Left and Center: Mikelle circa, 1999
Right: Age Progressed to age 25
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: January 2, 1999
Missing From: Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: May 31, 1987
Age: 11 years old
Height and Weight: 4’8″ and 85 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Female, Brown hair, Hazel eyes, Mikelle has several moles on the left side of her neck and her ears are pierced, her upper front teeth are prominent, her hair was permed and growing out at the time of her 1999 abduction
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A red t-shirt with her schools name “Lindbergh” imprinted across the front, bell bottom jeans with embroidered seams on each pant leg side, a pair of white canvas shoes, Mikelle was last known to be wearing a purple Barbie watch and possibly earrings at the time of her 1999 abduction
NCMEC Number: 858245
Details of Disappearance
Mikelle was last seen in Mesa, Arizona on January 2nd 1999. She was last seen riding a bicycle near her family’s house. Her and her sister, Kimber, thought they heard an ice cream truck in the area and asked their mother for money to buy some. They both went and waited near Toltec Street and El Moro Avenue at approximately 5:50 pm for the ice cream truck.
Eventually, Kimber became cold and went inside her home to get a coat. She was separated from her sister for approximately 90 seconds. After she got a coat, their mother sent Kimber back to get Mikelle but she was gone by this time. The bicycle that Mikelle was riding at the time was found 4 houses away from their home. The wheel was still rolling and the two quarters that she had were on the ground.
She was reported missing after no one could locate her. Police were only able to find the bike and the change but nothing else. They brought in search dogs which were able to trace Mikelle’s scent a few feet away from her last known location. This suggested that Mikelle was placed in a vehicle. Authorities believe Mikelle was the victim of a non family abduction.
Investigators are unsure if an ice cream truck was actually in the area at the time of Mikelle’s abduction but all ice cream vendors in the area were checked out and cleared of involvement in the case. They also interviewed known sex offenders in the area and have cleared them of suspicion as well.
Investigators have no idea who actually abducted Mikelle but various leads arose in her case in the days and weeks that followed her apparent abduction. For example on January 9th, 7 days after she went missing, police dug what appeared to be a freshly dug grave that was outside of the Mesa area. The area revealed nothing pertaining to her whereabouts.
Investigators located two witnesses in Mikelle’s case and they were put under hypnosis only to have nothing they could remember from that day. Authorities originally sought a copper colored Jeep that was spotted in the area when she was abducted. The vehicle and driver were eventually located but he was not responsible for Mikelle’s disappearance and he didn’t recall anything unusual happening on the day she was taken.
Police also searched the houses on her street for possible evidence with the permission of each homeowner. One person refused to let police search the premises but he is not considered a suspect in the case. Investigators did create two possible suspect sketches which were under publicized since they weren’t sure if these two individuals were connected to her abduction.
Investigators believe Mikelle’s disappearance might be connected to another attack in her neighborhood. On December 25th 1998, an unknown man lured an 11 year old girl behind an apartment complex and attempted to molest her. The attack failed and the child escaped.
The attack occurred less than a mile away from where Mikelle was abducted 8 days later. The girl and Mikelle were the same age as one another. The man was allegedly seen in the area at least several times prior to the attack but he was not seen again after that. The man is described as a Caucasian male who was in his 40s during that time. He had blonde hair and brown eyes and had acne scars on his face. His two upper front teeth were badly decayed at the time.
The man was seen riding a blue mountain bike at the time. Investigators have found no evidence that the two cases are connected and have not called this man a suspect in Mikelle’s disappearance but believe he may have had involvement in the case. On March 10th 1999, a man allegedly attempted to abduct two 11 and 10 year old girls from a school yard area. The incident has since been ruled a hoax and investigators don’t believe it has any connection to Mikelle’s disappearance.
While investigators did rule out all known sex offenders in the area, Mikelle’s father believes one of them is responsible for his daughters abduction. The mans name is Dee Blalock and he lived approximately 2 blocks away from Mikelle’s home in 1999. He has prior convictions relating to sexual assault, kidnapping, and child molestation in 3 different states. He’s listed as a sex offender.
Blalock was a part time landscaper and a handyman at the time of Mikelle’s abduction. He lived across the street from where she took piano lessons and a few doors down from the home of Mikelle’s best friend at the time. He was watching a football game in his garage in the small frame of time that Mikelle was abducted and his wife aged him an alibi for that time.
He also allowed investigators to search his home that night but they found nothing that connected him to her disappearance. The investigation focused on him in 2001 when he raped and beat a neighbor of his. He was given a 187 year sentence for the attack on her. The victim told Mikelle’s mother, Tracy, that her intuition led her to believe Blalock was responsible for her daughters abduction.
His alibi has since been discounted. His wife came forward and stated she behaved in whatever way her husband dictated. She stated he brought him sandwiches while he watched the game in his garage and he told her to stay away. She cannot account for his whereabouts at the time of the abduction. Blalock is the primary suspect in Mikelle’s abduction and presumed murder.
Blalock has never been criminally charged or held responsible for Mikelle’s disappearance but he did make a jailhouse confession and claimed he was responsible for her disappearance and death. He continues to deny he had nothing to do with Mikelle’s disappearance. Her parents visited him in jail and asked him what he knew about the case and he said he didn’t know what happened.
He at one point said he can’t be held accountable for what his other personality does. He claims to have split personalities. He remains a suspect and investigators believe him leading them to her body might be the only way of solving the case.
In early 2018, a dollar bill was found with writing on it. The writing said “My name is Mikel Biggs kidnapped From Mesa AZ I’m Alive”. The tip gave investigators hope but the dollar bill turned out to be a hoax. However, the dollar bill brought Mikelle’s case back into the media’s eye and her case has been heavily publicized since then.
At the time of her disappearance, Mikelle was described as an intelligent, sociable, and artistic child who was also an honors student at her school. She was known to always be organized and had a specific way of cleaning her bedroom which she shared with her sister. She was known to play the clarinet and was a member of her schools student council in 1999. She had dreams of becoming an animator when she grew up.
Mikelle has another sister and two younger brothers. She was studious and quiet child who got A’s in her grades. She loved Disney movies at the time of her abduction. She was also said to be shy and reserved. On January 2nd 2004, her family held and empty casket funeral for her. They believe she was killed shortly after her abduction. Kimber continues to hope she might still be alive and out there.
Mikelle’s abduction remains unsolved and few leads have developed in her disappearance over the years.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Mesa Police Department 480-644-2211
Source Information