A Texas Mystery: The Unexplained Disappearance of the "Fort Worth Trio"

In December 1974, three girls mysteriously vanished from a Fort Worth mall while Christmas shopping. No trace of them has ever been found

Depiction of the “Fort Worth Trio”

Background

Two days before Christmas in 1974, three girls in Fort Worth, Texas, became the center of a baffling mystery after they disappeared without a trace from a shopping mall where they had gone to pick up some last-minute gifts.

Mary Rachel Trlica, who went by Rachel, was a 17-year-old high school student at Southwest High School in Fort Worth, Texas. Rachel was married to 21-year-old Thomas Trlica despite still being a high school student.

Rachel had a sister, Debra, who was living with the couple. Thomas (Tommy) had a two-year-old son, Shawn, whom Rachel looked after as her own. Rachel was 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed approximately 108 pounds. She drove a 1972 Oldsmobile 98.

Lisa Renee Wilson, who also went by her middle name, was a 14-year-old girl living in Fort Worth and was friends with Rachel. Renee had a boyfriend, Terry Moseley, who had just given her a promise ring. Renee stood at approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed around 110 pounds.

Julie Ann Mosely, aged nine, was the younger sister of Renee’s boyfriend, Terry. Being so young, Julie stood at just 4 feet 3 inches tall and weighed about 85 pounds. While Julie didn’t know Rachel, she knew Renee through her brother, and it was not uncommon for the two to spend time together.

From L to R Rachel Trlica, Renee Wilson, and Julie Moseley (Facebook)

Christmas Shopping

On the morning of December 23rd, 1974, Rachel and Renee planned a trip to the mall for some last-minute Christmas shopping. Originally, Renee had asked her boyfriend Terry to go to the mall with them, but he had plans to visit a friend.

Renee was adamant that they should return by 4:00 p.m. so she could attend a Christmas party with Terry. Seizing an opportunity to get out of the house, Terry’s sister Julie asked if she could tag along.

Renee said it was okay as long as she got permission from her mother. Rayanne Mosely was hesitant because she did not know Rachel. Eventually, after enough pleading from Julie, Mrs. Mosely said yes, feeling a bit more at ease because of her trust in Renee.

Just before noon, Rachel picked up both Renee and Julie in her Oldsmobile 98. The three girls set off towards the mall, stopping at a surplus store along the way so Renee could pick up some items she’d previously placed on layaway.

In the early afternoon hours, the girls arrived at the Seminary South Shopping Center. Rachel parked her car on the top level of the Sears parking lot. This is the last confirmed detail investigators have in what would become a complex mystery.

Parking lot of the Seminary South Shopping Center (Hub Pages)

Missing

The girls did not return home by 4 p.m. that day despite telling their loved ones that they would be back by then. When they didn’t return, their families naturally became concerned.

The families of the three girls made their way to the Seminary South Shopping Center. Upon arriving, they located Rachel’s Oldsmobile 98, still sitting in the Sears’ upper lot. The vehicle was locked, and contrary to a popularly misreported fact, the vehicle was not full of shopping bags.

Rather, the only items in the vehicle were the layaway items, and a small wrapped present Renee had brought for Rachel’s stepson, Shawn. It appeared that the girls had never returned to the vehicle.

They called the police, who responded to the scene. Reports indicate that in addition to searching the mall, the families asked store managers to page the girls over the intercom systems, but neither of these efforts yielded results.