Bianca Noel Piper
Bianca, circa 2005; Age-progression to age 24 (circa 2015)
- Missing Since 03/10/2005
- Missing From Foley, Missouri
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race White
- Date of Birth 12/26/1991 (32)
- Age 13 years old
- Height and Weight 5'6, 185 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A lime green blouse, a gray Adidas hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and white sneakers. She was carrying a flashlight.
- Medical Conditions Bianca suffers from attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and severe bipolar disorder, for which she was hospitalized in early childhood. She has mood swings, aggressive tendencies, periodic anxiety attacks, and difficulties with self-control as a result of her conditions. However, she often acts like a normal teenager and it may be difficult to tell that she is ill. She takes several daily medications and if she does not take them, she may become disoriented and have hallucinations. Bianca may be in need of medical attention for her illnesses.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Bianca's nickname is B and some agencies refer to her as Bianca Tanner. She has scars on her arms and legs and a scar on her abdomen. Her ears are pierced. Bianca may wear her hair in a ponytail.
Details of Disappearance
Bianca was last seen at approximately 6:15 p.m. on March 10, 2005, when her mother dropped her off at McIntosh Hill Road in Foley, Missouri, about a mile from their home. She had been having anger management problems and had a tantrum about chores the night of her disappearance. Her therapist had advised her mother to drive her a distance from home and make her walk back alone to deal with her aggression.
Bianca and her mother had tried the treatment only once prior to March 10, but it had been helpful, and Bianca requested that it be done again. She also asked to be dropped off further from home than she had before. She never arrived home and has never been heard from again. Her mother reported her missing at 8:20 p.m.
Investigators at first believed Bianca became lost on her way back home. If this theory is correct she would have succumbed to exposure in a short time; temperatures in the area that evening dipped below freezing.
However, since an extensive search turned up no sign of Bianca, authorities now think she may have been abducted. She has no history of running away from home. Her mother and her mother's live-in boyfriend have both passed polygraph tests, her biological father was extensively interviewed, and none of her family members are considered suspects in the case.
In 2007, investigators began investigating Michael J. Devlin for possible involvement in Bianca's disappearance and in several other cases, including the 1991 disappearance of Charles "Arlin" Henderson, and the 1988 disappearance of Scott Kleeschulte.
Shawn Hornbeck, a fifteen-year-old boy who disappeared in 2002, and William "Ben" Ownby, a thirteen-year-old boy who was abducted in 2007, were both found alive in Devlin's house in January 2007. Ownby had been missing for five days and Hornbeck for over four years. Both boys had been held against their will by Devlin, who subsequently pleaded guilty to kidnapping and child molestation and was sentenced to life in prison.
Authorities initially suspected Devlin could be linked to other missing child cases, and formed a multi-jurisdictional task force to investigate this theory. In October 2007 the task force dissolved; it couldn't find any evidence that Devlin was involved with any other missing children.
Bianca was an eighth-grader at Winfield Middle School at the time of her disappearance. She was in special education classes due to her short attention span and the fact that she had missed a lot of school due to her psychiatric illnesses. Her teachers stated she is artistically talented.
Bianca's father died in 2009, but her mother and sister are still alive and looking for her. Her mother now lives in St. Charles, Missouri. Bianca's case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
- Lincoln County Sheriff's Office
- 636-528-8546
- 636-528-6100
Updated 11 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated February 13, 2023; picture added.