Dateline Missing in America – Ep. 21: Taking Tika

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

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.

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).

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

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

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 – (253) 591-5950
See age-progression images and submit tips: datelinemissinginamerica.com

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.