It’s been 18 years since Teekah Lewis was kidnapped | Tacoma News Tribune

It’s been 18 years since Teekah Lewis disappeared from a now-defunct bowling alley in Tacoma.

But her mother refuses to give up hope of bringing her baby girl home.

A candlelight vigil will be at 7 p.m. Monday (Jan. 23) in the place where Teekah was taken, 4602 S. Center St. It is now a Home Depot parking lot.

Teekah was 2  1/2 when she disappeared Jan. 23, 1999, from New Frontier Lanes as her family bowled nearby. Police believe the girl was kidnapped.

The case remains unsolved.

Theresa Lewis, the girl’s mother, holds an annual candlelight vigil to ensure Teekah isn’t forgotten. Two years ago, she started a charity ride with local motorcycle group Flying Low.

All money raised is donated to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Lewis believes her daughter is still alive and refuses to stop searching.

Over the years, detectives have followed up on more than 700 tips in Teekah’s disappearance. The case has been featured on numerous true crime television shows.

Police dug up a small area of Native Gardens in Point Defiance Park in 2010 after a man reported having a vision of where the girl was buried.

Detectives have used cadaver dogs to search the homes of sex offenders and followed up on sightings of girls resembling Teekah in other states.

She remains missing.

Teekah had a quarter-size birthmark on her buttocks and had skin discoloration on her face as a child due to eczema. She also suffered from asthma.

Lewis often posts messages to her daughter on the “Help Find Teekah Lewis” Facebook page.

On Christmas Eve, Lewis wrote about the difficulty of celebrating holidays without Teekah.

“My wish like every year is to get that call that says Teekah’s home,” she wrote. “I will keep praying for that day to happen.”