3-Year-Old Makes Bone-Chilling Claim After Mom Vanishes Without A Trace



In 1990, 26-year-old mom of two, Nancy Shoupp, left her husband Steve and moved out of their Boulder, Colorado home alleging domestic violence. She moved into an apartment with their children, 3-year-old Geoffrey, and 2-year-old, Mattie. During the next five weeks, Steve called Nancy at all hours of the day at night and stalked her. Nancy vanished without a trace just 10 days after she served him with divorce papers.

In the quiet town of Maplewood, life was often serene. That peace shattered one autumn evening when Emily Foster, a beloved young mother, vanished without a trace. Her three-year-old daughter, Lily, was found alone in the family’s living room, clutching her favorite stuffed bear.

The police scoured the town, interviewing neighbors and combing through the woods, but Emily was nowhere to be found. Despite their efforts, days turned into weeks, and hope waned. Then, during a routine interview, Lily made a bone-chilling claim that left everyone unsettled.

In the quiet of the police station, Lily sat drawing with crayons. A detective, trying to piece together the puzzle, asked gently, “Can you tell me where Mommy went?”

Lily looked up with wide, innocent eyes and replied, “Mommy went to the place where the shadows play.”

The detective, puzzled but intrigued, pressed further. “What do you mean, sweetie? Where’s that?”

Lily’s small voice was barely a whisper. “The man in the dark room told her to come.”

The detective’s curiosity piqued. He decided to investigate the house more thoroughly. In the basement, which had been previously overlooked, he discovered an old, unused room. Inside, the air was cold and musty. On the wall, faint, almost imperceptible scratches could be seen, as if someone had tried to claw their way out.

Authorities reopened the case with renewed vigor, driven by Lily’s cryptic message. As they delved deeper into the investigation, they uncovered a hidden passage leading to an old, forgotten cellar beneath the house.

In that cellar, they found clues suggesting that Emily had indeed been there. The passage seemed to have been used recently. As the search continued, they began to piece together a harrowing story of a hidden life that Emily had been trapped in.

Lily’s innocent yet eerie statement had led them to uncover a chilling truth about the house’s past and the dark secrets it held. Emily’s case remained unresolved, but Lily’s words had opened a door to uncovering a story that was far darker than anyone had anticipated.

On April 27, 1990, Nancy went on a date with a co-worker. The couple went out for dinner and watched When Harry Met Sally at his apartment. Nancy and Steve had a pre-arranged custody exchange at 4:30 am since Steve had to work the morning shift at a gas station. At 3:30, Nancy got into her dark green 1984 Volvo and headed to Steve’s home. She was never seen again.

Nancy was reported missing by her mother after she failed to show up for work two days later. Her car was found in the parking lot of her apartment complex and there was a blood stain on the carpet inside her home.

A neighbor told the police that they saw Steve’s car parked outside Nancy’s apartment at 7 am on the day she disappeared. Steve claimed that Nancy never showed up. He said he went to her apartment but she didn’t answer the door so he left their children in his car and went to work.

Steve said that he left Nancy a message but her voicemail was empty. He insisted he loved her but he never bothered to report her missi

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Nancy’s friends and family claimed that she lived and breathed for her two children and would never have abandoned them — not willingly anyw

3-year-old Geoffrey made a bone-chilling claim when he told investigators that “daddy put mommy by a tree” after a “long drive down a bumpy road.”

Steve hired a lawyer and stopped cooperating with the investigation. He took the children, moved to Kansas, and re-married. Steve told his new wife that Nancy died in a car accident. Like Nancy, she eventually filed for divorce alleging abuse. Steve was sentenced to 18 months for stalking.

Nancy’s co-worker passed a polygraph test and he was ruled out as a suspect. Steve has never been arrested in connection with Nancy’s disappearance but he remains the prime suspect in th

Nancy was last seen wearing a cream-colored sweater with matching pumps and light gray pants. Her red gym bag has never been located. If you have any information, contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at (720)-913-STOP or Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office at 303–795–4711.