Overview

Last Seen: December 23, 1974
Location: Seminary South Shopping Center, Fort Worth, Texas, now the site of La Gran Plaza
Age: 14
Status: Missing; foul play considered possible
NamUs: MP6817
NCMEC: 601940
Texas DPS Case: A8602009
NCIC: M265979095
Police Case: 87481853

Renee went Christmas shopping with Rachel Trlica and Julie Moseley. Their vehicle was later found locked in the shopping center parking lot, but the girls were gone. They never contacted their families again. A puzzling letter apparently written by Rachel arrived afterward, but its authenticity has remained disputed. No one has ever been charged in connection with the disappearance.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Lisa Renee Wilson: The 1974 Fort Worth Missing Trio Disappearance

Lisa Renee Wilson—better known by her middle name, Renee—was 14 years old when she disappeared from Fort Worth, Texas, on December 23, 1974. She vanished with 17-year-old Mary Rachel “Rachel” Trlica and 9-year-old Julie Ann Moseley during what should have been an ordinary Christmas shopping trip. More than five decades later, all three remain missing, and the Fort Worth Police Department continues to consider the mystery an open case.

Quick Case Summary

Last Seen: December 23, 1974
Location: Seminary South Shopping Center, Fort Worth, Texas, now the site of La Gran Plaza
Age: 14
Status: Missing; foul play considered possible
NamUs: MP6817
NCMEC: 601940
Texas DPS Case: A8602009
NCIC: M265979095
Police Case: 87481853

Renee went Christmas shopping with Rachel Trlica and Julie Moseley. Their vehicle was later found locked in the shopping center parking lot, but the girls were gone. They never contacted their families again. A puzzling letter apparently written by Rachel arrived afterward, but its authenticity has remained disputed. No one has ever been charged in connection with the disappearance.

A Christmas Shopping Trip That Never Ended

On the morning of December 23, 1974, Renee was preparing for a short shopping trip with her friend Rachel Trlica. Rachel was 17 and married. Renee, a 14-year-old ninth grader, reportedly wanted to pick up clothing she had on layaway before visiting Seminary South Shopping Center.

Nine-year-old Julie Ann Moseley joined the trip at the last minute. Julie was the younger sister of Renee’s boyfriend, Terry Moseley. According to accounts from the families, Julie persuaded her mother to allow her to accompany the older girls.

Renee had another reason to keep the trip short. She reportedly planned to attend a Christmas party that evening and wanted to be home around 4 p.m. She had also received a promise ring from Terry that morning.

The Girls Arrive at Seminary South

The three girls traveled in Rachel’s 1972 Oldsmobile 98. Investigators later confirmed that they stopped at an Army/Navy or surplus store to pick up Renee’s layaway items before continuing to Seminary South Shopping Center.

Witnesses subsequently reported seeing the girls at the shopping center. The Texas Department of Public Safety continues to list the mall as the place where Renee and her companions disappeared.

When Renee failed to return in time to prepare for her party and the other girls also failed to arrive home, their families became alarmed.

Rachel’s Car Is Found — But the Girls Are Gone

Family members went to Seminary South and located Rachel’s Oldsmobile in the shopping center parking lot, near Sears.

The car was locked and the keys were missing. Items the girls had obtained during their shopping trip remained with the vehicle. There was no sign of Renee, Rachel or Julie.

The disappearance was reported to Fort Worth police that evening.

Early handling of the case has been a source of frustration for the families. Contemporary and later reporting indicates investigators initially considered the possibility that the girls had voluntarily left or run away. The case was initially handled through the department’s youth division before receiving attention from homicide and major-case investigators.

The Mysterious Letter

One of the strangest pieces of evidence surfaced shortly after the disappearance.

A letter apparently signed by Rachel arrived at the home she shared with her husband, Tommy Trlica. It claimed that the girls had left voluntarily, were going to Houston and would return later.

