The search for Arianna Fitts and the killing of her mother remains unsolved five years later.

April 8, 2021, marked the fifth anniversary of the killing of Nicole Fitts, after her remains were found in McLaren Park back in 2016 by city workers. The victim was described as being buried in a small grave covered with plywood in the San Francisco park. Nicole’s daughter, then 2-year-old Arianna Fitts, has been missing since, KPIX reports.

The single mother of two was reported missing on April 5 after she was asked to meet someone she knew on April 1. Police gave no further details surrounding the disappearance, and no arrests were made.

The San Francisco Police Department offered a $100,000 reward for any leads, and Best Buy, Nicole's employer prior to her death, provided $10,000 in reward money for any information.

CNN reports that no one has been named as a suspect in either of their cases. Nicole’s sister, Tess Fitts, remains prayerful that her niece is still alive.

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Arianna Fitts #ariannafitts
-Arianna Fitts was last seen in Oakland, California, in February 2016 and was reported missing from San Francisco, California, in April 2016. https://t.co/7Zn9w8Jzad
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— JUSTICE FOR GABBY (@ju3ticeforgabby) November 9, 2021

“There is no way I ever thought it take five years to find her,” she said. “I absolutely still remain hopeful. I do believe that she is alive and out there. Someone knows where she is.”

Tess believes that her sister’s death and niece’s disappearance are interconnected.

“For that to happen to her, along with her kid being gone, there’s just no way that it’s not related,” she said.

While the investigation continues, police have added Los Angeles as an area of pursuit, believing witnesses may have relocated there in the last few years.

As Blavity previously reported, the search for victims in missing persons cases has often been met with questions about why victims of color are not prioritized.

“There are a lot of Gabby Petitos and Natalee Holloways in the Black and brown community,” Derrica Wilson of the Black and Missing Foundation, Inc., said.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, almost 30,000 youths were reported missing in 2020. Particularly, 62% were Black, Latino, multiracial, Native American, Asian American or Pacific Islander.

Tess remains hopeful that her loved ones' cases will be solved, and that her niece will be brought home.

"I want everyone to know Arianna's name. I want everyone to know what Arianna looks like. I want everyone to know that Arianna is some place she does not belong," she said.

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