The Disappearance of Anthonette Cayedito
9 year old Anthonette Cayedito was last seen at her family’s residence in Gallup, New Mexico on April 6, 1986. It is believe she was abducted from her home in the middle of the night.
Background
Antonette Cayedito was born on December 25, 1976 to parents Theresa “Penny” Cayedito and Anthony Christopher Montoya.
Following her parents’ separation, Anthonette and her two younger sisters were raised by their mother in Gallup, New Mexico. At the time of her disappearance, she was a fourth grader at Lincoln Elementary School.
Disappearance
Around 3:00 am on April 6, 1986, Anthonette Cayedito was last seen inside her family’s residence located at 204 Arnold Circle in Gallup, New Mexico.
While in bed, Anthonette and her sister heard a man knocking at the front door, but didn’t answer the door because they didn’t recognize him and went back to sleep.
Later that night a man knocked on the door again, claiming to be their Uncle Joe, which prompted Anthonette to get up and see who was there. Her sister stayed in bed and went back to sleep.
Anthonette hasn’t been seen since.
Anthonette’s mother didn’t hear the knocking at the door that night, and didn’t realized she was missing until 7:00 am when she went to wake up her children for Bible school.
She searched for Anthonette in the neighborhood until 11:00 am then called the police. Authorities told her she had to wait eight hours before an official missing persons report could be made.
Investigation
A neighbor recalls seeing an older model brown truck with New Mexico plates outside the Cayedito home around 3:00 am that morning. The neighbor saw a man get out of the truck and walk towards Anthonette’s house, but was unable to give further details.
Police later learned a number of people had been in an out of the residence prior to Anthonette’s disappearance.
A three day search was conducted by the state police, but no clues or evidence as to Anthonette’s whereabouts were found. Search dogs were used, but unable to track her scent.
Athonette’s uncle was questioned regarding her disappearance, but was ruled out as a suspect.
Her mother told police whoever was at the door that night was someone her daughter knew because she wouldn’t have opened it for a stranger.
On April 12, 1987, the Gallup Police Department received a call from a young girl claiming to be Anthonette, saying that she was in Albuquerque. An angry adult could be heard in the background shouting “who said you could use the phone” followed by the girl screaming and the phone being cut off.
The call was 40 seconds long, and Anthonette’s mother listened to it repeatedly saying it was her daughter’s voice. Unfortunately the call was too short to be traced, meaning police were unable to determined where it came from. To this day it remains unclear if the call was Anthonette or a prank.
Five years after Anthonette disappeared, her sister who was now age 10, said Anthonette was grabbed by two men, kicking and screaming and taken into a brown van. She said she did not recognize the men, and did not say anything at the time for fear of upsetting her mother.
In 1994, Anthonette’s mother, Penny, told the FBI for the first time that she had heard the second knock on the door that night, and that she told Athonette to go answer it. She said she got up to see where her daughter was after 30 minutes, and that this was between 3:30-4:30 am, contradicting her initial statement of noticing her missing at 7:00am.
Later that year Penny confessed to the FBI that she had been involved in her daughter’s abduction, saying she and “Emo” had made plans regarding Anthonette’s disappearance. She stated she wanted to know where and when the abduction would occur, but was told it was better that she did not know.
She also admits to knowing who was coming to take her daughter, as well as telling her to answer the door that night.
Despite the strong suspicion that she was involved with her daughter’s disappearance, she was never charged.
Penny Cayedito died on April 18, 1999 in Tucson, Arizona at age 46. The FBI wanted to interview her on her deathbed, but she died prior to their arrival. Anthonette’s father, Anthony Montoya, died on August 17, 2012.
Appearance
White/Native American female born on December 25, 1976. Anthonette is of Navajo and Italian descent. She has black hair and brown eyes. She stood stood 4’7 tall and weighed 55 pounds at the time of her disappearance.
Anthonette was last seen wearing a knee length pink nightgown and her ears are pierced. She wore glasses and often wore a silver necklace with a turquoise cross.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Anthonette Cayedito please contact the Gallup Police Department at (505) 863-9365, or the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Gallup RA at (505) 726-6000.
