RACHEL PRATT - 15 yo (1995) - Garden City KS

GARDEN CITY, Kan. — Garden City police say they continue to work on the case of a 15-year-old girl who disappeared in 1995.
Rachel Pratt was last seen watching a movie inside her family's Garden City
home about 1 a.m. Jan. 16, 1995. She was several months pregnant when
she disappeared.
Police Capt. Mike Utz says the department hasn't had a reported sighting of Pratt for several
years. But he says investigators remain hopeful that she may still be alive.
Pratt's mother, Jan Ramirez, says
she still prays for her daughter and still misses her. She continues to
hope that Rachel is still alive and will someday contact her family.

Rachel Pratt disappeared Jan. 16, 1995. She was 15 years old.


Garden City police Capt. Mike Utz said the case remains open, and has been since she was reported missing.


Utz said the investigation is nationwide, with assistance from the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Kansas Bureau of
Investigation.


He said that although the case is 15 years old, police remain hopeful.


"We hope Rachel's still alive. We investigate leads on possible
sightings. Unfortunately, it hasn't been enough yet," said Utz, who
added that the department hasn't had a lead on a sighting in several
years.


Pratt was several months pregnant when she disappeared. Utz said
police never have found any information about a female giving birth who
matched her description.


She was last seen watching a movie inside her family's residence in Garden City at about 1 a.m. Jan. 16, 1995, Utz said.


Utz said a criminal case was filed against Pratt's boyfriend at the
time, who was several years older, for sexual relations with a minor.
But when Pratt went missing, the charges were dropped. Utz would not
name the boyfriend.


Although the leads have been few, Utz said police believe people
have information about Pratt and how she disappeared, and whether it
was voluntary or not.


Utz said over the years there have been several leads or possible
sightings of Pratt. He said skeletal remains have been investigated and
were determined not to be Pratt.


"We've had several leads and breaks. Unfortunately they've been
unfounded. Any information people have, however slight, we need it,"
Utz said.


He said people can contact the police department at 276-1300, or to
remain anonymous contact Crime Stoppers at 275-7807 or text "GCTIP" to
TIP411 or 847-411


Jan Ramirez, Pratt's mother, also has hope the case will come to an end.


"I still pray for her and miss her. It's just gone on a long time. I
still have hope that someday we'll hear from her and that she lives
somewhere and is OK," said Ramirez, who still lives in Garden City.


She said the family doesn't consider the alternative -- that Rachel might not be alive.


Ramirez hopes that someday Rachel will contact the family.


"We've never moved, we have the same number. She would know how to get a hold of us," she said.


Ramirez said dealing with Rachel missing has been difficult.


"It's hard beyond words. It'd be wonderful if someone would see her
or know her. We appreciate all the work everyone has done in this
case," Ramirez said.


In addition to coping with her daughter's disappearance, Ramirez is
also having to deal with emotions surrounding the legal trouble facing
her other daughter, Rennie Pratt, a former Garden City resident who is
accused of murder in Oakland, Calif.


Rennie Pratt, 28, is accused of fatally shooting Oakland lawyer
Michael E. Porcella, 36, the night of April 8, 2009, on the front porch
of their home.


She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Monday in Alameda Superior Court.


Ramirez said she will fly to California to support her daughter.


Ramirez, a mother of eight, said going through one daughter missing
and another's court process has been hard on her and her family.


"It's something I wouldn't wish on any parent," she said.

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View Poster Case Handled By: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

RACHEL GERALDINE PRATT	Age Progression
Case Type: Endangered Missing
DOB: May 8, 1979	Sex: Female
Missing Date: Jan 16, 1995	Race: White
Age Now: 32	Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
Missing City: GARDEN CITY	Weight: 125 lbs (57 kg)
Missing State : KS	Hair Color: Brown
Missing Country: United States	Eye Color: Brown
Case Number: NCMC799278
Circumstances: Rachel's photo is shown age-progressed to 30 years. She may still be in the state of Kansas.