Kimberly Norwood

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Harrison County Sheriffs Office Tx (TX)

Missing From:

Hallsville, Texas

Summary:

Kimberly Rachelle Norwood, a 12-year-old white female, was last seen on May 20, 1989, walking home with a group of three friends in Hallsville, Texas. The group split up about a mile from her home in the Caney Creek Estates, and she was never seen again. Her case is classified as a non-family abduction.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Kimberly disappeared on May 20, 1989, a Saturday. She had spent the night at a friend's house in her hometown of Hallsville, Texas. She came home around lunchtime, had a bite to eat and cleaned her aquarium. Close to 5 p.m., Kimberly called her mother from a friend's house, asking if a girl could sleep over at the Norwood home. Norwood said no, because she "really didn't care for that little girl." Kimberly pleaded, "But we won't bother nobody," and mother and daughter hung up the phone both in a bit of a huff. That was the last time they spoke. Kimberly was last seen Saturday May 20th, 1989 in Hallsville, Texas about 5:15pm by her friends as they were all walking home. She and her three friends split up approximately one mile from her home and she has not been seen since. She was within a half mile of her home in the Caney Creek Addition when she parted ways with her friends, telling them she would see them at school on Monday. They watched as she crossed the Caney Creek bridge, then headed in the opposite direction.

Additional Details:

She is not believed to have run away from home; her parents think she was abducted. They theorize that the kidnapper(s) lived nearby, because the subdivision where she vanished is rural and densely wooded and a person unfamiliar with the area could become lost easily. No "legitimate suspects" have emerged in the case, according to Tom McCool, the sheriff of Harrison County, Texas, who stated "There's never been any evidence that would support an indictment or arrest," adding that none of the original persons of interest in the case have been excluded. Retired homicide investigators from the Vidocq Society examined the case and came up with nothing. As of 2018, the search for Kim was still an active case, with the sheriff's office continuing to partner with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and following up on every lead that came to the office or the NCMEC. Investigators went to Victoria, Texas within four months (circa 2018) to investigate a lead that included a home where milk cartons were located in an attic of a rent house depicting Kimberly Norwood's likeness. Through discussions and assistance with Victoria PD investigators, they obtained permission from the renter of the property to conduct a search. After they gained entry, milk cartons were discovered in an attic area that depicted other numerous missing children. It was determined that the milk cartons were printed at a local facility, and the person that had previously worked there had rented the home. Janice Norwood, Kimberly's mother, passed away in June 2020. Kimberly's father also died in July 2019, according to Kimberly's sister, Pamela. Janice Norwood appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1989, Missing Rewards in 1990, The Montel Williams Show in 1998 and an episode of The Maury Show in 1991 that never aired.

Case Last Updated:

Apr 24, 2026