Dateline Missing in America – Ep. 21: Taking Teekah

Summary

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Dateline Missing in America – Ep. 21: Taking Tika

Podcast: Dateline Originals
Host: NBC News, Josh Mankiewicz
Date: September 5, 2025

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Episode Overview

This poignant episode of “Dateline Missing in America” reopens the haunting 1999 disappearance of two-year-old Tika Lewis from a bowling alley in Tacoma, Washington. Hosted by Josh Mankiewicz, the episode narrates the events of that fateful night, the subsequent emotional turmoil for Tika’s family, and the ongoing investigation—spotlighting promising leads, dashed hopes, and, most recently, a large-scale police search that once again ends in heartbreak. The episode maintains a tone of urgency and empathy, repeatedly calling for public assistance to help finally bring answers to Tika’s family.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Night Tika Disappeared

• A Family Night Out Gone Tragic
  • The Chepesky family headed to New Frontier Lanes for a regular night of bowling (00:50).
  • Tika, described as loving, energetic, and always by her mother’s side, was last seen playing a racing arcade game (05:01, 06:15).
  • The adults juggled supervising several children in the loud, crowded environment. Theresa, Tika’s mother, briefly turned her attention away to bowl, asking others to watch Tika; in “maybe 15 seconds,” Tika was gone (05:48, 06:28).

"Seconds, and I turned back around and I looked up and I asked them, where's Tika? ... She was nowhere around."
— Theresa Chepesky, 06:28

• Immediate Response
  • Panic set in as Tika vanished—her mother alerted an off-duty officer at the bowling alley (07:13).
  • A tense episode followed: in the confusion, another daughter, 10-month-old Tameka, was nearly kidnapped by a woman named Rita Miller but was recovered before she could be taken (10:05).

The Aftermath and Community Search

• Grief and Confusion

  • Theresa gathered her remaining daughters and broke the devastating news: “Tika’s gone, Tika’s not with us, she’s missing.” (13:55)
  • The absence slowly sank in for the family, with the pain compounded by the lack of tangible answers.

• Investigative Response

  • Police and volunteers conducted extensive grid searches, knocking on doors, helicopter flyovers, and canvassing apartment complexes (15:23).
  • Some evidence was found (folded clothing in the woods), but it didn’t yield leads (15:47).

Unfolding Suspects and Mysterious Leads

• Pattern of Danger
  • Alarming prior incidents at the bowling alley: months before Tika’s disappearance, a man sexually assaulted a boy in the bathroom and escaped arrest (16:54).
  • On the day of Tika’s disappearance, a man matching a similar description tried to lure kids in a nearby park (17:23).
  • Notably, a reddish/purplish Pontiac Grand Am was seen speeding out of the parking lot after Tika disappeared—a crucial but ultimately untraceable clue (18:04).

"She [the witness] said that a Pontiac Grand Am pulled out of there super fast, almost running into her..."
— Sergeant Julie Deer, 18:04

Lingering Grief & Unwavering Hope

• Inescapable Loss

  • The Chepesky family marked birthdays and holidays with Tika’s absence deeply felt, singing modified lullabies and lighting candles in her honor (19:16, 19:34).

• Recent Developments

  • In 2025, a substantive police search of a Tacoma home reignited hope, based on a new tip, but ended with no new evidence (32:19–34:04).

Evolving Investigation & Person of Interest: “John Doe”

• Rita Miller’s Dead End
  • Rita Miller, who attempted to take Tameka, was committed for mental health reasons shortly after. Later, her mental decline rendered her incapable of contributing to the investigation (13:06, 22:47–22:57).

"She should have been charged that night for attempted abduction of my 10 month old, but she wasn’t."
— Theresa Chepesky, 22:47

• A Chilling 911 Call

  • New life was breathed into the case with the late discovery of a 911 call: a man’s mother reported he was acting suspicious on the night of Tika’s disappearance, pressing her about fleeing the country (23:53).
  • This man, referred to as “John Doe,” lived nearby and owned (and rented) Pontiacs.

