One year after 25-year-old Emma Baum, a nine-months-pregnant mother of three, mysteriously disappeared from her boyfriend’s home in Gary, Indiana, her desperate family continues to demand answers amid suspicions and stalled leads.

The clock ticked past midnight on October 10, 2024, when 25-year-old Emma Baum stepped out of a car and into what would become the last known moments of her life. Nine months pregnant with her fourth child, the Portage, Indiana, resident had driven the short 10 miles to Gary to visit her boyfriend at his home on the 2500 block of Connecticut Street. What should have been a routine visit turned into a nightmare that has gripped her family and a community ever since.

Today marks the somber one-year anniversary of Baum’s disappearance, a case that remains as baffling and unresolved as the day it began. Her family, who gathered at Gateway Park across from Gary City Hall this week to release balloons and distribute flyers, refuses to let her story fade into obscurity. “We’re never going to stop looking for her,” Jamie Baum, Emma’s mother, told reporters during the vigil, her voice cracking with a mix of grief and resolve. “Her children need her. We need her.”

Emma Baum was no stranger to hardship. A devoted mother to three young children from a previous relationship, she was described by loved ones as a vibrant sunflower—always reaching for the light despite life’s storms. At 5-foot-5 with brown hair and hazel eyes, the 25-year-old worked odd jobs in Portage, a quiet suburb along Lake Michigan, while preparing for the arrival of her newest baby. Friends recalled her excitement about the pregnancy, sharing ultrasound photos on social media and joking about baby names. “She was so full of life, always laughing, always putting her kids first,” her sister Hailey Baum-Waddell said in an emotional interview earlier this year. “Emma wouldn’t just vanish. Not like this.”

The details of that fateful evening remain sparse and shrouded in contradiction. According to family accounts, Baum was dropped off near her boyfriend’s residence around 8 p.m. She had planned to stay briefly, perhaps to discuss the pregnancy or tie up loose ends before returning home. But by the next morning, concerned texts and calls went unanswered. “We all started messaging each other: ‘Hey, have you heard from Emma?’” Baum-Waddell recounted. “Then my mom panicked. This wasn’t normal.”

The boyfriend, identified by family and police as 29-year-old Antwon Butler—the father of Baum’s unborn child—has maintained that she left voluntarily after a brief visit. He claims she walked away on foot, heading toward an unknown destination in the rundown neighborhood. But Baum’s family dismisses this story outright. “She was nine months pregnant, waddling around, dilated and ready to pop any day,” Baum-Waddell said sharply. “You think she’d just stroll off into the night in Gary? Alone? No way. He’s hiding something.”

Butler, who has a documented history of arrests including drug-related charges and failure-to-appear warrants, was questioned by Gary police shortly after Baum’s vanishing. He has not been named a suspect or charged in connection with the case. However, just days later, he was taken into custody on an unrelated failure-to-appear warrant in Lake County Jail. As of this week, he remains behind bars awaiting a court date for those separate offenses, according to Gary Police Commander Jack Hamady. “We have not charged anyone with the disappearance of Emma Baum, and she has not been located yet,” Hamady stated matter-of-factly in a recent update. “The investigation is active, and we’re following every lead.”

The Gary Police Department didn’t receive an official missing persons report until October 28—18 days after Baum was last seen. That delay has drawn scrutiny from the family, who say they were initially brushed off. “We called right away, but it felt like they weren’t taking it seriously at first,” Jamie Baum said. Once filed, the case exploded into action. K-9 units scoured overgrown fields and abandoned lots in the area, volunteers canvassed door-to-door with flyers emblazoned with Baum’s smiling photo, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department lent manpower for aerial searches. Drone footage captured the desolate streets of Gary’s south side, a once-thriving steel town now plagued by economic decay and high crime rates.

Despite the efforts, no trace of Baum—or her unborn child—has surfaced. Searches extended to nearby Lake Michigan shores and wooded areas, but turned up empty. Digital forensics on Baum’s phone revealed no activity after October 10, and her social media went silent. “She was excited about that baby,” her other sister, Abigale Smith, said through tears at a November 2024 press conference. “We trust somebody knows something. We want her home.”

Adding to the family’s frustration is the absence of a Silver Alert, Indiana’s emergency notification system for missing endangered adults. Originally designed for seniors with cognitive impairments, the program’s guidelines expanded in recent years to include pregnant women and others at risk. Baum, heavily pregnant and last seen in a high-crime area, appeared to fit the criteria perfectly. Yet no alert was issued. “Why wasn’t one sent out? She was clearly endangered,” Baum-Waddell fumed. Indiana State Police officials have cited internal protocols, noting that alerts require confirmation of immediate danger and are not automatic for missing persons cases. The oversight has sparked calls for reform, with Baum’s family lobbying lawmakers to broaden Silver Alert triggers.

As the months dragged on, the emotional toll mounted. Baum’s three children, now ages 7, 5, and 3, have been shuffled between relatives while Jamie Baum fights eviction from her Portage home—a cruel twist amid the chaos. A GoFundMe campaign launched by Baum-Waddell has raised over $15,000 for search costs, legal fees, and child support, but it’s a drop in the bucket against the endless grief. “I’ve stopped people in cars, knocked on every door, searched abandoned houses myself,” she said. “We’re exhausted, but we can’t quit.”

National attention has trickled in, amplified by true crime podcasters and figures like Nancy Grace, who featured the case on her show in late 2024. Private investigator Brian Fitzgibbons joined the fray, offering pro bono tips on digital tracking and witness canvassing. Online sleuths on Reddit’s r/MissingPersons subreddit have dissected Butler’s criminal record, speculating wildly—from drug-fueled accidents to foul play. One thread, with over 368 upvotes, questioned why Gary—a city with one of Indiana’s highest murder rates—hasn’t cracked the case. “Gary, Indiana. Say no more,” one commenter quipped darkly, alluding to its reputation for unsolved violence.

Experts point to systemic issues plaguing investigations in under-resourced areas like Gary. The city’s police force, strained by budget cuts and a 20% vacancy rate, handles hundreds of missing persons reports annually. “Pregnant women in vulnerable situations often fall through the cracks,” said criminologist Dr. Elena Vasquez, who studies Midwestern disappearances. “Delays in reporting, lack of immediate alerts, and reliance on a single witness—the boyfriend—create blind spots.” Vasquez noted that over 90% of missing women cases involve an intimate partner, though she stressed Baum’s remains unproven.

For the family, the boyfriend’s role looms largest. Butler’s past includes multiple drug convictions and probation violations, painting a picture of instability. “He was the last one with her,” Jamie Baum said bluntly. “And now he’s silent.” Attempts to reach Butler through jail records were unsuccessful, and his attorney declined comment.

As winter approaches, marking another holiday season without Emma, her loved ones cling to slivers of hope. Volunteers plan a massive search for November, funded partly by the GoFundMe. “If you’re out there, Emma, know we love you,” Smith pleaded at the anniversary vigil. “Nothing you’ve done changes that.”

Gary Police urge anyone with information to call (219) 881-1201 or the Crime Tip Hotline at 866-CRIME-GP. Tips can be anonymous. In a city where closure is rare, Baum’s family vows to fight on—for Emma, for the baby who never cried, and for justice in a story that refuses to end.