The Ongoing Heartache: 26 Years After Teekah Lewis’s Disappearance in Tacoma
The two-year-old vanished from a Tacoma bowling alley on January 23, 1999, and the search for answers continues.
Tacoma, Washington – January 23, 1999.
A typical Saturday night at the New Frontier Bowling Alley was filled with laughter, clinking bowling balls, and the buzz of arcade games. Families gathered, children ran around, and couples enjoyed a night out.
Among the crowd that evening was Theresa Czapiewski, who had brought her children to the alley for some fun. “I was there with my boyfriend, my brother, some friends, and my daughters,” Theresa recalled. “I told them to keep an eye on Teekah while I bowled.”
Two-year-old Teekah was enjoying the arcade games, excited by the flashing lights and the rows of machines. It was a familiar sight for her family, but after Theresa’s turn to bowl ended, the unthinkable happened.
“When I asked where Teekah was, no one had seen her,” Theresa said, her voice trembling as she remembered that moment. “I ran to the arcade, I checked the bathrooms, and I even looked outside. She was gone.”
The Heartache of a Missing Child
For parents, the first years of a child’s life are unforgettable—their first steps, their first words, the small moments that become lifelong memories. For Theresa, Teekah was her fourth daughter, a little girl who clung to her mother and was always nearby.
“She was my everything,” Theresa shared. “If I went to the store, she would cry. She didn’t want me out of her sight.”
On the night of January 23, 1999, everything changed.
The Disappearance
After spending the day running errands with her family, Theresa decided to take her daughters bowling. Teekah, dressed in a green Tweety Bird shirt, white sweats, and her favorite Jordans, was excited about the arcade.
It wasn’t long before Teekah, captivated by the games, was playing with the machines while Theresa kept an eye on her. When it was her turn to bowl, Theresa asked her boyfriend and brother to keep watch over Teekah. But when her turn ended, Teekah had vanished.
“I looked everywhere,” Theresa recalled. “She was nowhere to be found.”
The bowling alley was packed that night, and at first, everyone thought she might be lost in the crowd, playing nearby. But as the minutes passed and panic set in, it became clear that something was terribly wrong.
“I ran outside, screaming her name, but there was no sign of her,” Theresa said. "I was frantic."
A security guard made an announcement, and the police were quickly called in. As authorities combed the area, another shocking twist emerged: a woman had been seen earlier that night asking to hold children. This woman, along with a group of men, had been sitting near Theresa’s family, and while she had briefly held a baby earlier, her actions were strange enough for her to be turned away.
Now, this same woman was reportedly seen with Theresa’s youngest daughter, Tamika, attempting to take her from the bowling alley.
Theresa was able to confront the woman, who had Tamika in her car, but when she demanded her child back, the woman denied it. The police were called again, and Tamika was safely returned to her mother, but Teekah remained missing.
The Search for Answers
Law enforcement from across the state joined the search, scouring the bowling alley and surrounding areas with search dogs and officers. Despite the overwhelming effort, Teekah was nowhere to be found.
As days turned to weeks and weeks into months, the search for the little girl continued. But with no leads and no solid evidence, the case grew cold.
Theresa, devastated by the loss of her daughter, found herself searching for answers wherever she could, even as others began to share disturbing stories about similar incidents. Just two months before Teekah’s disappearance, a 4-year-old boy had been sexually assaulted in the same bowling alley's bathroom. There was no connection between the two incidents, but the police followed up on every lead.
Even more chilling, on the same night as Teekah’s disappearance, a man had been reported trying to abduct children in a nearby park. Officers traced the car involved—a Pontiac Grand AM—and found it tied to a witness who saw the car speeding away from the bowling alley that night.
Despite various leads, including the discovery of a potential suspect linked to the Pontiac, the case remains unsolved.
The Investigation and New Developments
In recent years, Sergeant Julie Deir, who has been investigating the case for over five years, uncovered new information that may bring them closer to solving the mystery. A call to 911 that night mentioned a man with a history of sexual offenses, who had been seen at the bowling alley. He matched the description of a man seen holding a child’s hand.
Though this man is now deceased, authorities still consider him a person of interest. But with the lack of physical evidence and leads, the mystery surrounding Teekah’s disappearance remains hauntingly unresolved.
Looking to the Future
Now, 26 years later, Theresa still holds onto hope, refusing to give up on finding her daughter. Though the New Frontier Bowling Alley has since been torn down, the memories and the pain linger.
“I won’t stop looking for Teekah. I won’t ever give up,” Theresa said, tears welling in her eyes. “Every year, I still celebrate her birthday and light a candle for her. She’ll always be my baby.”
Teekah’s disappearance has left an indelible mark on Theresa and her family, affecting how they raise their children and live their lives. Theresa, who now lives in Virginia, continues to honor her daughter’s memory with an annual vigil in Washington. Though she couldn't return this year, the vigil was held online.
"I just want her home," Theresa said. "If Teekah’s out there, I want her to know that I never gave up."
The Search Continues
Despite the passage of time, Sergeant Deir remains hopeful. “We won’t give up. We need answers for Theresa and her family,” she said. "It will take someone coming forward with the information we need."
Anyone with information about Teekah Lewis’s disappearance is urged to contact the Tacoma Police Department at 253-591-5950.