congenitaldisease: Those who knew Phoenix Coldon, 23, described her as compassionate and strong-will

congenitaldisease:

Those who knew Phoenix Coldon, 23, described her as compassionate and strong-willed. When she was 12-years-old, she competed - and won awards at - a national fencing competition in Iowa. When her competitors found out her age, they couldn’t quite believe how talented she was. Phoenix and her family lived in the suburbs of North Saint Louis County in Spanish Lake and Phoenix attended the University of Missouri. She was well read, deeply religious and longed to fit in wherever she went, according to her parents.

At around 3pm on the 18th of December, 2011, Phoenix got into her vehicle and drove away from her home. She was scheduled to come back in a few hours but when she didn’t return, her concreted parents reported her missing. However, an officer told them that Phoenix was an adult and didn’t need to alert her parents if she was going somewhere for an extended period. Her parents then contacted local media in the hopes they they would run the story and get the word out that their daughter was missing. Initially, they were advised that news stations had to adhere to local law enforcement policies and procedures and refused to run the story unless the police requested their help. Eventually, Fox 2 News ran the story.

Two weeks later, Phoenix’s abandoned car was discovered at the corner of 9th and Saint Clair in East Saint Louis. The door was open and her car keys were still in the ignition with the engine running. Since Phoenix vanished, her parents have discovered that she had been staying in her apartment with a boyfriend until she moved back home the year before her disappearance. The boyfriend still lives in the area but hasn’t been in contact with Phoenix’s family. However, St. Louis County Detective Robert Vogel said that he isn’t a suspect. Her parents have wondered whether the boyfriend got her involved with unsavoury people.

To this day, Phoenix Coldon still remains missing. Her family have been disappointed by what they believe to be a lack of effort by police and local media. They have paid a private investigator thousands of dollars to follow leads. Their home has fallen into foreclosure as they have used their mortgage money to fund their own search efforts. “The media wouldn’t give us the time of day, but if Phoenix looked like Natalee Holloway, we wouldn’t have had this problem,” said her mother.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Phoenix Coldon, please call 314-615-6606.