Left and Center: Lauren circa, 1988
Right: Age Progressed to age 35
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: October 4, 1988
Missing From: Spring City, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: September 26, 1983
Age: 5 years old
Height and Weight: 2’6″ and 34 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Female, Brown hair, Brown eyes, Lauren has surgical scars on her lower abdomen that resulted from a double hernia operation and also has surgical scars on the roof of her mouth from an operation that was meant to fix a cleft palate
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A white long sleeved pull over shirt with a California Raisin printed on both front and back, black knit pants with an iron stain on the back, white socks, and white Reebok sneakers with pink laces
NCMEC Number: 601776
Details of Disappearance
Lauren Jackson was last seen in Spring City, Pennsylvania on October 4th 1988. She was digging in the dirt near her mother’s apartment with other playmates. Later on, when her mother, Christina O’Donnell, went to check on the girl, she was gone. Lauren has never been seen or heard from again.
One of the children that Lauren was playing with, stated that he saw Lauren walking towards her mother’s apartment, she was 100 feet away from the front door at that time. Authorities and other searched the area but no trace of Lauren was found.
At the time of Lauren’s disappearance, her father, Michael or “Micky” Jackson, was concerned for Lauren’s well being and safety while in O’Donnell’s care. The area that she lived in was known for drug activity and O’Donnell herself has been arrested for drug charges prior to Lauren’s disappearance. She also admitted to substance abuse.
Michael lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the time and had plans of seeking full custody of the child. He believes that Christina was involved in Lauren’s disappearance.
A few months after Lauren’s disappearance, a female witness came forward to state that she had seen Christina giving Lauren to an elderly couple in the parking lot of the James Way Mall at approximately 7:00 pm on October 4th.
Her father believes this is what happened possibly because Christina didn’t want to care for Lauren and raise her anymore. She may have also done this because she didn’t want Michael to have custody of the child.
Christina maintains her innocence in her daughters case and says there is a problem with the witness statement. However, it should be noted that Lauren was seen playing in the Complex at that exact time and witnesses also said she could have been playing out there as late as 7:15 pm.
After Lauren’s disappearance, an 11 year old girl came forward and claimed that she witnessed the girl being kidnapped by an unidentified Caucasian male. She saw this man forcing Lauren into a vehicle.
Tracker dogs were used in the search for Lauren, they traced her scent away from her mother’s home, along Park Road to Route 724 and along there to the Vincent Motel which is located nearly a mile away from the apartment. The dogs lost the trail after that. It’s believed that Lauren either walked that way or was dragged to that location
Authorities suspect that Lauren was abducted by a non family member as it’s the only possible explanation in her case. Lauren’s disappearance remains unsolved. Her mother passed away in 2011 but her father and siblings continue to seek her whereabouts.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
East Vincent Police Department 610-431-6363
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children