1972. It’s a hot summer day in a small California town. Susan and Charlene Lyon, two girls, ages 10 and 12, were just finishing up their school day at school. It was a normal day, and as always they planned to walk home. They walked through a familiar neighborhood, crossing the road around a few houses and stores that were always in their path. But this time they were nowhere to be seen on their way home. As the parents began to worry, the hours began to drag on and anxiety began to build.
The police arrived at the spot after a couple of hours and an intense search operation began. Residents of the town, alarmed by the disappearance, also joined the search. Neighbors, classmates and even random passers-by helped to look for traces. But it soon became clear that their disappearance would not be so easy to solve. The only traces that could be found were empty shoes forgotten on the side of the road and a torn envelope with a letter that had nothing to do with the case.
The whole county was gripped with alarm. The disappearance of the two girls became a sensation. In the streets they began to discuss what could have happened, and why so quickly all traces had disappeared. On the surface it looked like an accident, but the feeling of something unusual was in the air. The media picked up on the story, and soon the whole country was following the investigation. The Lyon family, gripped by grief and helplessness, couldn’t understand how their daughters could have disappeared so without a trace. The parents were going through immense pain and shock. They knew they were just ordinary girls who were just walking home. Something terrible had happened, but what?
Crime was rare in these neighborhoods and people couldn’t believe that such a thing could happen in their world. At first everyone assumed it was just an accident, but with each day, with each new investigation it became clear: there was something more here. Both the investigation and the family began to realize that this was a kidnapping. A grim harbinger of disaster hung over their heads. The police tried to reassure the family, but each new day without a trace was a new blow.
The city, once peaceful, was now filled with fear. The equilibrium was broken and the tracks were gone. The terror in the face of uncertainty only grew stronger. The Lyon family was finding themselves in the midst of a tragedy where life seemed to stop. Their girls were there, but they were gone. In the midst of the search, it seemed that all the answers were close at hand, but the case became more and more confusing.