• Profile of “John Doe”

  • “John Doe” was in his early 40s, independently wealthy but with significant mental health and sexual deviance issues (but no child-related convictions) (24:55–25:48).
  • A teenage witness recalled seeing a white man with a pockmarked face and a biracial child (matching Tika) leaving the bowling alley, but was unable to definitively identify John Doe in a police photo lineup; however, he paused when he saw Doe’s photo (26:00–28:27).

• Frustrating Barriers

  • John Doe denied ever being at the bowling alley and denied owning a car matching the suspect vehicle (29:16–29:46).
  • He passed away before police could question him further, but his DNA is now on file for possible future matches (30:07–30:33).
  • Tika’s mother and sister both believe investigators waited too long, leaving crucial answers buried with Doe (31:06–31:24).

"Whatever he knew, he took with him—to the grave with him. So even if he was the person that did take Tika, we’ll never know."
— Theresa Chepesky, 31:24

Family Reflections & A Plea for Vigilance

• Unyielding Family Bond

  • Tika’s memory is kept alive by her sisters and her mother, who shares Tika’s story with her youngest, Tanika, born after the tragedy (35:35).
  • The pain persists: “Everybody has years and years with their kids. I had two and a half years with Tika and it wasn’t enough.” (37:00)

• Advice for Parents & Community

  • Theresa’s advice is heartbreakingly direct: “Hold your babies tight. Don’t never let them go. Don’t trust nobody around your babies. Nobody...” (36:07–36:22).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Parental Vigilance:

  "If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone."
  — Theresa Chepesky, 36:24

• On Mother’s Grief:

  "Tika was my everything. Everybody has years and years with their kids. I had two and a half years with Tika and it wasn't enough."
  — Theresa Chepesky, 37:00

• On Family Resolution:

  "I'm gonna do my part to find what happened to my daughter."
  — Theresa Chepesky, 02:45, 30:47

• On Law Enforcement’s Emotional Connection:

  “At the time that I started looking at this case, I have a boy about the same age as Tika was when she went missing. ...For me it just [is] heart-wrenching.”
  — Sergeant Julie Deer, 35:08

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• The Night Tika Disappeared: 00:50–07:13
• Almost Losing Another Daughter (Tameka): 10:05–11:32
• Family Shock & Initial Search: 13:40–15:43
• Prior Incidents and Leads (Assault, Car, Park): 16:52–19:00
• Recent Search Efforts & Large-Scale Tacoma Search (2025): 32:14–34:52
• “John Doe” Investigation and Frustrations: 24:31–31:24
• Family Remembrance and Reflection: 35:02–37:15
• Advice to Parents: 36:07–36:29
• Plea to the Public: Missing Information Recap: 37:15–end

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Call to Action

If you have information:
On January 23, 1999, Tika Lewis was 3 feet tall, 35 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and pierced ears—last seen in a green Tweety Bird t-shirt, sweatpants, and red, white, and black Air Jordans.

Contact:
Tacoma Police Department – [phone]
See age-progression images and submit tips: datelinemissinginamerica.com

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This episode blends meticulous investigation, raw family testimony, and heartfelt pleas for vigilance, underlining the pain unresolved cases inflict—and the hope that answers still lie out there, waiting for a crucial tip.

Transcript

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Theresa Chepesky]

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[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Theresa Chepesky]

So are you just gonna watch me eat?

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Theresa Chepesky]

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[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

You could feel the energy the moment you walked in. Laughter echoed off the walls. The smell of burgers and fries hung in. The bowling balls rumble down lanes, followed by the clatter of pins. This was a Saturday night in Tacoma, Washington. There were a lot of people there that night.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Oh, yeah, at least 350.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

January 23, 1999. The neon sign read New Frontier Lanes. That glow drew people in on a damp, chilly evening. Theresa Chepesky was one of them.

