TX AMEERA DEADRICK: Missing from Houston, TX - June 2016 - Age 7

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Ameera and her mother, Tiara McWilliams, left Houston and moved to Wisconsin shortly after Ameera was born. McWilliams stated Ameera's father was abusive and that he promised he would make her pay for taking Ameera from him.

McWilliams agreed to let Ameera spend the summer of 2013 with the child's father and his girlfriend in Houston, but after the summer vacation was over they refused to return Ameera. In the spring of 2014, McWilliams traveled to Houston herself to fetch her daughter, but Ameera's father wouldn't let her and wouldn't even let her spend time alone with the child.

Because there was no formal custody agreement between the parents, the police refused to assist in the matter. Eventually, McWilliams returned to Wisconsin without Ameera, and after that, Ameera's father and his girlfriend refused to let her even speak to Ameera.

In the spring of 2017, McWilliams got word that Ameera's father had been incarcerated for months. No one had seen Ameera since the fall of 2016, before her father was arrested. An official missing persons report was filed when the child was eight years old.

When questioned about his daughter's disappearance, he said he gave Ameera to a woman named known only as "Tootie" or "Linda". This woman may have lived at the Bordeaux Apartments in Waco, Texas and may have worked in the health care industry. He provided an address for this person, but no one by that name lived at that address.

Ameera's father has since been released. He has not provided any more information on his daughter's whereabouts, and McWilliams fears the child is dead. Both Houston and Waco police are investigating her disappearance.

CHARLEY PROJECT:

Ameera Deadrick – The Charley Project

NCMEC:

Have you seen this child? Ameera Deadrick

Missing From: Houston, TX. Missing Date: June 1, 2016. Ameera's photo is shown age-progressed to 13 years. She was last seen on June 1, 2016..

www.missingkids.org

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[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Missing in Houston: The fight for answers in Ameera Deadrick’s disappearance

Despite extensive investigations and Tiara's continued efforts, Ameera's whereabouts remain unknown.

www.click2houston.com

Missing in Houston: The fight for answers in Ameera Deadrick’s disappearance​

In a case filled with dead ends and unanswered questions, Tiara McWilliams continues her desperate search for her daughter, Ameera Deadrick, who vanished in 2016.

In 2013, Tiara reluctantly allowed her daughter, Ameera, to spend the summer with her father, Anthony Deadrick, in Houston. As the summer ended, Anthony refused to return Ameera, a decision that left Tiara in a constant state of distress. Despite her efforts to bring Ameera back, Anthony stood firm.

In 2014, Tiara traveled to Houston with the hope of bringing Ameera home, but Anthony once again prevented her from leaving. Without a custody agreement in place, Tiara found herself without legal recourse. Over the next few years, she maintained contact with Ameera through visits and phone calls, persistently trying to bring her daughter back. However, in the summer of 2016, all contact was lost.

“I tried to come and join her, but Anthony wouldn’t agree,” Tiara explained. “When I tried to get her, he appeared, and the police refused to get involved because there was no custody agreement.”

In the absence of official assistance, Tiara attempted to file for custody, but her efforts were stalled. “I lost contact, and I had no way of reaching out to anyone. I tried contacting his sister and niece, but they weren’t helpful,” she recalled.

An investigation revealed that Anthony was imprisoned on unrelated charges in November 2016, leaving Ameera’s whereabouts unknown. Tiara’s fears were confirmed when she learned about Anthony’s incarceration.

“I knew something was wrong when I found out he was in jail. I could feel it in my body,” she shared. “HPD wouldn’t help, so I contacted the police where I lived, and they reached out to HPD and the attorney general’s office, who then opened a case for Ameera.”

In 2019, Tiara moved to Texas to be closer to the investigation.

Anthony told investigators that he had left Ameera with a woman named Linda/Tootie in Waco, whom he had met at a convenience store. Despite efforts to track her down, no such person was found. Tiara refers to the story as a cockamamie one.

“The police investigated, but no one by that name lived where he said they lived or did what he said they did. The apartment complex he said she lived in had never heard of anyone by that name. It was all made up,” Tiara explained.

Tiara described Ameera as an intelligent, sassy little girl with no fear. She believes that whatever was happening to Ameera, they couldn’t send her back to her mother because she would reveal everything.

“Whatever happened to her, they couldn’t send her home to me because she would have told me. I think something happened, and he was trying to cover it up,” Tiara said. “I believe something happened to her because of the things I’ve been told since I came back. They had her wearing a bell like an animal, and she was stealing food, which means she was hungry. This is not the child I raised.”

Reflecting on the challenges she faced in seeking assistance, Tiara expressed her frustration.

“HPD has been no help. The Attorney General’s office initially helped, but they came to a dead end and the case came to a halt until they get more information,” Tiara explained. “They’re supposed to be investigating now, but I don’t know much about it. Someone has been trying to leave clues or breadcrumbs that Ameera could still be alive. There are a lot of games being played, and many people are involved in this case.”