Phoenix Coldon's Car Found Abandoned, She Remains Missing

Phoenix Coldon’s parents said she left their home around 3 pm on December 18, 2011. Her mother saw her in her black 1998 Chevy Blazer in the driveway and thought she was taking a call.Coldon's mother told reporters, "She does that often. She'll sit in the car and talk on the phone. That's what I thought she was doing. When I looked out again, her vehicle was gone."Other accounts say her father saw her get into her car. A documentary about her disappearance did not mention the phone call; it just stated Coldon walked out of the house.

Phoenix Coldon left with conviction.This was the last time Coldon's parents saw her.Though Coldon's parents did not know she was missing for some time, her car was found abandoned.

This marked the last time Coldon's parents saw her.

The Chevy Blazer was towed to an impound lot and entered the police computer as abandoned at 6:23 pm, just over three hours after Coldon's parents last saw her.The family learned her car was impounded only on January 1, two weeks after Coldon disappeared. The car was found the night she went missing and near her home, but a friend found the impounded car during an independent search.The car was found in the middle of the street at the corner of 9th and St. Clair in St. Louis, about 25 minutes from her house. Initial reports showed the driver's side door open and the engine running, but this changed later.According to Goldia Coldon, the police never made an inventory when her daughter's car was found. The officer told her he "did not do an inventory sheet because there was nothing in the car. That was not true." The family found many of Phoenix Coldon's belongings inside, including her glasses, shoes, and a purse with her driver's license.Coldon's mother also says they had to complain to the mayor's office to avoid paying the impound bill, which cost over $1,000. This was not the last time the Coldon family faced big money and office problems over Phoenix's disappearance.

The Chevy Blazer went to an impound lot and police logged it as abandoned at 6:23 pm. This happened just over three hours after Coldon's parents last saw her.

The family learned her car was impounded on January 1, two weeks after Coldon vanished. The car was then found.The car was found the night she went missing.A family friend found the impounded car during an independent search. These two facts—the car's location and the time she went missing—did not connect until then.

Phoenix's mother, Goldia Coldon, said, "I wish those police had run the plates and seen the vehicle was registered to me. They should have just called and asked, 'Do you know where your vehicle is?' Look where it was found. Why didn't they check the area for injuries or people who passed out nearby? Why did we have to learn from someone else where our car was?"

Goldia Coldon stated that the policenever made an inventory.The officer told her he "did not do an inventory sheet because there was nothing in the car. That was not true." When the family retrieved the vehicle, they found many of Phoenix Coldon's things inside, including her glasses, shoes, and a purse with her driver's license.

Coldon's mother also said they had to complain to the mayor's office to avoid paying the impound bill, which cost over $1,000. This was not the last time the Coldon family faced big money problems and paperwork issues over Phoenix's disappearance.

On December 27, 2011, just over a week after Coldon vanished, another young woman disappeared 500 miles away in Atlanta, GA. Police found Stacey English's car in the street and impounded it. This finding did not immediately connect to her case. Robert Kirk, a St. Louis native, was the last person to see her alive and was later cleared of suspicion.Kirk cleared of any suspicion.Kirk cleared her of suspicion in her disappearance.

Kirk visited English's home, but she asked him to leave.She asked him to leave after an argument.During the argument, she was screaming in the apartment, shouting biblical scriptures, and indicated the world was ending. Kirk claims he left after she began asking if he was Satan.

Nearly a month later, police found English's body in a wooded area a mile from where her car was located. The coroner stated she died of hypothermia; no violence was found. Her family remained less convinced.Her family remained less convinced.Her mother released a statement saying, "There is no doubt in my mind that there had to be some type of foul play involved."

Phoenix Coldon's parents think the police did not do enough to find their daughter. Phoenix's father, Lawrence Coldon, told reporters, "We would've had a two-week head start if we'd known where the car was." He claimed the East St. Louis police, who found Phoenix's car, never contacted them.The East St. Louis police, who found Phoenix's car, never contacted them.The Coldons also blamed the police for failing to inventory the car's contents.

Speaking with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionKevin Jamison, Stacey English's stepfather, stated his family never feltKevin Jamison said his family never felt completely in the loop concerning the investigation into his daughter's disappearance and death.The news media wouldn't give them the time of day.

