A Baby Was Found Alone on a Busy Florida Highway. Her Mother is Still Missing

On a seemingly normal Wednesday evening in the quiet Gatorwood Apartments complex, 23-year-old Detra Renvictoria McGuire left her home with her 2-year-old daughter, Roshanda, in tow. She was heading out to run a quick errand, driving her boyfriend’s black Nissan Sentra. It was a typical trip to the store, or so it seemed, but that would be the last time anyone would see Detra alive. Detra lived in Lake City with her boyfriend, Elara Murphy, and their two young daughters. Her parents lived nearby, and they would often visit with their grandchildren. However, on the morning of November 3, 1988, their world was shattered when they learned their granddaughter was found dead, and their daughter had disappeared without a trace.

The Tragic Discovery on Interstate 10

It was just after 9:00 a.m. when a truck driver from Lake Butler made a shocking discovery on Interstate 10. He pulled over after noticing something unusual and found the lifeless body of a toddler. First responders rushed the girl to Shands Lake Shore Hospital, but it was too late. The child was pronounced dead from severe injuries, including a broken neck and road rash. With no identification on the child and no sign of an adult, authorities released a photo of the girl to the public. A tip came in shortly after the photo aired: Detra McGuire and her daughter had been reported missing. Authorities visited the apartment Detra shared with her boyfriend and parents, and it was confirmed—Roshanda McGuire was the little girl found on the highway.

The Search for Detra McGuire

One day after the discovery of Roshanda’s body, the black Nissan Sentra that Detra had been driving was found abandoned at an Ellisville truck stop, but there was no sign of Detra. The car was left behind, and the mother of two had seemingly vanished without a trace. This sparked a manhunt for Detra, but despite extensive efforts, she was never found. Suspicion quickly turned to Detra’s live-in boyfriend, Elara Murphy. Investigators administered a polygraph test to Murphy, which he failed. Authorities named him a person of interest in both Roshanda’s death and Detra’s disappearance. However, despite the troubling circumstances, no charges have ever been filed against him, and the case remains open.

A Cold Case That Remains Unsolved

More than three decades have passed since Detra McGuire and her daughter Roshanda vanished, yet no one knows for sure what happened on that fateful night. What caused Roshanda’s tragic death on the highway? Why did Detra disappear without a trace? How did an ordinary trip to the store turn into one of Florida’s most haunting cold cases? Detra McGuire, who stood 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed around 135 pounds, left behind a grieving family still searching for answers. Despite years of investigation, the case remains unsolved, and the mystery surrounding her disappearance continues to linger. Anyone with information about the disappearance of Detra McGuire or the death of her daughter Roshanda is urged to contact the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office at 386-758-1376.