Samantha Leighann Tapp

• Missing Since 10/12/2004
• Missing From Burleson, Texas
• Classification Endangered Runaway
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 07/25/1988 (36)
• Age 16 years old
• Height and Weight 5'4, 120 pounds
• Medical Conditions Samantha was diagnosed with bipolar disorder prior to her disappearance and prescribed medication, but by the time she went missing she was no longer taking it.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Black hair, brown eyes. Samantha may use the last name Vandiver. She may wear eyeglasses or contact lenses. Her ears are pierced.

Details of Disappearance

Samantha disappeared from Burleson, Texas on October 12, 2004. She asked to go live with her sister in San Antonio, saying she'd argued with her grandfather and no longer wished to live with him. Samantha's sister told her to return to her grandfather's home for now and she would work out a plan for her to move in legally. She never saw Samantha again.

According to Samatha's sister, she and Samantha were abused by their adoptive mother. Both girls were removed from the home and eventually Samantha went to stay with her grandparents. She was a student at Burleson High School and got good grades.

Authorities believe Samantha left of her own accord. A few days after she went missing, some of her clothing disappeared from her bedroom and some cigarette butts were left behind. Nearly a decade after her disappearance, customs agents at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport ran her name through the National Crime Information Center, suggesting they'd had contact with her.

In 2007, an uncle in San Antonio, Texas reported that she called him and asked if she could go live with him, then called back and said she'd changed her mind because she'd met a man and was moving to Melbourne, Florida. The uncle's story later changed: in 2015, he said Samantha had actually arrived at his house with a baby, and that his wife did not recognize her and sent her away.

Investigators believe it's possible Samantha is still alive. Her case remains unsolved and her family is still searching for her.