Cody Stepp

Three-year-old Cody was reportedly last seen playing in a neighbor's backyard in Columbus, Ohio on March 11, 1997 and has not been heard from since. At the time of his disappearance, he was in the custody of his aunt, Mickey Stepp. His mother, Robyn Stepp (who was convicted of theft) was released from prison the day before.

Mickey told the police that she thought Cody's maternal grandmother, Janice Stiles was watching him while she went to the store, but Janice claims that she thought that Cody was with Mickey when she went to the store. Robyn tried to have him declared legally deceased in 1998, claiming that Mickey and Janice had withheld information about what happened to Cody.

Several of Cody's family members testified that they haven't seen Cody for several months prior to his diappearance. Mickey and Janice denied allegations that they allowed him to be removed from their home in order to get illegal monthly welfare benefits of $279. One of Janice's children testified that Janice physically abused her kids in the past.

Authorities were unable to find evidence that Cody even lived with Mickey and Janice after he was reported missing because there was nothing in the house connected to him. The neighbors even said that they hadn't seen him for about a year prior to him being reported missing.

Robyn said that she last saw Cody on December 18, 1995, claiming that Janice and Mickey refused to let her speak to him when she called from prison. In February of 1997 (a month before Cody went missing), Mickey took a toddler to get vaccinated, telling the nurse that the boy was Cody, but the nurse later said that it wasn't Cody.

The judge refused to declare Cody legally dead due to lack of evidence. In July of 1997 (four months after his disappearance), a witness reportedly saw a child fitting Cody's description at a DeFluri's Restaurant with two unidentified adult females and two kids; however, they have never been officially identified.

Mickey died from natural causes in 2004. Cody's case remains unsolved as an endangered missing person and authorities have stated that they don't believe that he is dead.