Cherie Nicole Barnes

• Missing Since 12/01/1986
• Missing From St. Louis, Missouri
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race Biracial, Black, White
• Date of Birth 07/30/1984 (41)
• Age 2 years old
• Height and Weight Unknown
• Distinguishing Characteristics Biracial (African-American/Caucasian) female. Brown hair, brown eyes.

Details of Disappearance

Cherie's mother and stepfather, Elizabeth Ann Turek Vasser and Larry J. Vasser, had custody of her in 1986. They moved from Nashville, Tennessee to St. Louis, Missouri that year. Elizabeth, who was also known as Sissy, disappeared from their home in St. Louis on December 1, 1986.

Elizabeth's body was discovered in the Mississippi River over two months later in February 1987; she had been the victim of homicide. She remained unidentified until 1994, when her family members contacted authorities and reported Elizabeth and Cherie as missing persons. The investigation into Cherie's case began at that time. A photo of Elizabeth is posted with this case summary.

Authorities know that Elizabeth worked as a prostitute for her husband on Independence Avenue in St. Louis. She had also worked in Nashville, Tennessee and been arrested on prostitution charges there. Elizabeth's family said Larry "brainwashed" her and that she was afraid of him. She once asked her grandmother for $6,000, saying if she didn't get the money Larry would kill her.

Cherie was apparently last seen in Kansas City, Missouri with Larry on January 7, 1987. She disappeared from that location and has never been heard from again. Investigators located Larry in prison for burglary and armed robbery in the mid-1990s; he was serving a fifty-year sentence as a persistent offender, and will be incarcerated until at least 2028.

Larry told authorities that he knew where his stepdaughter was located. He has stated Cherie is "being looked after" by his family members and living under another name in the Kansas City area. She may not even know she is a missing child. At one point, Larry offered to give Elizabeth's mother photographs of Cherie and a recording of her voice, if she paid him $500.

Cherie was supposed to remain in the custody of other relatives after her mother's death. Due to the complexities in this case, Cherie's disappearance is classified as a non-family abduction, although her stepfather claims to know her whereabouts. Her case remains unsolved.