It’s been over two decades since 10-year-old Tionda Bradley and her 3-year-old sister Diamond vanished from their Chicago home.
Investigation Discovery is unpacking their mysterious disappearance, which re-entered the cultural zeitgeist on TikTok this spring, in a two-hour special, Disappeared: The Bradley Sisters.
On July 6, 2001, Diamond and Tionda were home alone before deciding to go to a nearby playground, The Independent reported. Before leaving, they left their mother, Tracey Bradley, a note letting her know where they were going. To her dismay, they never returned. The Bradley family has been looking for them ever since.
Over the years, the case saw many twists and turns that complicated figuring out what happened to the girls. In May, a woman claimed to be Diamond, who would be 25 years old, ABC 7 Chicago reported. The girl’s great aunt, Sheliah Bradley-Smith, told ABC 7 Chicago that the woman contacted her via Facebook.
“She pretty much said that she remembered being in a car and being around Tionda for a while, but then she said she was taken away and never saw her again,” Bradley-Smith said.
And while it’s undetermined whether the woman is Diamond, ID’s Disappeared episode closely examines the incident. Revisiting theories and evidence that had authorities scratching their heads, the two-hour special also investigates how the girls’ disappearance impacted the Bradley family. It also touches on the role the relationship between law enforcement and the Black community played in the case.
Chicago Detective Pamela Childs plays a pivotal role in unpacking the case. In a special clip Blavity obtained, she shares what she believed happened to Tionda and Diamond.
“At the very beginning, in the deepest part of me, I felt that somebody had the girls,” Childs said. “There was no signs of forced entry at the house.”
She later doubled down on her claims, sharing that she always “felt like the girls were kidnapped by somebody that they knew.”
Childs also said she believes the only people who could point authorities in the right direction.
“George [Bradley] and Tracey [Bradley] were the only two people that we could look at to bring more clarity to what happened to Tionda and Diamond.”
Disappeared: The Bradley Sisters premieres Sunday at 10 p.m. EST. The 2-hour special starts a new season of ID’s missing person series, Disappeared.
Here’s the official description:
Twenty-two years later, an unsettling mystery continues to lurk over the city of Chicago, with all of America watching on. On July 6th, 2001, 10-year-old Tionda and 3-year-old Diamond Bradley disappeared from their apartment and into thin air. The following two decades are full of twists and turns as Detective Pamela Childs unravels this heart-breaking unsolved mystery. With never-before-seen interview and unprecedented access to the Bradley family, Pam revisits critical scenes and explores the spine-chilling impact on the community, all leading to a shocking admission from a key member of the family.
Watch the clip below: