Key facts
- Name: Teekah Lewis
- Born: December 13, 1996
- Age at disappearance: 2
- Last seen: January 23, 1999, evening
- Location: New Frontier Lanes bowling alley, Tacoma, Washington
- Height / build: Toddler; 2’6″, 25 lbs at the time; black hair, brown eyes; distinctive strawberry birthmark on her chest
- Status: Still missing — stranger abduction; family believes she may be alive
- Reward: A family reward has been reported (unverified in current sources); a $1,000 Crime Stoppers reward is confirmed by news coverage.
- Investigating agency: Tacoma Police Department
The birthday party
On the evening of Saturday, January 23, 1999, two-year-old Teekah Lewis was at a family birthday party at the New Frontier Lanes bowling alley in Tacoma, Washington. She was with her mother, her grandmother, her great-grandmother, and her older brother. It was crowded, loud, the way bowling alleys are on a Saturday night.
At some point in the evening, Teekah wandered a few feet from the family’s table — toward the arcade area, maybe, or just into the crowd. When her mother looked up, she was gone.
She was two years old. Two and a half feet tall. Twenty-five pounds. She had a strawberry birthmark on her chest and her hair in ponytails. In a crowded bowling alley, in minutes, she vanished completely.
No one saw her leave. No one saw her taken. She was simply gone.
Who Teekah was
Teekah Lewis was born December 13, 1996. At two, she was a bright, active toddler — the baby of a close family. Her mother, Theresa Czapiewski, has spent the decades since living with the particular hell of an abducted child: no body, no closure, and the persistent, gnawing possibility that her daughter is out there somewhere, grown, living a life that isn’t hers.
The family has never believed Teekah is dead. They believe she was taken by someone who wanted a child — and that she may be alive today, possibly not knowing who she really is. (A $20,000 family reward has been reported by some sources, but we could not verify that figure; a $1,000 Crime Stoppers reward is confirmed by local news coverage.)
The investigation
The Tacoma Police Department investigated Teekah’s disappearance as a stranger abduction. In the first days, police pursued the theory that she might have wandered out of the bowling alley on her own — but a two-year-old alone on Tacoma streets at night, in January, would almost certainly have been found quickly. She wasn’t.
Investigators looked at registered sex offenders in the area. They looked at everyone at the party. They looked at the possibility — raised by the family from the start — that someone had been watching her, waiting for a moment’s inattention in the crowd. No suspect was ever charged. No trace of Teekah was ever found.
The case has been featured on America’s Most Wanted, Unsolved Mysteries, and in anniversary coverage by Tacoma’s News Tribune and Seattle media. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has released multiple age-progression images — the most recent showing what Teekah might look like as a woman in her late twenties.
She would be 29 now.
Theories: what might have happened
Stranger abduction by someone who wanted a child. The family’s belief and the leading theory: Teekah was taken from the crowded bowling alley by someone who had been watching, possibly planning it. Supports it: no sign of wandering, no body ever found, the crowded public setting that favors a snatch-and-go. Unresolved: no suspect, no witness to the taking, no trace in 27 years.
Wandered off. Considered early and largely set aside: a two-year-old alone outside a Tacoma bowling alley on a January night would likely have been found quickly, by someone.
What the family asks: if you are a woman in your late twenties with a strawberry birthmark on your chest, who has questions about your early childhood — they want you to know they are looking for you.
Have information?
Contact the Tacoma Police Department at (253) 591-5950, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. A family reward has been offered (exact amount unverified in current sources). In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- December 13, 1996 — Teekah Lewis is born.
- January 23, 1999, evening — Vanishes from a family birthday party at New Frontier Lanes, Tacoma.
- January 1999 — Tacoma PD investigates; stranger-abduction theory pursued.
- 1999–present — America’s Most Wanted, Unsolved Mysteries, anniversary coverage; NCMEC age-progressions released.
- 2024 — 25th anniversary; family renews reward appeal.
- Today — Still missing; family believes she may be alive.
FAQ
Is Teekah Lewis still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Teekah Lewis has been missing for more than 27 years.
Was Teekah Lewis ever found?
No. No trace of Teekah has ever been found.
How old would Teekah Lewis be today?
Teekah was born December 13, 1996 — she turns 30 in December 2026.
Does Teekah Lewis’s family believe she is alive?
Yes. Her family has always believed she was abducted by someone who wanted a child and may be alive today, possibly unaware of her true identity. They point to her distinctive strawberry birthmark on her chest as a key identifier.
Is there a reward in the Teekah Lewis case?
Yes. A family reward has been offered, and local news confirms a $1,000 Crime Stoppers reward. Some sources cite a $20,000 family reward, but we could not verify that figure in current sources.
How can I help?
Share this case file — especially the NCMEC age-progression images. Anyone with information should contact the Tacoma Police Department at (253) 591-5950.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Tacoma Police Department (253-591-5950); National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (age-progressions).
- News: The News Tribune (Tacoma); The Seattle Times; KING 5 (25th anniversary, 2024).
- Reference: The Charley Project; NamUs.
- Media: America’s Most Wanted; Unsolved Mysteries.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.
Corrections (October 2026): Teekah’s mother’s name corrected from “Theresa Czapski” to “Theresa Czapiewski” (per the family’s Teekah’s Legacy Foundation site). The “$20,000 family reward” figure could not be verified in current sources — it is now flagged as unverified in this file (a $1,000 Crime Stoppers reward is confirmed by local news coverage).