Megan Garner

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Tyler Police Department Tx (TX)

Missing From:

Tyler, Texas

Summary:

Megan Garner was just 3 years old when she vanished from a Tyler apartment complex on March 27, 1991. She was last seen at approximately 11:00 a.m. playing at her apartment complex's playground located at 4600 Paluxy with her brother and cousin. Decades since Megan was last seen, detectives are still left with no clear explanation for her disappearance or her current whereabouts.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

It was March 27, 1991, spring break for the school children in Tyler, Texas. Melanie arranged for Megan's aunt and cousins to come over for a relaxing day of watching movies and playing at the playground. She had only recently been allowed to go out to the playground with her cousins and siblings. Around 11:15 a.m., Megan came back to the apartment to grab a snack and take some back to the playground for the other children. Then, about 10 minutes later, the other children returned to the apartment, but Megan was not with them. Megan was last seen standing by the air conditioner near the laundry room. She was reportedly scared to cross the street so the children left her outside. Melanie went out to search for Megan, but when she couldn't find her, she contacted law enforcement to report her missing. Although there was an extensive search for Megan, law enforcement was not able to track down any witnesses who had seen Megan, nor did anyone report seeing anything suspicious.

Additional Details:

Investigators suspect that Megan was abducted by a non family member on the day of her disappearance. Many sightings of Megan were sent to police after her alleged abduction. On April 4th, investigators received a tip which stated that a child matching Megan's description was seen at a local grocery store about 4 hours after the disappearance. She was seen with an unidentified man who is described as being Caucasian and standing between 5'8" and 5'9". He was approximately 35 years old in 1991 and he had a muscular build. Investigators are unsure if the child seen with the man was in fact Megan and the man remains unidentified. Despite years of investigations, including DNA testing and reviews by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, there have been no significant breakthroughs. The New York City Police Department performed DNA testing with members of Garner's family to compare with an unidentified female child located in New York in 1991. There was no match between the two children and Garner's case remains unsolved. Holt transitioned to the digital forensics unit in 2022, passing Megan's case to another investigator. He said working cold cases takes an emotional toll and officers need unwavering dedication. When Melanie Jackson describes her daughter, Megan, the first two words that come to mind are energetic and bright. At just 3 years old, Megan was already learning to write and spell. She had tons of energy and would spend a lot of time running after her, loved to play with her toys, run around and play with other children, especially her two older siblings. In a 2018 interview with CBS19, Megan's mother Melanie Jackson said it is important to report anything anyone might remember or have seen or if someone has seen someone that looks like her age progression because all they want is to know where Megan is. Jackson said despite the years of silence, she holds onto hope that one day she will learn what happened to her daughter. In 2018, Jackson said she would tell Megan she loves her and she's still looking.

Case Last Updated:

Apr 24, 2026