[Theresa Chepesky]

So we get there and we get our shoes and we go to our lanes.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Theresa was there with two of her daughters, her boyfriend, some family and some friends.

[Theresa Chepesky]

And Tika sees the video games.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Tika was Teresa's two year old. She picked out a game over in the bowling alley's arcade.

[Theresa Chepesky]

It was my turn to bowl and I told my brother and my boyfriend, make sure you watch Tika, so nobody, you know, nothing happens to her.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Teresa bowled her frame and something did happen.

[Theresa Chepesky]

She was gone.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

That was more than two decades ago. The search for Tika began that night. And it still is not over.

[Theresa Chepesky]

My kids have suffered for 26 years not knowing where their sister's been.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

I'm Josh Mankiewicz, and this is Missing in America, a podcast from Dateline. This episode is Taking Tika. Please listen closely because you or someone you know might have information that could help solve this case and finally give Tika's family the answers they've been searching for.

[Theresa Chepesky]

I'm gonna do my part to find what happened to my daughter.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Tacoma, Washington, is a city of contrast. Industrial streets buzzing with life. Mount Rainier a quiet giant in the distance. In one house on Tacoma's east side, life was anything but quiet. Tell me what it's like having all those daughters around. Whoa.

[Theresa Chepesky]

I could say that, you know, a lot of emotions going on in the house and different attitudes, but they're my everything.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Teresa, by every definition, is a girl. Mom. Back then she was 27 and raising five daughters on her own.

[Theresa Chepesky]

It was always fun times in the house.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

That's Katerina, Tika's older sister. Back in 1999, she was six years old.

[Theresa Chepesky]

She was such an energetic little girl. She had the prettiest big brown eyes. She was so loving and just always wanting to be around her big sisters or around her mother. She slept with Mama. She went with me everywhere. I couldn't go nowhere without her.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

That's why you took her to the bowling alley.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Exactly.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Theresa says that Saturday started out normally.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Me and my boyfriend in my three daughters, we went on post.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

He was in the military then.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Yes, he was in the military. And on our way home, we stopped at Taco Bell to get the kids some food.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Theresa says her eldest twin daughters were already with their godmother. She dropped Katerina off with her aunt before the evening began.

[Theresa Chepesky]

I can see how four or five kids around, you know, when it's bowling, it can be a lot, so.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

So maybe you want to park some of them somewhere else.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Right, Right.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Teresa got her youngest two, Tika and Tamika, ready for a night at the bowling alley. Tell me what Tika was wearing that day.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Green Tweety Bird shirt, white sweats, and white and black Air Jordans. And her hair was up in a ponytail.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

New Frontier Lanes seemed the safest of places. Was that a place you regularly went the week before?

[Theresa Chepesky]

I went and I took my twins and there was nobody in there, so I wasn't worried. So I said, well, hey, we'll go back the next week. I wish I would have never went because that's when the nightmare started.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

By around 10pm, the big group was settled at their lanes. Theresa kept an eye on her 10 month old Tameka, who sat in her carrier, and on Tika, who ran back and forth between her and the arcade.

[Theresa Chepesky]

And she seen her uncle go up there and her uncle was playing the game and he won a stuffed animal and he gave it to his niece and Tika, you know, gave it to her baby sister.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

So he gave it to Tika and she gave it to Tameka.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Yep, her sister still has that bear.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Then Tika spotted a racing game and she was at that driving game when you went to bowl.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Oh, yeah, she was there. I seen her.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Teresa says that's when she told her boyfriend and brother to watch Tika while she bowled. Her attention was diverted for maybe 15.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Seconds and I turned back around and I looked up and I asked them, where's Tika? And they were like, she's up there.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

They assumed Tika was still playing in the crowded arcade and just couldn't see her. After all, she was quite small.

[Theresa Chepesky]

I went up to the game, looked in between the games around the corner. I went to the end of the bowling alley and went into the bathroom down there. She was nowhere around.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

And you're getting a little bit more frantic every second.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Oh yeah, because I know my baby wouldn't leave me.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Theresa rushed into another bathroom and ran right into her sister in law and.