But several details troubled Rachel’s family.

The envelope was reportedly addressed formally to Thomas A. Trlica, even though Rachel normally called her husband Tommy. Questions were also raised about the handwriting, the way Rachel’s name appeared on the envelope and the postmark. Over the years, handwriting examinations have failed to conclusively establish whether Rachel actually wrote it.

For the families, the letter has never satisfactorily explained why a 17-year-old, a 14-year-old and a 9-year-old would suddenly abandon their Christmas plans and families without taking Rachel’s car.

Witness Reports and Possible Sightings

Numerous witnesses offered information after the girls disappeared, but many accounts could never be verified.

Some people claimed they saw girls being moved into another vehicle. Other reports involved a pickup truck or van. One particularly significant account involved a witness who said the three girls were with a young mall security guard in a pickup truck late that evening.

According to later case summaries, the witness said the girls appeared relaxed rather than visibly under duress. Police eventually identified and interviewed the security guard. He denied having the girls in his vehicle. Authorities were unable to establish that the sighting provided the answer to their disappearance.

The accounts should be regarded as reported witness statements rather than established facts.

Searches Across Texas

The disappearance generated searches, tips and theories across Texas.

Searchers examined areas around bridges, rural property and locations in Brazoria County. Human remains discovered in separate searches were compared with information about the missing girls, but none were identified as Renee, Rachel or Julie.

Private investigators and relatives also devoted years to pursuing leads.

In later decades, attention turned to Benbrook Lake, where submerged vehicles were located and raised during searches associated with theories about the case. Those efforts did not produce evidence establishing what happened to the missing girls.

Investigators Came to Suspect Foul Play

The official Texas Missing Persons Clearinghouse currently classifies Renee’s case as “Endangered — Foul Play Possible.”

Later investigators have publicly expressed the belief that the girls may have left the shopping center with someone they knew or trusted and subsequently came to harm. Earlier reporting also described investigators examining multiple potential suspects and considering DNA testing as technology improved.

No publicly identified person has been charged with abducting or killing Renee, Rachel or Julie.

Renewed Attention Nearly 50 Years Later

The disappearance has repeatedly received renewed publicity.

In 2023, age-progressed images of the girls were displayed on billboards across North Texas in cooperation with missing-children organizations in an effort to generate fresh information.

By the 50th anniversary in December 2024, relatives were still publicly asking for answers. Reporting by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram documented how the families had spent decades searching while thousands of tips and numerous searches failed to resolve the case.

Another issue remains particularly important to relatives: the mysterious letter.

In a 2024 investigation by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, relatives said they wanted surviving physical evidence—including the letter—to receive the benefit of modern forensic testing. Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes also discussed the department’s broader effort to digitize old cold-case files so investigators could better track evidence and case information.

Latest Investigation Information

As of the most recent substantial public reporting available in 2026, the Fort Worth Missing Trio case remains active, but authorities have announced no arrest, identification of a definitive suspect or recovery of the girls.

A&E Crime + Investigation reported in an article updated July 16, 2026 that Terry Moseley—Julie’s brother and Renee’s boyfriend at the time—said police had told him the case remained active. He said that, to his knowledge, investigators were no closer to determining what happened. The Fort Worth Police Department did not provide A&E with additional investigative details for that report.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children continues to maintain Renee’s active missing-child poster and an age-progressed image depicting how she might appear as an older adult. Her NCMEC file remains 601940.

A case-awareness project devoted to the trio also remained active in September 2026, specifically asking people who worked at Seminary South Shopping Center in December 1974 to come forward with memories or information. That outreach is a community initiative rather than an official announcement from law enforcement.

The Fort Worth Police Department states that all of its unsolved cases remain open and continues to provide Cold Case Unit contacts for people with information.

More than 51 years after Renee walked into a Fort Worth shopping center with two companions, there is still no publicly confirmed explanation for how three girls disappeared together without leaving a verified trail.