August 18th marks a solemn anniversary in Central New York. It's the tragic day 12-year-old Sara Anne Wood disappeared from a rural road near her Frankfort home.

29 years ago, on August 18, 1993, Sara vanished while riding her bike home from bible school at Norwich Corners Church on Roberts Road. Her abductor, Lewis S. Lent Jr. eventually confessed to kidnapping and murdering Sara while in custody for another child crime. He's currently serving a life sentence without parole.

Lent claimed he buried Sara's body in the Adirondacks but when he drew a map of the burial site, extensive searches turned up nothing. Sara’s body still hasn't been recovered 29 years later but the search continues. She was last seen wearing a pink t-shirt with the words "Guess Who" on the front, turquoise blue shorts, and brown sandals.

TSM
TSM
loading...

Ride for Missing Children

Sara's heartbreaking story started a movement. A small group of bicyclists wanting to raise awareness about the Sara Anne Wood Rescue Center rode from Utica, New York to the U.S. Capitol in teal and pink jerseys on May 25, 1995, National Missing Children’s Day,

What began as a small group of bicyclists raising awareness has grown each year as thousands join “The Ride for Missing Children,” raising money for The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Two colors have been added to the Ride for Missing Children jersey – white to represent all missing children and purple to salute law enforcement, who continue searching for Sara.

New York Ride for missing children riders group hug
Photo Credit - National Center for Exploited & Missing Children
loading...

Most of the cyclists in the Ride For Missing Children never knew Sara Anne Wood but she will never be forgotten.

If you have any information, please call 1-800-THE-LOST, the New York State Police, or e-mail missingpersons@dcjs.ny.gov.

The Faces of the 36 Children Missing From Upstate New York

As of August 2, 2022, there are 36 children missing in Upstate New York. These are those children.

Famous Youtube Stars Come To Rome New York To Help Solve Missing Persons Case

Adventures with Purpose, a famous YouTube channel with over 2.02M subscribers, was in Rome New York to try and solve a missing teen report from 1990 of Mark Seelman and Douglas Goodwin. You can watch the episode on YouTube here.

13 Famous People Who Went Missing and Were Never Found

Discover 13 famous people and celebrities who went missing, below.

More From 96.1 The Eagle