[Theresa Chepesky]

I asked her, have you seen Tika? And she said no, she's not in here. And so I went up to the announcement desk because there was an officer there, he was off duty and I told him, I said, my daughter's gone.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

The officer got on the PA system telling everyone to watch for a two year old in a green Tweety Bird shirt. Twenty minutes later he called for backup. When officers from the Tacoma Police Department arrived, Theresa met them outside.

[Theresa Chepesky]

I was with the officer at one corner of the entrance. My sister in law comes to me and said, hey, that woman has your daughter.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

That's when things took another frightening turn.

[Theresa Chepesky]

And I was like, what do you mean she has my daughter?

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Sergeant Julie Deer]

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[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Theresa Chepesky]

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[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Theresa Chepesky]

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[Sergeant Julie Deer]

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[Theresa Chepesky]

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[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Theresa Chepesky]

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[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Teresa Czepeski was outside the bowling alley talking with officers about her missing two year old daughter, Tika. That's when her sister in law told her a woman had her daughter.

[Theresa Chepesky]

And I was like, what do you mean she has my daughter? She has your baby in her car and she's getting ready to leave.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Theresa was living a nightmare, frantically looking for Tika. And then suddenly that nightmare had a new dimension. Someone had grabbed her other daughter, Tameka. We're not talking about Tika here. We're talking about Tameka.

[Theresa Chepesky]

We're talking about Tameka, my 10 month old at the time.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

In the chaos of the search for Tika, a woman had gathered up Tamika and was about to leave with her. Teresa ran to the car and saw her daughter Tamika with a woman who had been sitting behind their group in the bowling alley earlier that evening. Someone who had made Theresa and her brother uncomfortable.

[Theresa Chepesky]

She was asking us, can I hold your baby?

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

The woman asked to hold her brother's baby and he let her.

[Theresa Chepesky]

But then she wouldn't give my nephew back to him. And so he told her, give me my son or we're going to have problems in here.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

That's very alarming.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Very, very.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Her name was Rita Miller. She was in her 30s and now.

[Theresa Chepesky]

She had Tameka and she took her to her car.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Rita had strapped Tameka into her car and was ready to Dr. And I.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Told her, that's my daughter. Give her back. She was like, no, that's not your daughter. And I said, if you don't give me my daughter, I'm bringing the police.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Rita refused. They have to physically take Tameka back from this woman and give her back to Teresa, who's still searching for Tika.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

Yes, something along those lines.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

That's Sergeant Julie Deer of the Tacoma Police Department. She inherited this case in 2020, and for her this was personal.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

So when I was 10 years old, somebody broke into our house and almost yanked me out of bed. He grabbed my arm, said my mom wanted me. She told him to come get me. My sister woke up, started yelling, and then. So he let go of me and ran away.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Dear's family had emigrated from Russia to Tacoma. She says her parents reported the incident to police, but no one really followed.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

Up since we were immigrants and my parents didn't speak very good English and kind of got thrown to the wayside. The whole reporting issue and it wasn't looked into.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

For Sergeant Deer, Tika's case is more than just a file. It is a chance to do what no one did for her.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

So that made an impact as far as how I look at some of these cases.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Deer says officers back then quickly realized Rita, the woman who tried to take Tameka, had mental health issues.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

They put her in a patrol car, and while she was in a patrol car, she had made an attempt on her own life and she had to get involuntarily committed.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Tamika was now safely in her mother's arms. At the same time, Tika was still missing. Did Rita know where she was? If so, one thing was certain. She was not talking. Not that night anyway. Teresa spent hours at the bowling alley searching, talking with police. Soon there was not much else for Teresa to do but go home and pray for answers. She also had to tell her girls, including Katerina, who was 6.

