Names: Diamond & Tionda Bradley
Ages: Diamond: 3 years old, Tionda 10 years old
Last seen: July 6, 2001
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Status: Still missing
Case Information
The Bradley sisters, 3 year old Diamond and 10 year old Tionda, were last seen on July 6, 2001 in Chicago, Illinois. When their mother came home from work she found a note stating the girls were going to the store and playground. Neither girl has been seen since.
Background
At the time of their disappearance, the Bradley family was living in their Bronzeville apartment near 35th and Cottage Grove in Chicago, Illinois.
Tracey Bradley, then 32, lived in the apartment with her four daughters; Rita, age 12, Tionda, age 10, Victoria, age 9, and Diamond, age 3.
Tracey worked at the nearby Robert Taylor Homes apartment complex where she prepared lunch and breakfast for residents.
Daughters Rita and Victoria spent the night at their grandmother’s house on the night of July 5, 2001.
Disappearance
The Bradley sisters, 3 year old Diamond and 10 year old Tionda, were last seen at their third story apartment on the morning of July 6, 2001.
Around 6:00 am on July 6, 2001, Tracey Bradley’s boyfriend George came to her apartment to pick her up for work. Before leaving Tracey gave her daughters, Diamond and Tionda, the same instructions she always gave them – don’t go out and do not open the door for anyone.
While at work Tracey called home three times between 8:00 – 9:00 am, but no one answered, which was unusual. Phone records show several calls from other numbers to the apartment also went unanswered that morning, as well as two hang ups.
At 11:30 am Tracey returned home from work and found a note written by Tionda saying she Diamond went out to the store and to the school playground. Neither Diamond or Tionda has been seen since.
Tracey started calling neighbors and family, asking if anyone had seen the girls, and soon she and her extended family began searching the neighborhood and surrounding areas for any signs of the girls.
After hours of searching with no luck, Tracey reported her daughters missing to the Chicago Police Department just before 7:00 pm.
Investigation
An extensive search of the area and surrounding neighborhood provided no clues as to the girls’ whereabouts. The search became the largest missing-persons search in Chicago’s history, and included the FBI and over 800 tips, all of which led nowhere.
Hundreds of Chicago police, FBI, and volunteers spent weeks searching the streets, sewers, abandoned factories and buildings. Dozens of people were interviewd, as well as nearly 100 registered sex offenders, yet their efforts were unsuccessful.
On the morning the girls disappeared, Tionda left a voicemail on her mother’s cell phone at 8:30 am, saying “George” was at the door. In the voicemail, she asks for permission to let him in. Tracey didn’t get this message until after her daughter’s were already gone.
It’s not certain who “George” is. Tracey’s boyfriend at the time (who is also Diamond’s father) is named George, as well as one of their neighbors who was a part time babysitter for them.
The family believes the note left by Tionda is suspicious. According to their aunt it was in Tionda’s handwriting, but the grammar was too perfect for a girl of her age. They believe she was coached into writing the letter. In addition, Tionda would call her mother and ask if she could go out, not leave a note.
The note is in the sealed possession of the FBI. Many people involved in the case have never seen it, and there is no public record of it’s wording.
On July 7, 2001, receipts show that Tracey’s boyfriend George bought 42 gallon contractor bags as well as gardening gloves and neoprene gloves. When authorities searched his home they found five bags missing from the roll, and the gardening gloves were nowhere to be found.
A neighbor says they saw him burning something in a 55 gallon drum and loading it into the trunk of his car. He denies the burning took place, but FBI reports show evidence of charring on the rafters of his garage.
Authorities also found a blanket that had several of Tionda’s hairs in the trunk of his car. He claims he took Tracey and her daughters to a drive in movie shortly before their disappearance, and made the girls hide in the blanket so he wouldn’t have to pay their admission.
Phone records show he made more than 40 phone calls over a 24 hour period beginning at 4:30 am on July 6, 2001. There are two periods in which he made no calls; between 7:00 – 9:00 am when he dropped Tracey off at work, and from 5:00 – 6:30 pm where his phone pinged off cell towers on the far south side of the city, near the forest and the Little Calumet River.
George denies being involved in the girls’ disappearance. He hired a lawyer after he says he was ganged up on by authorities and the media.
Police have not named any suspects in the case, and say all friends, family, and acquaintances remain persons of interest.
In 2023, a woman in Texas came forward, claiming to be Diamond Bradley. The FBI has since taken DNA samples, but has told the family results might take up to six months.
After 12 previous hoxaes and false alarms, the Bradley family says they’re cautiously optimistic as they await those DNA results.
Timeline Change
In 2023, phone records revealed that Tracey Bradley spent the night at her boyfriend George’s house on the night of July 5, 2001, leaving Tionda and Diamond alone for much longer than originally reported.
Whereabouts
The location of The Bradley sisters, as well as the circumstances surrounding their disappearance, remains unknown.
The FBI is offering a reward of $10,000 for information regarding the current whereabouts of Tionda and Diamond Bradley.
Appearance
Tionda Bradley was born on January 20, 1991. She has black hair and brown eyes. At the time of her disappearance she stood 4’2 and weighed 70 pounds.
She had a burn scar on her left forearm that is about the size of a quarter. She was last seen wearing green ponytail holders and had a scrape on her left calf. She is described as being shy with strangers, and loved to run track and dance.
Diamond Bradley was born November 25, 1997. She has black hair and brown eyes. At the time of her disappearance she stood 3’0 tall and weighed 40 pounds.
She has a scar on the left side of her scalp and has deep set eyes. She was last seen wearing purple ponytail holders in her hair. She is described as timid but loves to talk.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Diamond and Tionda Bradley please contact the Chicago Police Department at (312) 747-5789, the FBI Illinois at (312) 421-6700, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at (800) THE-LOST.
Resources & Further Information
Keeping The Faith: A Family’s Search – National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Missing Diamond and Tionda Bradley – Facebook
Tionda Bradley – FBI
Diamond Bradley – FBI
News & Media Links
The Bradley Sisters Went Missing 20 Years Ago – Their Aunt Hasn’t Stopped Searching – Oprah Daily
Sisters Vanish From Chicago’s South Side – CNN
Missing Girls’ Parents Questioned – ABC News
Family Holds Out Hope For Sisters, 20 Years After They Vanished From Chicago Home – NBC News
Woman Claims to be Diamond Bradley From 22 Year Old Case, Great Aunt Says – Chicago Sun Times
Bradley Sisters Disappearance: Family Gathers on Anniversary of When Girls Went Missing in Bronzeville – FOX21
‘I Believe They’re Still Alive:’ On 20th Anniversary of Bradley Sisters’ Disappearance, Family Keeps Hope – USA Today
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