On the evening of August 6, 1989, 13-year-old Blanca Elisa Roberson, known to family and friends by her middle name, Elisa, left her home in Aransas Pass, Texas, to meet a friend near Kieberger Elementary School. She never made it. Witnesses saw her walking, and tracking dogs later traced her scent to the intersection of Goodnight Avenue and 8th Street, on her route, which investigators believe means someone picked her up in a vehicle there. She has never been found.

Elisa's family reported her missing that same night, but it took until the next day for an active search to begin. In the years since, investigators have looked at several persons of interest, but the case has never been solved.

For over a decade, Elisa's own family endured public suspicion, including a persistent rumor that her remains were buried at their childhood home. A geoforensic survey has since backed up what the family always said: she was never there. They have spent years fighting simply to get access to the investigative case files on their own sister and daughter's case, and finally obtained them in 2026.

Every August, Elisa's family and community retrace her final known steps in Aransas Pass. The city has named August 6th "Elisa Roberson Day" in her honor. Her sister, Ruby Roberson Hall, has led the push for two things: a law requiring agencies to release case files once a case has gone unsolved for 20 years, and a full review of Elisa's case.

How you can help: Anyone with information about the August 1989 disappearance of Elisa Roberson in Aransas Pass, Texas can contact the Aransas Pass Police Department at 361-758-5224, or Texas Crime Stoppers, which is offering a cash reward for information leading to an arrest.