Key facts
- Name: Nefertiri “Neffie” Trader
- Born: circa 1981
- Age at disappearance: 33
- Last seen: June 29/30, 2014, ~4:00 a.m.
- Location: Freedom Trail, Saddlebrook, New Castle, Delaware (off Christiana Road)
- Height / build: 5’6″, 125 lbs; black hair, brown eyes; tattoos on right chest, left arm, lower back
- Status: Still missing — New Castle County Police Department, endangered missing; FBI involved; $30,000 combined reward
- Case numbers: NCCPD case under Criminal Investigations Division
- Investigating agency: New Castle County Police Department; FBI Baltimore field office
The neighbor at 4 a.m.
At about 4:00 on the morning of June 29, 2014, a neighbor on Freedom Trail in the Saddlebrook development of New Castle, Delaware, looked out and saw something: a man dragging a woman to a car.
The neighbor did what people do when they see something they can’t quite process at 4 a.m. — assumed the woman was being taken to the hospital. It was only later, when the pieces came together, that the scene took on its true shape.
The woman was Nefertiri Trader. She was 33, a mother of three children ages 7 to 17 (the FBI’s 2015 press release described her as the mother of “two young children” — sources differ on the number), a housekeeper at Christiana Hospital who was on medical leave that summer. Her mother came to her home at 6:00 p.m. — after Neffie had been expected home from work — and found the porch like a sentence interrupted mid-word: cigarettes, a coffee, an unopened condom on a chair. A loaf of bread stepped on in the yard. Her flip-flops by the door.
Her family believes Neffie was abducted on her way back from a convenience store and forced into her own car — a silver 2000 Acura RL with Delaware plate 404893. The car has never been found. Neither has she.
The investigation
The New Castle County Police Department has worked Neffie’s case for twelve years, and the FBI joined the investigation with the Baltimore field office. The combined reward for information stands at $30,000. In 2017, the FBI said it believed Neffie was deceased — but her body has never been found, and her case remains classified as an endangered missing person.
On June 30, 2025, the eleventh anniversary of her disappearance, the New Castle County Police cold case unit publicly reaffirmed that the case was under active review and appealed again for information. The Black and Missing Foundation (BAMFI) maintains her poster — she would be 45 years old today.
The details that keep investigators and her family circling: the car. A silver 2000 Acura RL, Delaware tag 404893, that has never surfaced in twelve years — not in a chop shop, not in a salvage yard, not abandoned on a back road. Cars that vanish with people are cars that were hidden deliberately. The unopened condom on the porch chair, the stepped-on loaf of bread, the flip-flops by the door — the small forensic poetry of a life interrupted — have never yielded a suspect.
Neffie’s mother has never stopped. Her children were 7 to 17 when their mother was taken; they are adults now, or nearly. The case is one of Delaware’s most visible unsolved disappearances, and one of its most painful: a witnessed abduction, in the open, at 4 a.m., on a residential street — and twelve years later, no arrests, no car, no answers.
Theories: what might have happened
Abduction by someone she knew. The theory her family holds and the evidence best supports: this was not a random 4 a.m. encounter on a residential street. The neighbor witnessed a man dragging a woman to a car — force, not persuasion — and the car was her own, which suggests the abductor had access to her keys or her trust. The FBI’s 2017 assessment that she is likely deceased underscores the gravity investigators attach to the case.
Abduction by a stranger. Possible — a woman returning from a convenience store at 4 a.m. is vulnerable — but the use of her own car, and the car’s total disappearance, points more toward planning than opportunity.
Voluntary disappearance. The theory with no support: three children, a porch full of the ordinary evidence of someone settling in for the night, and twelve years of total silence. Her family has never wavered — Neffie did not leave.
Have information?
Contact the New Castle County Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at (302) 395-8110, email Coldcase@newcastlede.gov, or call Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. You can also contact the FBI Baltimore field office at (410) 265-8080. A combined $30,000 reward is offered. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- circa 1981 — Nefertiri Trader is born.
- June 29, 2014, ~4:00 a.m. — A neighbor on Freedom Trail, Saddlebrook, New Castle, DE sees a man dragging a woman to a car.
- June 29/30, 2014, 6:00 p.m. — Neffie’s mother comes to the home, after Neffie was expected back from work, and finds the porch: cigarettes, coffee, an unopened condom on a chair; a stepped-on loaf of bread in the yard; flip-flops by the door. Neffie and her silver 2000 Acura RL (DE plate 404893) are gone.
- 2014–2016 — NCCPD investigation; FBI joins; $30,000 combined reward announced.
- 2017 — FBI says it believes Neffie is deceased; her body is never found.
- June 30, 2025 — On the 11th anniversary, NCCPD cold case unit reaffirms the case is under active review and appeals for information.
- Today — Still missing. No arrests, no car, no answers.
FAQ
Is Nefertiri Trader still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Neffie Trader has been missing for more than 12 years. Her case remains open and under active cold-case review with the New Castle County Police Department, with FBI involvement.
Was Nefertiri Trader ever found?
No. Neither Neffie nor her car — a silver 2000 Acura RL, Delaware plate 404893 — has ever been found.
Does the FBI think Nefertiri Trader is alive?
In 2017, the FBI said it believed Neffie was deceased. Her body has never been recovered, and she remains officially classified as an endangered missing person.
What did the witness see?
At about 4:00 a.m. on June 29, 2014, a neighbor on Freedom Trail in Saddlebrook, New Castle, saw a man dragging a woman to a car. The neighbor assumed at the time that the woman was being taken to the hospital.
Is there a reward in Nefertiri Trader’s case?
Yes — a combined $30,000 reward from the New Castle County Police Department and the FBI for information.
How can I help?
Share this case file. If you have any information, contact NCCPD Criminal Investigations at (302) 395-8110, email Coldcase@newcastlede.gov, or call Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: New Castle County Police Department, “Nefertiri Trader Cold Case Review” (June 30, 2025, nccpdnews.com); FBI Baltimore field office; Black and Missing Foundation (BAMFI) missing-person poster.
- News: Delaware News Journal coverage of the Trader case (2014–2025); “Nefertiri Trader: 11 Years Missing” anniversary coverage (June 2025).
- Reference: The Charley Project, “Nefertiri Trader”; NamUs.
Corrections (October 2026 fact-check): MATERIAL — removed “NamUs MP12702” from the case numbers; the same number appeared in both this file and the Risha Lewis file, and it could not be verified as Trader’s, so it was removed from both rather than reassigned. Minor — corrected the mother’s visit from “that morning” to 6:00 p.m. (Charley Project), and noted the conflict between the FBI’s 2015 press release (“two young children”) and other sources (three children ages 7–17). Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.