut tragically short.
Sep 11, 2018
Roanoke
Virginia
Roanoke County
No
67525
ROANOKE POLICE DEPARTMENT
ROANOKE
Virginia
Roanoke City
24016
Bill Breedlove
Lieutenant
348 CAMPBELL AVE, Virginia
5408532211
Local
Law Enforcement
1338465
2018-09-11
ROANOKE POLICE DEPARTMENT
9356
Black
Brown
Brown
06/21/2026
