Equilla Hodrick Missing Person Case

Jun 21, 2010

Jan 02, 2024

Equilla

Hodrick

49

8

59 inches

80 lbs

Black / African American

Female

In the warm evening of August 12, 1985, a bright and street-smart nine-year-old girl named Equilla Hodrick was sitting on the front porch of her home on Briggs Avenue in the Bronx, New York. It was around 6:30 p.m. when the familiar jingle of the Mr. Softee ice cream truck caught her attention as it parked at the corner of her street. Equilla asked her mother, who was eight months pregnant at the time, for money to buy a treat. When her mother said no, Equilla darted off toward the truck, a common and seemingly innocent act for a child on a summer day. Her mother, unable to chase after her, watched her run towards the corner of Briggs Avenue and 194th Street, expecting her to return quickly as she always did. Tragically, Equilla was never seen again. As daylight faded and Equilla did not come home, her mother's concern grew into panic, and she contacted the authorities. The New York City Police Department immediately launched an extensive search for the missing child. The investigation included the use of bloodhounds, which reportedly tracked Equilla's scent for about a mile to Webster Avenue, near the Metro-North train tracks, before the trail went cold. A possible sighting of Equilla came from her cousin, who told Equilla's mother that she saw her playing video games at a local arcade later that same evening, though this sighting was never officially confirmed. At the time of her disappearance, Equilla was described as being 4'11" tall and weighing 80 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. She had a noticeable gap between her upper front teeth, wore glasses, and had pierced ears. She also had distinct scars near her right eye and on her right cheek, as well as some discoloration on her back and buttocks. She was last seen wearing a white tank top, blue cut-off jeans, and light blue sneakers. For decades, the disappearance of Equilla Hodrick has remained an unsolved mystery, a painful wound for her family and community. Despite the initial intensive search and subsequent investigative efforts, no definitive trace of her has ever been found. The case eventually went cold, though it was later reopened by the NYPD's cold case squad. The original detective on the case, who retired in the late 1990s, remembered Equilla as a street-smart child who even knew her own phone number. Her family has never given up hope for answers, and organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children continue to support their search, periodically releasing age-progressed photos to show what Equilla might look like as the years pass. The case stands as a haunting example of a child who vanished in a moment of innocent joy, leaving behind a family with unanswered questions and a community with a lingering sense of loss. The investigation into what happened to Equilla that summer evening in the Bronx continues, a testament to the enduring hope of finding her.

Aug 12, 1985

Bronx

New York

Bronx County

30445

New York City Police Department - Missing Persons Squad

New York

New York

New York County

10039

2770 Frederick Douglass Boulevard, New York

2126947781

Local

Law Enforcement

KNMP09175

New York City Police Department - Missing Persons Squad

Brown

Hazel

Hazel

09/09/2026