Disappearance of Phoenix Coldon

{{Short description|2011 American missing person case}} {{Infobox person | name = Phoenix Coldon | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = 1988 | birth_place = California, United States | disappeared_date = December 18, 2011 (age 23) | disappeared_place = Spanish Lake, Missouri | disappeared_status = {{Missing for|2011|12|18}} | nationality = | height = | known_for = | occupation = | education = | parents = Goldia Coldon (mother), Lawrence Coldon (father) }} On December 18, 2011, 23-year-old Phoenix Coldon left her family home in Spanish Lake, Missouri and disappeared. Her parents have raised criticism about the conduct of local law enforcement, and spent their money and time following leads.<ref name="Lohr 2018">{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18/phoenix-coldon-missing_n_1432683.html|title=Phoenix Coldon: Cruel Hoax Costs Family Of Missing Woman Their Life Savings, Home|last=Lohr|first=David|date=2012-04-18|work=Huffington Post|access-date=2018-10-27|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Biography == Phoenix Coldon is the adoptive daughter of Goldia and Lawrence Coldon. Coldon was born in California as Phoenix Reeves and raised there until the family moved for her adoptive father's job to Missouri, where she was formally adopted by Lawrence Coldon. Phoenix was mostly home-schooled and played a variety of musical instruments and was the local junior fencing champion.<ref name="Walker 2018">{{Cite news|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/parents-continue-search-for-missing-st-louis-county-woman/article_e2ee7df0-c7b2-5e20-83ea-30665dc6e877.html|title=Parents continue search for missing St. Louis County woman|last=Walker|first=Marlon A.|work=stltoday.com|access-date=2018-10-27|language=en}}</ref>

== Disappearance == thumb|1999 Black Chevrolet Blazer similar to the one Coldon disappeared from Coldon disappeared on December 18, 2011, after leaving her family home in a black 1998 Chevy Blazer at about 3 PM local time.<ref name="Sederstrom 2018" /> Her father told reporters that she was supposedly headed to a convenience store around the street or possibly a friend's house. Her vehicle was discovered at a few hours later at 5:27 PM, abandoned (initially reported to still be running, which was later proven inaccurate), 25 minutes from her home and across the Missouri-Illinois state border on St. Clair Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois. The vehicle was impounded at 6:23 PM and entered into the police database as abandoned; however, because the vehicle was impounded in Illinois, it was not identified when investigated by Missouri police.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.oxygen.com/the-disappearance-of-phoenix-coldon|title=impounded in Illinois|work=www.oxygen.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Lohr 2018" /> The family was reportedly not notified of the car being discovered until a family friend searching independently discovered it in a tow lot.<ref name="Sederstrom 2018" /> Upon an independent search by her family afterwards, the vehicle was discovered to still contain her glasses, purse, shoes, ID and a cell phone bill that had been sent to collections.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://people.com/crime/phoenix-coldon-disappearance-parents-seek-answers/|title=Mo. Woman Vanished 7 Years Ago — and SUV Was Found Running with Purse, Shoes and Glasses Inside|work=PEOPLE.com|access-date=2018-10-27|language=en}}</ref>

After her disappearance, all activity on her bank accounts, cell phone and social media accounts ceased. DNA evidence gathered from her SUV indicated that no one had been in the vehicle other than Coldon and her parents.

== Search efforts == Her parents have independently searched for Coldon after raising allegations of a lack of effort from local police. Through the years, they have talked to local drug dealers and sex workers for information and hired a private investigator.<ref name="Walker 2018" /> Privately funding the search caused the family home to go into foreclosure and the family's life savings to be drained.<ref name="Lohr 2018" />

A two-night special television documentary on her disappearance debuted on Oxygen on November 3 and 4, 2018, in which investigative reporter Shawndrea Thomas and retired deputy Police Chief Joe Delia discussed theories on her disappearance.<ref name="Sederstrom 2018">{{Cite news|url=https://www.oxygen.com/the-disappearance-of-phoenix-coldon/crime-time/3-theories-explaining-phoenix-coldons-disappearance|title=3 Theories Explaining Phoenix Coldon's Disappearance|last=Sederstrom|first=Jill|date=2018-10-25|work=Oxygen Official Site|access-date=2018-10-27|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2016, her case was profiled on the podcast ''The Vanished''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=EPISODE 26: PHOENIX COLDON|url=http://www.thevanishedpodcast.com/episodes/2016/5/29/episode-26-phoenix-coldon|access-date=2020-07-01|website=The Vanished Podcast|date=29 May 2016 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2023, her case was profiled on the podcast ''Crime Junkie''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=MISSING: Phoenix Coldon |url= https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crime-junkie/id1322200189?i=1000603887927 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also== *Disappearance of Stacey English, a similar case in Atlanta, Georgia. *List of people who disappeared mysteriously: post-1970 ;Other people still missing, for whom discovery of their abandoned car preceded being reported as a missing person *{{Annotated link|Disappearance of Maura Murray}} *{{Annotated link|Disappearance of Brianna Maitland}} *{{Annotated link|Disappearance of Patricia Meehan}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coldon, Phoenix}} Category:2010s missing person cases Category:2011 in Missouri Category:December 2011 in the United States Category:Missing person cases in Missouri Category:St. Louis County, Missouri Category:History of women in Missouri