The news media wouldn't give them the time of day.Goldia Colden said in an interview, "If Phoenix had looked like Natalee Holloway, we would not have had this problem." Holloway disappeared in 2005.Goldia Colden said in an interview, "If Phoenix had looked like Natalee Holloway, we would not have had this problem." Holloway disappeared in 2005.disappeared in 2005Holloway was a white, blonde 18-year-old from Alabama who vanished in Aruba, and her vanishing got worldwide media attention.

The family credited Black & Missing, a foundation that brings attention to missing Black people and their families, for the coverage their daughter's disappearance got.The family credited Black & Missing, a foundation that brings attention to missing Black people and their families, for the coverage their daughter's disappearance got.Goldie Coldon said, "They don't say it," lamenting the lack of reporting on the case, "but I know it's because she's black. It's terrible. Phoenix is a beautiful young woman. She's smart. She's talented. She's a champion fencer. Phoenix has a lot to offer this world and her life is just as valuable as anyone else's. It's a shame that black people never get media coverage." Goldie Coldon said, "They don't say it," lamenting the lack of reporting on the case, "but I know it's because she's black. It's terrible. Phoenix is a beautiful young woman. She's smart. She's talented. She's a champion fencer. Phoenix has a lot to offer this world and her life is just as valuable as anyone else's. It's a shame that black people never get media coverage."Goldie Coldon said, "They don't say it," lamenting the lack of reporting on the case, "but I know it's because she's black. It's terrible. Phoenix is a beautiful young woman. She's smart. She's talented. She's a champion fencer. Phoenix has a lot to offer this world and her life is just as valuable as anyone else's. It's a shame that black people never get media coverage."He said, "but I know it's because she's black. It's terrible. Phoenix is a beautiful young woman. She's smart. She's talented. She's a champion fencer. Phoenix has a lot to offer this world and her life is just as valuable as anyone else's. It's a shame that black people never get media coverage."

The investigation into Phoenix Coldon’s disappearance showed secrets the Coldons did not know, even though the family remained close with their daughter, whom they homeschooled most of her life.

Coldon moved out when she turned 18, telling her parents she would live with a friend, and her mother co-signed her lease. The investigation showed Coldon actually lived with a secret boyfriend during this time.This boyfriend later cleared any suspicion in the case.This was not the only secret Coldon kept from her parents. Although she was a junior at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, she did not enroll in classes for the next semester—a fact her parents learned after she vanished.

Coldon kept another secret from her parents. She was a junior at the University of Missouri-St. Louis but did not enroll for the next semester. Her parents learned this fact after she disappeared.

The Oxygen documentary on Coldon's disappearance showed private investigator Steve Foster found two birth certificates for Coldon. One used her mother's maiden name, Reeves.

Investigators checked if Coldon tried to start a new life as Phoenix Reeves. They found no proof. They did find records for a Phoenix Reeves lacking a birth date or social security number, with only an address in Anchorage, AK. They could not locate Phoenix Reeves in Anchorage, and locals there said they hadOne of these men Coldon spoke to on a secret cell phone was someone whose ex-girlfriend, who filed a restraining order, said he worried about someone dead.That man told the ex-girlfriend, "Why are you worrying about someone who's dead?"

In November 2018, Oxygen aired a two-part documentary, "The Disappearance of Phoenix Coldon." Investigative reporter Shawndrea Thomas said the documentary covered all aspects of her life and linked Coldon toReported sightings are common in missing person cases; so far, no sightings of Coldon have been confirmed.Reporter Shawndrea Thomas stated, "There were alleged sightings of her, so she might be living somewhere as a soccer mom in Iowa with three kids, who knows, and a whole new name and identity." Coldon's friends and family reject this, suggesting she would not be gone that long without contacting them.

One man Coldon spoke to on a secret cell phone was one of these men. This was apparently so her secret boyfriend would not know. This man's ex-girlfriend, who filed a restraining order against him, said that when sheThis statement came from an episode of "Real Talk with Tamara".asked about Coldon's disappearance, he said, "Why are you worrying about someone who's dead?"

