Key facts
- Name: Terkessa L. Wallace
- Born: September 29, 1979
- Age at disappearance: 34
- Last seen: January 10, 2014
- Location: North Little Rock, Arkansas — dropped her 5-year-old son at her cousin’s and never returned
- Height / build: 5’6″, 195 lbs; Black; black hair, brown eyes; tattoo of writing on her upper arm; pierced ears; drove a white 2009 Toyota Corolla (Arkansas plate 290 RHM) — the car has never been located
- Status: Still missing — endangered missing; foul play suspected; unsolved
- Case numbers: NamUs MP24187
- Investigating agency: North Little Rock Police Department — (501) 771-1234
Two friends, one day
On January 10, 2014, Terkessa Wallace dropped her five-year-old son off with her cousin in North Little Rock, Arkansas. She never came back for him.
The same day, her childhood friend Shequenia Burnett — 36, a mother herself, a friend since they were girls growing up in the same neighborhood — also vanished.
At first, detectives didn’t connect the two disappearances, even though the families reported them days apart. Then they subpoenaed the phone records. The records showed Shequenia and Terkessa had been calling and texting each other until right before both disappeared — and that later on January 10, their phones pinged off the same cell tower. The two women had been together. Then, shortly after those pings, both phones went silent.
Nearly two years passed. Then, in December 2015, a fisherman found a human leg floating in the Arkansas River. It was confirmed to belong to Shequenia Burnett. Her death was ruled a homicide. The rest of her body has never been found.
Terkessa Wallace — her car, her phone, her — has never been found at all.
Who Terkessa was
Terkessa Wallace was 34, a mother to a young son who is being raised by a relative. She and Shequenia had known each other since youth; both had histories of drug use, a fact their families have never hidden and that makes the silence around the case harder to bear. It was uncharacteristic of Terkessa to leave without warning — especially without coming back for her son.
Her family has said they believe she may have traveled to Texas after her disappearance. But the white 2009 Toyota Corolla she was driving — Arkansas plate 290 RHM — has never been located either. A car is harder to hide than a person. Twelve years, and neither has surfaced.
The investigation
The North Little Rock Police Department has said there is no new information and no leads. That was the public position years ago, and the case file reflects how little has moved since.
What investigators do have: the phone records placing the two friends together on January 10, 2014, the shared tower ping, and then silence. What they have from Shequenia’s case: a leg in a river, a homicide ruling, and no cause of death determinable from what was recovered. What connects them beyond that is inference — two friends, one day, one tower, and then nothing.
Authorities have never said publicly whether they believe the cases are connected. The families believe they must be. The local press has kept the story alive in pieces: KARK’s “Monday Night Mystery” (May 2021), THV11’s “Unsolved” segment, the Black & Cold podcast (February 2023), and the Our Black Girls blog (2020) — outlets that have noted, pointedly, how little national attention two missing Black mothers received.
Theories: what might have happened
The disappearances are connected — and Shequenia’s homicide explains Terkessa’s silence. This is the theory the facts lean toward. Two friends together on the day both vanish; one’s body part surfaces in a river twenty-three months later as a homicide; the other is never seen again. What supports it: the phone records, the timing, the shared history. What is unproven: investigators have not publicly linked the cases, and no suspects have been named in either.
Terkessa left the area voluntarily. Her family’s stated belief that she may have gone to Texas keeps this technically open. What undercuts it: a mother who never came back for her five-year-old son, a car that never resurfaced, twelve years of silence, and a best friend murdered in the same window.
She was killed and hidden where she won’t be found. The Arkansas River kept part of Shequenia for nearly two years before giving it up. Rivers, woods, and the flat Delta country around North Little Rock can keep the rest indefinitely. If Terkessa met the same fate as her friend, the only difference is that the water hasn’t returned her yet.
Have information?
Contact the North Little Rock Police Department at (501) 771-1234, the CUE Center for Missing Persons at (910) 232-1687 (confidential), or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- September 29, 1979 — Terkessa L. Wallace is born.
- January 10, 2014 — Terkessa drops her 5-year-old son at her cousin’s in North Little Rock and never returns. Her white 2009 Toyota Corolla (AR plate 290 RHM) is never located. Her childhood friend Shequenia Burnett also disappears the same day. Their phones ping the same tower, then go silent.
- January 2014 — Both women are reported missing days apart. NLRPD initially does not connect the cases.
- December 2015 — A fisherman finds a human leg in the Arkansas River; it is confirmed as Shequenia Burnett’s. Her death is ruled a homicide. The rest of her body is never found.
- 2020–2023 — Our Black Girls blog (2020), KARK “Monday Night Mystery” (May 2021), THV11 “Unsolved,” and the Black & Cold podcast (Feb 2023) cover the cases.
- Today — Still missing. Terkessa has never been found; her car has never been located; no one has been charged.
FAQ
Is Terkessa Wallace still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Terkessa Wallace has been missing for more than 12 years. She was last seen on January 10, 2014, in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Was Terkessa Wallace ever found?
No. Neither Terkessa nor her white 2009 Toyota Corolla has ever been located.
What happened to Shequenia Burnett?
Shequenia Burnett, Terkessa’s childhood friend, disappeared the same day — January 10, 2014. In December 2015, a human leg found in the Arkansas River was confirmed to be hers, and her death was ruled a homicide. The rest of her remains have never been found.
Are the two disappearances connected?
Phone records show the two women were in contact until right before they vanished and their phones last pinged off the same tower on January 10, 2014. Authorities have not publicly confirmed a connection, but the circumstances strongly suggest one. No suspects have been publicly named in either case.
How old would Terkessa Wallace be today?
Terkessa was born September 29, 1979 — she turned 47 in September 2026.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information can contact the North Little Rock Police Department at (501) 771-1234, the CUE Center at (910) 232-1687, or NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: North Little Rock Police Department ((501) 771-1234); NamUs MP24187; The Charley Project, “Terkessa L. Wallace” (charleyproject.org).
- News: KARK 4 News, “Monday Night Mystery | Friends Missing: Terkessa Wallace” (May 2021); THV11, “The disappearances of Shequenia & Terkessa | Unsolved”; African American Reports (Jan 2014).
- Reference: Uncovered.com; CUE Center for Missing Persons (ncmissingpersons.org); crimesolverscentral.com.
- Media: Black & Cold podcast, “Unsolved: Shequenia Burnett & Terkessa Wallace” (Feb 2023); Our Black Girls blog (July 2020); True Case Files (Jan 2021).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.