The Disappearance of Deisy Herrera

 


The Disappearance of Deisy Herrera

Name: Deisy Herrera
Also spelled: Daisy Herrera
Date of Birth: May 6, 1984
Age at Disappearance: 3 years old
Missing Since: December 28, 1987
Last Seen: Bakersfield, Kern County, California
Classification: Non-Family Abduction

Physical Description

  • Hispanic female

  • Black hair

  • Brown eyes

  • Height: approximately 3 feet

  • Weight: about 40 pounds

Deisy had several distinguishing scars on her body, including:

  • A scar on the back of her neck or head

  • Three scars on her left buttock

  • A rectangular scar on the middle of her back

  • Scars on her right shoulder

  • A scar near her kidney area

  • A scar on her left elbow

Her ears were pierced, and she was wearing bar-style earrings with small gold flowers when she disappeared.

Clothing

When she was last seen, Deisy was wearing:

  • A white mesh T-shirt with a horizontal pink stripe and a vertical blue stripe

  • Pink sweatpants

  • White tennis shoes

The Day She Vanished

On December 28, 1987, Deisy was outside her family's home in the 400 block of Washington Street in Bakersfield, California, playing with her siblings.

She was one of several children in the household and had been playing hide-and-seek with five of her siblings in the front yard.

At some point during the game, Deisy hid.

When the other children called for her to come out, she never responded.

Her siblings searched the yard and surrounding area but could not find her anywhere.

Within minutes it became clear something was wrong. The three-year-old had vanished without a trace.

She has never been seen or heard from again.

Investigation

Authorities quickly began searching the area, but no evidence or trace of Deisy was found. There were no confirmed sightings, no ransom demands, and no physical evidence explaining what happened.

Investigators classified the case as a non-family abduction, meaning authorities believe she was likely taken by someone outside the family.

The case has remained unsolved for decades.

Possible Suspect: Gene Estel McCurdy

Authorities later looked at Gene Estel McCurdy as a possible suspect.

McCurdy was a U.S. Navy aviation structural mechanic who was later convicted of a horrific crime involving another child.

In 1997, McCurdy was sentenced to death in California for the 1995 abduction and murder of an eight-year-old girl named Maria Piceno.

Because of similarities in the cases and the geographic area, investigators considered the possibility that McCurdy may have been involved in other child abductions and murders in California, including Deisy Herrera’s disappearance.

However:

  • McCurdy has denied involvement in Deisy’s case.

  • No evidence has ever directly connected him to her disappearance.

As a result, he remains only a person of interest, not a charged suspect.

Family Circumstances

At the time of Deisy’s disappearance, her parents were estranged.

After the investigation began, authorities looked into the possibility that Deisy may have been taken to Mexico because her father eventually moved there. However, investigators found no evidence that she was ever in Mexico or that either parent was involved in her disappearance.

Deisy’s mother later died without ever learning what happened to her daughter.

Case Status

  • No arrests have ever been made.

  • Deisy has never been located.

  • The case remains unsolved more than 35 years later.

Authorities still encourage anyone with information to contact the Kern County Sheriff's Office.

If Deisy Were Alive Today

Deisy would be around 41 years old today.

Age-progression images have been created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to show what she might look like as an adult.

Her case remains part of several national missing-children databases, including NamUs and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Case Numbers

  • NCMEC: 845803

  • NamUs: 8893

  • NCIC: M113722192

  • Investigating Agency: Kern County Sheriff’s Office

Sources
Charley Project
California Department of Justice Missing Persons Database
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Doe Network
Child Find of America
SF Gate news archive


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