[Theresa Chepesky]

So my mom had called my aunt Rose and told her that we needed to go to my grandma's house. Everybody was meeting up there that, you know, something had happened, let my godmom know so my older sisters could come as well.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

And what did you think had happened?

[Theresa Chepesky]

I think like a car accident or something. Like nothing, nothing serious or nothing happened to my sisters. But no, my mom comes in, she's crying, like, just face red, blotchy, just crying hysterical, coming in and was like, you know, tika's gone, Tika's not with us, she's missing.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

A missing sister is hard for any child to comprehend.

[Theresa Chepesky]

It didn't really sink in until like a couple of days later when I'm looking around and Tika's not here, you know, like, where is she? Where is she at? Why? Why isn't my sister here?

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

The days and weeks that followed were a whirlwind. Police and volunteers fanned out across the wooded area around the bowling alley, searching, hoping for any clue. If you find anything at all that you think is of interest, don't pick it up. Four dozen volunteers stand shoulder to shoulder searching for clues into the disappearance of two year old Tika Lewis. It feels like law enforcement really responded from the get go.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

They were out there. Yes. There were multiple teams of different people out there. Search and rescue was out there. The FBI came out. Everybody, I mean, everybody participated in this.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

What kind of searches did they do and what areas were they searching?

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

So grid searches, I want to say they did the helicopter searches and knocking on doors and canvassing. People went out literally to apartment complexes just knocking on every Single door. Hey, have you heard anything? Do you know anything? Have you seen anything type of thing?

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

None of that led anywhere?

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

No.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

You didn't find anything that led back to Tika? You find anything else?

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

They did find some clothing that were folded in the wooded area, and that's still in evidence, but nobody knows whose it is.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Teresa appeared on local TV in anguish.

[Theresa Chepesky]

To that person or persons who has my daughter. How can you live with yourself knowing you have someone else's daughter?

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

All I ask is for you to bring my daughter home safely.

[Theresa Chepesky]

That's when people started to ask, like, hey, you know, we see you on the news, we see your mom on the news talking about how your sister's not here anymore. Do you know what happened?

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Katerina's classmates had tons of questions. She had no answers. No one did. Weeks became months. Still no sign of Tika. Then a disturbing story surfaced. Teresa heard about something that had happened just months before Tika vanished at the very same bowling alley. A man assaults a little boy in the bathroom of that bowling alley.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Exactly.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Sergeant Deer says the man sexually attacked the boy, then took off. A witness described him as a white male with curly brown hair and a beard. Teresa had to wonder, could that man have abducted Deka? Police were asking the same question, except they never caught that man. It was a lead that went nowhere.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

There were several incidents that happened, and everything was investigated.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Teresa heard another story about something that happened at a park near the bowling alley. The same day Tika vanished. A man was seen trying to motion kids into a bathroom. According to police reports obtained by Dateline, the man described as a white male with dark hair was chased off and drove away in a blue Pontiac Grand Am. It's not clear if that man was ever found, and Sergeant Deer says she doesn't know much about that incident. However, the detail about the car that man drove seemed to match up with a report from another witness in Tika's disappearance.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

At about 10:20 is when the announcements were started being made about the missing girl. And around the same time, a lady was pulling into the bowling alley parking lot. And she said that a Pontiac Grand Am pulled out of there super fast, almost running into her. And she was shown a montage of different cars. And the one that she picked out most matched a Pontiac Grandan. The color, she said, appeared to be like a reddish, almost purplish color. And the year, maybe 98, 99.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

No license plate.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

She didn't get a license plate.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Could the driver of that Grand Am have taken Tika? And no information on who Might have been driving or who else might have been in the car?

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

No.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Okay. What do you do with that information?

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

Well, back then, they looked at any owners of Pontiacs and I don't think it provided anything good back then.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

The case eventually went cold. Tika never left her sister's hearts.

[Theresa Chepesky]

We used to do like a song, we would sing like tweekle, twinkle little star, but we would add Tika's name into it and we would be like, you know, we wonder where you are.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Birthdays came and went. July 4th is a little different for you than it is for the rest of us, isn't it?

