Marlena Danyele Childress is a 35 year old woman that went missing at the age of 4 years at 3:00 p.m. on April 16, 1987 in the front yard at her family's home in Union City, Tennessee.  Her mother, Pamela Lynn Bailey, stated that she was inside the home when she heard car brakes that prompted her to check on Marlena. Once outside, Bailey realized Marlena was nowhere in sight. 

 

Although Marlena's mother didn't see the driver, Marlena's seven year old stepbrother and a nearby shop owner both stated to police that they had seen Marlena talking to a man inside of the two-door red Sedan with Kentucky license plates. However, when questioned, both stated that they did not recognize the driver. Marlena was never seen again. 
 

Two months after Marlena's disappearance, police began to question Bailey's possible involvement in Marlena's disappearance. Police were astonished with the new information Bailey had on the case-- telling investigators that she had unintentionally killed Marlena by hitting her with her own vehicle while trying to discipline her. Bailey also claimed that a local man named P.L. Sommers had helped her dispose of the body in the Obion River.

 

Upon receiving this new piece of information, police were quick to question Sommers about his possible involvement in what they were considering Marlena Childress's death. However, Sommers denied any involvement and also had an alibi for the time and date of Marlena's disappearance. Sommers was never charged in connection to the case. 
 

Shortly afterwards, Bailey recanted her confession and stated that she made the claims under emotional distress and had been coerced by the police department. However, Bailey's wild claims didn't end there as she had made  many conflicting statements about her daughter's disappearance-- at one point she said she had sold Marlena to pay off a drug debt, and another time she said Marlena had been abducted by a family friend who had sexually abused Bailey when she was a child.

 After initially being charged with the second-degree murder of Marlena Childress, Bailey's charges were ultimately dropped due to lack of substantial evidence. After charges were dropped, Bailey moved to the state of Kentucky. 

There were reports that Marlena had been seen in Anniston, Alabama in the months following her disappearance. She was supposedly staying with a family there in the late summer of 1987. Their surname was also Childress, but they aren't related to Marlena. The family had a history of harboring other people's children, and neighbors of the Anniston community identified Marlena in photos as the child they saw at the residence. These sightings have never been confirmed. 

 

Marlena's case went cold until 2002, when Bailey was arrested after stabbing her twelve year old son in Graves County, KY. Although the child survived the attack and has since been released to the care of his father, this prompted police to reopen the case against Bailey. However, as of 2018 the disappearance of Marlena Danyelle Childress remains unsolved. 

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If you have any information on the disappearance of Marlena Danyelle Childress, contact Obion County Sheriff's Department 731-885-5832

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Information thanks to: The Charley Project

Video by WREG

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