Tarasha Benjamin

Tarasha, circa 2010; Age-progression to age 21 (circa 2013)

  • Missing Since 06/26/2010
  • Missing From Selma, Alabama
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race Black
  • Date of Birth 09/16/1992 (31)
  • Age 17 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'2, 125 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A yellow, turquoise and white striped shirt, blue shorts, a silver necklace and possibly silver sandals.
  • Associated Vehicle(s) Gray Mazda Tribute (accounted for)
  • Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Tarasha has a tattoo of her nickname "Pooh" on her upper right arm. She may wear tinted contact lenses. She talks in a loud voice, and her ears are pierced.

Details of Disappearance

Tarasha was last seen in Selma, Alabama on June 26, 2010. She said goodbye to her mother and left home at 10:00 a.m. to go to a flea market. On the way there, she stopped at a yard sale and met with a relative who borrowed her cellular phone to make a call. It's not clear whether Tarasha ever arrived at the flea market. She never returned home and has never been heard from again.

The car she was driving, a gray Mazda Tribute she'd borrowed from a friend, was found abandoned on the side of the road on Cecil Jackson Bypass, one mile from the flea market and facing the opposite direction. Two windows on the driver's side were missing and the driver's side door handle was broken, and it appeared as if someone had rummaged through the contents of the car.

It's extremely uncharacteristic of Tarasha to leave without warning, and foul play is suspected in her disappearance. Authorities don't believe she's still in the local area, as extensive searches turned up no sign of her. One theory is that she was the victim of human trafficking, and/or that someone she was dating was involved in her disappearance. Her case remains unsolved.

Updated 5 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated August 23, 2022; details of disappearance updated.