[Theresa Chepesky]

Yeah. The fourth of July is her birthday.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Every year, Teresa blew out a candle for her daughter. Her wish, the same one every time. To finally have an answer, would that wish of hers ever come true? A potential break in the case was coming. Police will not say what the tip.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Was or what cold case it is related to.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

26 years later, a mysterious tip and a massive search that could change everything.

[Theresa Chepesky]

You never know what's ahead.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Today you're dancing to a new record in your living room. Oh, wow.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

I love this song.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

And then before you know it, you're flying to see the band live at Credit One Bank. We're here for what's ahead.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

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[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Theresa Chepesky]

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[Sergeant Julie Deer]

Terms apply.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Theresa Chepesky]

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[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Theresa Chepesky]

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[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Sergeant Julie Deer]

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[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Tika Lewis disappeared, Sergeant Julie Deer was handed the case file. She picked up where detectives before her left off, starting with Rita Miller, the woman who was stopped from kidnapping Tika's 10 month old baby sister that night. What made you want to keep going on that?

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

So, I mean, it was obviously a question that had remained not fully answered and Theresa kept bringing it up, so I wanted to answer that for her as well. And so I found her. And she lives in a home right now for certain individuals, her mental condition.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Has deteriorated too much for her to be of any help.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

Yeah, yeah, she's not quite there.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Teresa believes something should have been done about Rita much sooner.

[Theresa Chepesky]

She should have been charged that night for attempted deduction of my 10 month old, but she wasn't.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

And now she's not in any condition to help.

[Theresa Chepesky]

None at all.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Dear says she can't speak for the actions of the investigators who came before her, but says many good detectives worked the case. If they thought Rita was connected to Tika's disappearance, she says they would have followed that lead to the end. It might have been too late to ask Rita what she may or may not have known. It was not too late for sergeant Deer to chase down another lead, one that detectives before her had already started looking into. A 911 call placed on the night of Tika's disappearance.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

The phone call wasn't discovered until around 2020. That's when Covid happened. And I think people started looking into it. And then all hell broke loose.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

It was from a mother who said her adult son was acting strangely.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

Her son had made some suspicious statements to her, so she called for a welfare check on him.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

According to police reports, the man asked his mother if she would leave the country with him.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

She called and said he called and asked her if she would leave town with him if he needed to leave or something along those lines, which is odd. Why would he need to leave town, particularly on that night? This was about two hours after Tika went missing. So that is what initially brought him to our attention.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

And I guess he lived near the bowling alley.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

He lived in the area, and he at some point owned a Pontiac.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Police know the man's name and so do we. However, for investigative reasons, they have asked us not to use it. So for this story, we're calling the man John Doe.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

So Mr. Doe was about maybe early 40s at the time that Tika disappeared. He was actually independently wealthy, but had some mental health issues and sexual deviancy issues. Nothing with children, mostly with adults.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Give me some. Some idea of what we're talking about with sexual deviancy here, because that's a pretty broad term.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

So, like calling his pastor's wife and telling her the things that he'd like to do with her and that sort of stuff.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

So like some harassment and intimidation things?

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

Yeah, but things he'd like to do with her in a sexual nature.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Did he have a criminal record?

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

There was, like, petty stuff, maybe like car theft and things like that.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

This is not someone who'd been locked up on some sex charge or some offense regarding children.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

No, no, no, no.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

There was something else. Deer says Mr. Doe also matched the description of someone a witness saw at the bowling alley the night Tika vanished.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

It was maybe a couple days after it happened. It was a younger individual, teenager, that had said that he saw what he thought was this man walking with a mixed race little girl, and he thought it was odd.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Back in 1999, that teenage witness said he saw the man lingering near the little girl as she played a driving game at the arcade. According to police reports, the teen later saw the man and the girl heading toward the front desk, and the man seemed to be trying to keep up with her. The witness said the man seemed nervous and out of place and described him as white with a pockmarked face and wearing a blue checkered flannel shirt. As police pieced it all together, they compared that witness description with a photo of John Doe.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

