Account
Apr 15, 2010
Jul 26, 2021
Allyson
Dalton
26
20 inches
8 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the quiet town of Strasburg, Virginia, a day of profound tragedy unfolded on July 27, 1998, leaving a family shattered and a community with questions that would linger for decades. On that summer morning, Allyson Kathleen Dalton, a baby girl just a few months old, was last seen with her mother, 20-year-old Sylena Jo Dalton, at their apartment on South Charles Street. The last known sighting of mother and daughter together was around 7:50 a.m. Hours later, a horrific discovery would mark the beginning of a heart-wrenching mystery when Allyson vanished from the scene of her mother's homicide, becoming the subject of a desperate, ongoing search. The grim reality of the situation came to light at approximately 2:25 p.m. when one of Sylena's concerned coworkers went to the apartment to check on her. Inside, she found Sylena deceased on the couch; she had been stabbed multiple times. There was no trace of baby Allyson. Investigators noted that several of her baby bottles were also missing from the home, suggesting that whoever took the child may have intended to care for her. Authorities believe Sylena was likely killed between 9:15 and 10:30 a.m. Despite the violent nature of the crime, neighbors reported hearing no screams or disturbances that morning. However, one neighbor did report seeing a man putting a baby into a truck. The weapon used in the murder was never recovered from the scene. The investigation immediately focused on those close to Sylena. At the time of her death, she was reportedly seeking child support from her sometime boyfriend, Daniel E. Pompell, who was also scheduled to take a DNA test to establish paternity. Pompell told police that he had gone to Sylena's apartment around 9:00 a.m. on the day of the murder, but left after no one answered his knock. He was considered a prime suspect, and though Sylena's mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him in 2000, it was later dismissed due to a lack of evidence. For years, the case grew cold, though police maintained it was an active investigation, releasing age-progressed photos of what Allyson might look like as she grew up. A major development occurred in September 2025, when Daniel Pompell was arrested and charged with Sylena's murder after his DNA was matched to evidence found at the scene. Despite the arrest in her mother's case, Allyson Kathleen Dalton has never been found, and her father has not faced any charges in connection with her disappearance. Her case remains a painful and complex one, a dual investigation into a brutal homicide and a non-family abduction. Law enforcement and organizations like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children continue to keep her story alive, hopeful that someone, somewhere, holds the key to her whereabouts. For a family that has waited decades for answers, the hope remains that they will one day find the truth and achieve the closure they have so desperately sought for years. The question of what happened to the infant who disappeared without a trace continues to haunt all those touched by the tragedy.
Jul 27, 1998
Strasburg
Virginia
Shenandoah County
26506
Virginia State Police
Culpeper
Virginia
,
98-25519
Virginia State Police
Brown
Blue
Blue
No
06/13/2026
