Thwana Mithsell Darrough-Missing 25 Years

Thwana Darrough

ON Wednesday, January 11, 1989, 16 year-old Thwana Mithsell Darrough was last seen leaving her residence on South Marsh Street, en route to El Dorado High School, where she was a student in El Dorado, Arkansas. According to CharleyProject.org, Thwana was waiting for her bus at the bus stop along her street. Thwana never arrived to any of her classes that day, and it is not stated if she ever got on her bus that day or entered the school.

Thwana was 5'8" tall and weighed 120-130 pounds at the time of her disappearance. She has a scar underneath her right foot and her ears are pierced. She goes by the nick name Wanda. She was last seen wearing a white turtle neck sweater with a turquoise shirt and a white mini skirt.

Thwana's disappearance is one that is difficult to write about, because there is very little information about her. There are no anniversary articles or updates on her disappearance. Even if I scoured the internet for an article written about her disappearance in 1989, I doubt much more information would be listed then what I have uncovered now. It's very frustrating, as it is clear Thwana did not run away. Her disappearance is listed by local police department as Non-Family Abduction. I have read one too many stories about kids who vanished walking to school or waiting for the school bus. Of course, predators out there who lurk looking for children are most likely to try to take children before or after school hours, because that is the time many are most likely on their way home, sometimes without adults or anyone else nearby. Look at other famous cases such as Jaycee Dugard, Tabitha Tuders, Irene Mischeloff, Heaven Ross and Stephanie Crane, just to name a sliver of the kids who went missing coming or going to school. This is why I have chosen to spotlight Thwana's disappearance, and I hope many of you will remember her face and her story. Something sinister happened to this young woman, and she deserves justice as her family deserves answers.

I looked for other cases in Arkansas and Louisiana that was a lot like Thwana's, and I was unable to come up with any. A lot of other cases just don't seem to connect with Thwana's, and it makes me wonder if she was taken by someone she knew and trusted. Did she hitch a ride instead getting on the bus? When was she reported missing? Were friends, family or a boyfriend questioned thoroughly? How about sex offenders in the area? Could she have been taken by a drifter, with her case being connected to others across the country? Is that a reason it has remained unsolved all these years? And what searches have been done for her?

An age progression of what Thwana would look like today.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Thwana Darrough, please contact Detective Sergeant Jamie Morrow of the EL Dorado Police Department Investigation Division at 870-881-4815.

Sources:
Charley Project
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/darrough_thwana.html
Doe Network
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/233dfar.html
El Dorado Police Department
http://www.eldoradopolice.org/coldcase.htm
Namus:
*Thwana Darrough
https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/4024/3/