And when we looked at his booking photo, he had a pockmark face. He had maybe shoulderish curly ish hair. He was a white male, early 40s. He matched that description.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

And the little girl he was seen with, Tika is black, white, and native American, so that sounded a lot like her, too. Twenty years after Tika disappeared, Sergeant Deer says other officers tracked down that witness again, and his story remained mostly the same, but with one new detail he added that he saw the man holding the little girl's hand and actually walking toward the front door to leave the bowling alley. Officers showed him a photo of John Doe along with those of several other men.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

This was shown to the person that described the individual he thought he saw walking with Tika and along with five other photos, which is what we call a photo montage. And he was unable to pick anybody on that photo montage. But apparently when he saw that particular photo, he paused for a second, which kind of made an impression as well.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Tika's mom says police showed her that same photo montage in 2020.

[Theresa Chepesky]

The detectives wanted me to come down to look at some photos.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

They're trying to see if you recognize someone from the bowling alley.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Yeah, I looked at them and I remember photo number three, and I believe I seen them that night at the bowling alley.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Photo number three was John Doe. In November 2023, Sergeant Deer paid him a visit. The conversation did not yield much. Mr. Doe insisted he had never been to New Frontier Lanes. Yes, he said he did own a Pontiac, but claimed it was no match to the description of the one seen speeding away that night.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

So he owned a Pontiac at one point, and then he also rented a Pontiac. And the one that he owned, we talked to him about it and he said it was actually a Pontiac Grand Prix. And he said it was fire red, and that's a completely different shaped vehicle. And then the one that he rented, I tried to run down the information on it since it was so long ago. I couldn't find any information on it.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

And he denied being there.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

He denied being there. He said that he never went bowling to that particular bowling alley, so I can't put him in that area.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Dear and her partner left John Doe's house with little more than they arrived with. When they returned months later, John Doe was gone.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

We went back to his house in January of 2024, and we were informed that he was deceased. Thankfully, he was recently deceased. And the medical examiner had his what we call a blood card. So we were able to collect that and get his DNA that way.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

So if you ever find a body or some other genetic material, you can match him to it or rule him out.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

Yes.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Dear says the late John Doe died of natural causes and remains a person of interest. Teresa Chepesky believes he might have had the answers to. She's been waiting for.

[Theresa Chepesky]

This man was sick. I think he harmed my daughter and then hurt her and me as a mom, I'm going to do my part to find what happened to my daughter.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Clearly, police were interested in this guy, but they couldn't build a case against.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Him before he died because they waited all these years.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

You think they waited too long?

[Theresa Chepesky]

Of course they did.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Katarina shares her mother's feelings.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Even though that this is one of our solid leads, it's not going to go anywhere.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Whatever he knew, he took with him.

[Theresa Chepesky]

To the grave with him. So even if he was the person that did take Tico, we'll never know.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Sergeant Deer says her department started investigating John Doe as soon as that information came in. But any action had to be legally supported and based on facts. That includes writing warrants, waiting on Lab results and following up on tips. It is all an evidentiary threshold the public may not always appreciate. The truth is, we still don't know what happened to Tika. We don't know if John Doe had any involvement at all. We don't know if Tika simply wandered off. We do know this case is still making headlines.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Neighbors are concerned and looking for answers as police continue to search the backyard.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Of a Tacoma home. On May 19, 2025, a large scale search began at a home in Tacoma, Washington, A location just a few minutes away from where Tika disappeared. Drone footage showed multiple tents set up and Tacoma police officers spread out across the property, digging. The department tried their best to keep the whole operation hush hush.

[Theresa Chepesky]

It could be any of the city's 147 cold cases.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Who owned that property being searched, and what were officers hoping to find? On day three of the search, we spoke with Teresa by phone. She said there were whispers this search was for Tika.