Many sightings have occurred since Coldon disappeared.Alleged sightings have been reported.One of Coldon's friends claimed she saw Phoenix.She claimed she saw Phoenix.Phoenix appeared on a flight from Las Vegas. However, the alleged Coldon did not seem to recognize her, and authorities could not find the woman after the plane landed. Separately, the Coldons received a phone call from someone claiming to be their daughter.

Reported sightings happen often in missing persons cases. So far, no sightings of Coldon have been confirmed.

Reporter Shawndrea Thomas said, "There were alleged sightings of her. So she might be living somewhere as a soccer mom in Iowa with three kids, who knows, and a whole new name and identity." Coldon's friends and family reject this, suggesting she would not be gone that long without contacting them.

Her father said on an Oxygen episode, "Phoenix had everything she needed and most of the things that she wanted."Real Talk with TamaraSightings of Coldon Lead Some to Believe She Ran Away

Coldon's profile, family history, and disappearance mention her parents were strict.Her parents were strict and highly religious.Coldon was homeschooled; her parents had high expectations. Some suspect this pressure hurt Coldon. After watching a Snapchat video a month before she vanished, retired deputy police chief Joe Delia called her a "girl in crisis."Coldon was a girl in crisis.

One theory claims Coldon ran away to escape her family's rules, as mentioned in the Oxygen documentary.

"I just want to be happy, man," Phoenix Coldon said in a Snapchat video.The Snapchat videoRecorded a month before she disappeared. Coldon said, "I can't remember a time when I was happy. Genuinely happy."

In the recording, Coldon stated she wants "to start over" but feels unable to. She recited a modified Serenity prayer: "Lord, please help me accept the things that won't change and that I won't change the things that I can't change." Retired deputy police chief Joe Delia described Phoenix as "deeply troubled" and "a girl in crisis."

When investigators showed the video to friend Akira Hogan, Coldon said it showed a side of her friend she never saw. "She don't have a feeling in the world... she feels lost, lonely, like she don't have nobody."

One theory suggests Coldon was taken by human traffickers.The Missouri Sheriff's Association states, "The St. Louis metro region is one of the top 20 areas in the country for human trafficking." Coldon's car was found near I-70, called "the sex-trafficking highway of America."The Missouri Sheriff's Association states, "The St. Louis metro region is one of the top 20 areas in the country for human trafficking." Coldon's car was found near I-70, called "the sex-trafficking highway of America."

Speaking with the Huffington Post after her daughter's disappearance...After her daughter's disappearance...Goldia Coldon shared another story about a woman taken from East St. Louis. "A few years ago, at a stoplight, they left her car running in the road. They took her to a house in Illinois. A group of guys drugged, beat, and assaulted her. They wanted her to work as a prostitute for them."

A former victim of sex trafficking in Coldon's Oxygen documentary...The circumstances of Coldon's disappearance may show she was taken; however, this theory has no verification.The circumstances of Coldon's disappearance may show she was taken; however, this theory has no verification.

The Coldon family spent tens of thousands of dollars searching for their missing daughter.The Coldon family spent tens of thousands of dollars searching for their missing daughter.Within months of her disappearance, they spent much of their life savings. Following a tip from a man claiming to know Phoenix's location caused them to lose their home. Goldia Coldon told Huffington Post, "We have tried to explain the situation to our mortgage company but they don't care."

The tip draining the Coldon family's savings was a hoax. Goldia said, "They said he made it up for attention." It cost them dearly and led nowhere. Authorities said they could do nothing about the man. Goldia thinks he stopped the investigation. He took money, time, and energy they could use for other leads because he wanted a joke.

Still, the Coldons did not stop. Goldia told Huffington Post, "It is just money and a house." "We did what we had to do for Phoenix."

The Social Security Administration says an individual ispresumed deadif they have been missing from home and have not been heard from for seven years or more.

The seven-year anniversary of Coldon's disappearance hit in 2018. Still, her family holds out hope. In 2016, the podcastThe Vanished It featured her story., and the Oxygen documentary about her case premiered two years later. These events brought fresh interest to this confusing, unsolved case.

If you have information that might help the authorities or the Coldon family find Phoenix—or just learn what happened to her—contactBlack & Missingor the St. Louis Police Department.