Trudy Appleby: The 1996 Moline Disappearance
Crime Salad
10/03/25
•54m
About
Comments
Featured In
In August of 1996, 11-year-old Trudy Appleby vanished from her neighborhood in Moline, Illinois, leaving behind one of the most haunting mysteries in the Quad Cities. There was no sign of a struggle, no clear witnesses, and no immediate answers. For nearly three decades, her case remained unsolved.
But behind the headlines, Trudy’s father never stopped fighting. From the very beginning, he insisted he knew who was responsible. While police chased false leads and dead ends, he pointed to the same small circle of men—names he repeated year after year, long before investigators finally confirmed them as persons of interest.
In August 2025, almost exactly 29 years after Trudy disappeared, an arrest was finally made. The breakthrough came too late for her father, who passed away without seeing justice—but it proved he had been right all along.
This is the story of Trudy Appleby: a child gone without a trace, a family’s relentless search for truth, and the decades-long fight to hold those responsible accountable in the Quad Cities’ most infamous missing child case.
Please contact the Moline Police Department (Illinois) - Missing Persons Unit - 1-309-797-0407 OR your local FBI if you have any information.
Trudy’s Missing Poster: https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/822441/1
This episode is made possible by show subscribers and sponsors, thank you!
Patreon.com/crimesaladpodcast
crimesaladpodcast.com
Mint Mobile:
Ready to say yes to saying no?
Make the switch at mintmobile.com/CRIMESALAD
But behind the headlines, Trudy’s father never stopped fighting. From the very beginning, he insisted he knew who was responsible. While police chased false leads and dead ends, he pointed to the same small circle of men—names he repeated year after year, long before investigators finally confirmed them as persons of interest.
In August 2025, almost exactly 29 years after Trudy disappeared, an arrest was finally made. The breakthrough came too late for her father, who passed away without seeing justice—but it proved he had been right all along.
This is the story of Trudy Appleby: a child gone without a trace, a family’s relentless search for truth, and the decades-long fight to hold those responsible accountable in the Quad Cities’ most infamous missing child case.
Please contact the Moline Police Department (Illinois) - Missing Persons Unit - 1-309-797-0407 OR your local FBI if you have any information.
Trudy’s Missing Poster: https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/822441/1
This episode is made possible by show subscribers and sponsors, thank you!
Patreon.com/crimesaladpodcast
crimesaladpodcast.com
Mint Mobile:
Ready to say yes to saying no?
Make the switch at mintmobile.com/CRIMESALAD
Keywords: Trudy Appleby, Moline Illinois, Quad Cities missing child, East Moline, Illinois cold case, Dennis Appleby, David Whipple, James “Jim” Messick, Jamie Fisher, Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office, Moline Police Department, FBI Quad Cities, unsolved disappearance, True Crime Podcast, where is trudy appleby
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Previous Episode
Filicide Awareness Interview with Hope Hooton
September 24, 2025
•40m
In this episode, Crime Salad sits down with Hope Hooton, a mother who has endured the unimaginable loss of her two children to filicide, the act of a parent killing their own child. This conversation covers deeply sensitive topics, including suicide, domestic abuse, and the devastating realities that too often go overlooked by the system. Hope shares the red flags she recognized, the steps she took to protect herself and her children, and the hard truths about how difficult it can be to leave an abusive relationship.
Through her story, Hope is turning tragedy into purpose, spreading awareness, advocating for change, and working to save children’s lives by shining a light on the warning signs that must never be ignored.
Listener discretion is advised. Please take care of your mental health first as you listen.
Please Follow and Support Hope Hooton:
Hope’s Website: https://voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com/
Hope’s Podcast: Voices Against Filicide
Hope’s TikTok: hope.in.the.pain
Pierce's pledge https://www.piercespledge.org/
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, help is available. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text “START” to 88788 to be connected with free, confidential support 24/7.
If you are struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can call or text anytime to be connected with trained counselors.
Through her story, Hope is turning tragedy into purpose, spreading awareness, advocating for change, and working to save children’s lives by shining a light on the warning signs that must never be ignored.
Listener discretion is advised. Please take care of your mental health first as you listen.
Please Follow and Support Hope Hooton:
Hope’s Website: https://voicesagainstfilicide.odoo.com/
Hope’s Podcast: Voices Against Filicide
Hope’s TikTok: hope.in.the.pain
Pierce's pledge https://www.piercespledge.org/
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, help is available. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text “START” to 88788 to be connected with free, confidential support 24/7.
If you are struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can call or text anytime to be connected with trained counselors.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Next Episode
Missing: Oakley Carlson - Denial, Neglect, and the Fight for Justice
October 11, 2025
•63m
Crime Salad dives into the case of Oakley Carlson, a 5-year-old girl from Grays Harbor County, Washington, who disappeared after being returned to her biological parents, Jordan Bowers and Andrew Carlson. This episode exposes the warning signs and system failures that continue to haunt advocates demanding justice for Oakley.
Miracle Made: We’ve been loving our Miracle Made sheets, now you can too! 💫 Save 40%, get an extra 20% off, plus a free towel set at TryMiracle.com/CRIMESALAD with code CRIMESALAD.
True Crime Couple: a husband-and-wife duo breaking down the wildest cases with heart!
Dashery: Thanks to Dashery for making our new Crime Salad merch collection possible! Check it out at https://crimesaladpodcast.dashery.com/!! Dashery helps creators design and deliver custom merch to fans without the hassle.
Thank you all for supporting Crime Salad. Your love and our Patreon members truly keep this show going. For ad-free listening, join us for just $1 at patreon.com/crimesaladpodcast
Miracle Made: We’ve been loving our Miracle Made sheets, now you can too! 💫 Save 40%, get an extra 20% off, plus a free towel set at TryMiracle.com/CRIMESALAD with code CRIMESALAD.
True Crime Couple: a husband-and-wife duo breaking down the wildest cases with heart!
Dashery: Thanks to Dashery for making our new Crime Salad merch collection possible! Check it out at https://crimesaladpodcast.dashery.com/!! Dashery helps creators design and deliver custom merch to fans without the hassle.
Thank you all for supporting Crime Salad. Your love and our Patreon members truly keep this show going. For ad-free listening, join us for just $1 at patreon.com/crimesaladpodcast
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you like this episode you’ll love
Promoted