[Theresa Chepesky]

I was there yesterday morning, and I seen the drone shots, and then I seen some last night, and they're digging deeper into the ground. They brought more dogs out yesterday.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Teresa says she spoke with neighbors to find out who lived at that home back in 1999. She found out some information, all of it speculative.

[Theresa Chepesky]

There's a lady that lives across the street that has been there for 45 years, and she knows what was going on in that house.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Then, while we were still on the phone, Teresa got another phone call.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Can I call you right back?

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Theresa called us back.

[Theresa Chepesky]

So that was the chief of police. And she confirmed that they were digging for Tika, but they did not find her.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Now she is experiencing the difficult mix of emotions so many families of the missing go through. It's both disappointment and relief.

[Theresa Chepesky]

I'm relieved. But at the same time, we're back to Square1.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

On May 21, the Tacoma Police department released a statement about the search. They confirmed it was related to Tika and that a tip had prompted the investigation. The details of that tip remain unknown. Police said they exhaustively followed it for three days, but in the end, they found nothing. That's all police are saying at this point. Teresa is not giving up.

[Theresa Chepesky]

I asked myself every day who would want to harm a baby, and I hope one day I'll find out what happened to her.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Sergeant Deer says she's still on this, and it's still personal.

[Sergeant Julie Deer]

At the time that I started looking at this case, I. I have a boy about the same age as Tika was when she went missing. So for me, just Knowing how a parent could feel when a little person could go missing like that. For me it just heart wrenching.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Tika has another little sister now, Tanika, born just a few years after Tika went missing. Tanika never met her sister, of course.

[Theresa Chepesky]

But we've told her everything about her. We sold her videos, pictures, everything she needs to know about her sister, she knows.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Tanika knows the place where her sister vanished. New Frontier Lanes January 23, 1999. The building itself is gone now. What remains are memories. Antika's is one of them. What's your advice to other parents?

[Theresa Chepesky]

Hold your babies tight. Don't never let them go. Don't trust nobody around your babies. Nobody. And if you're in a public setting, keep an eye on them. Because you never know.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

It can happen pretty fast, can't it?

[Theresa Chepesky]

It can. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Teresa's daughters are all adults now. Even so, through the years, they have always tried to gather and hold a vigil for Tika, the sister who isn't there every year. Does that help you?

[Theresa Chepesky]

In a way it kind of does. I still don't say too much at the vigils, you know, I stick to myself. So my silence, my prayers, I send them out every day for her.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Every year they pray for the little girl who vanished into that January night.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Tika was my everything. Everything. Everybody has years and years with their kids. I had two and a half years with Tika and it wasn't enough.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Here is where you can help. Today, Tika Lewis would be 28 years old on January 23, 1999. She was a child 3ft tall and 35 pounds. She had black hair, brown eyes and pierced ears. She was wearing a green Tweety Bird T shirt with sweatpants and red, white and black Air Jordans. Anyone with information about Tika's disappearance is asked to call the Tacoma Police Department at 253-591-5950. To learn more about other people we've covered in our Missing in America series, go to datelinemissinginamerica.com There you'll be able to view age progressed photos of Tika Lewis and also submit cases you think we should cover in the future. Thanks for listening. See you Fridays on Dateline on NBC. Missing in America is a production of Dateline and NBC News. Keani Reed is the producer of this episode. Brian Drew is the audio editor. Bradley Davis is senior producer. Paul Ryan is executive producer producer and Liz Cole is senior executive producer from NBC News. Audio sound mixing by Robert Siciliano. Bryson Barnes is head of audio production. I don't mean to interrupt your meal, but I love Geico's fast and friendly claim service.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Well, that's how Geico gets 97% customer satisfaction.

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Yeah. I'll let you get back to your food.

[Theresa Chepesky]

So are you just going to watch me eat?

[Narrator / Josh Mankiewicz]

Get more than just savings.

[Theresa Chepesky]

Get more with Geico.