The Disappearance of Amanda DeGuio
This is a mystery that has been reported locally here in Philadelphia, but it has not gained much national attention. To my knowledge, there have been no writeups on this case yet, so I thought I'd do one.
Background
Amanda DeGuio was born in Philadelphia on March 5th 1990. She was described by her mother, Joanne, as being a "girlie girl" and as a "solid B student" who was "always very social." At a young age she spent a lot of time in hospitals undergoing treatments for asthma. She also underwent surgery for a hernia, which left a huge scar on her stomach. These experiences led Amanda to desire a career in children's healthcare. She enrolled in nursing school shortly after graduating from high school in 2008. But she put nursing school on hold after she became pregnant with her first child.
Addiction
While pregnant, Amanda said that she felt pain in her right breast, which had become swollen. Shortly after giving birth to her first daughter, she was diagnosed with a flesh eating disease, which required three surgeries and resulted in the loss of a substantial amount of breast tissue. To deal with the pain, she was prescribed Percocet, which led to an addiction to pills.
Amanda was a single mom, but she had the support of her family. Eventually she gave birth to a second daughter and they all lived together with Joanne in a house in Upper Darby. Joanne says that the family was aware of Amanda's problem with pills. However, it has been reported that, sometime after Amanda gave birth to her second daughter, she began using heroin. Joanne says that the family knew nothing about Amanda's heroine use.
In 2014, Amanda's older sister Nicole reportedly discovered that Amanda was advertising herself as an escort online. When confronted, Amanda insisted that it was merely a joke. Nicole, with whom Amanda was always close, did not press the issue.
Later that year Amanda went to Disney World with her daughters, as well as Joanne and Nicole. Joanne said that the trip could not have gone better. Amanda seemed serious about recovering from her addiction. After they returned home, Amanda was supposed to see a doctor to get a full physical. There was also discussion of Amanda returning to rehab (which would have been her third stint) and treating her addiction with Suboxone. The family was optimistic about the future.
Disappearance
Amanda DeGuio disappeared on June 3rd 2014. This was about four days after returning from Disney World. Joanne woke up that morning, dressed her two granddaughters, and poked in Amanda's room to ask her to do some chores. This was the last time that Joanne spoke to Amanda.
Joanne left for work and attempted to call Amanda later that day. No answer. Joanne returned from work later that afternoon. Amanda was not there and so Joanne attempted to call Amanda a few more times. But each time there was no answer. Joanne was not yet alarmed, especially since Amanda's daughters were visiting another relative. But Joanne became worried when she did not hear back from Amanda later that night.
There were no signs of foul play inside the house. Amanda did not do any of the chores that her mother had asked her to do. Nor did Amanda pack any of her things before leaving the house. Her credit cards were left at the house. Some sources say that her cellphone was left at the house too, but some sources say otherwise. Amanda did not drive and it is not known how she left the house.
Amanda's family officially reported her missing in late August 2014.
Investigation
In the years since Amanda's disappearance, her mother and sister have posted flyers, questioned strangers, searched Philadelphia areas where Amanda was known to frequent, and hired a private detective.
The Upper Darby police say that there is an active investigation into Amanda's disappearance. It is reportedly being handled as a death investigation. There is also an outstanding warrant for Amanda's arrest for prescription fraud (Amanda had a prior record for theft). They have conducted hours of interviews, surveyed areas where Amanda was known to frequent, and tracked social media.
Police discovered escort advertisements online with Amanda's picture. These advertisements were posted about a year before Amanda's disappearance. This discovery resulted in arrests, but no information that led to Amanda. Police still receive tips, but not many. A review of the case began in January 2021.
Meanwhile, Amanda's two daughters are being raised by their grandmother Joanne. "They are what keep me going," Joanne says. "They have a part of their mother and I see it everyday. It makes me smile."
Details on Amanda DeGuio
There have been no credible sightings of Amanda since June 2014.
Amanda disappeared when she was 24 years old and would now be 31 years old. She is white, approximately 5'1 - 5'3 in height, and approximately 100 - 120 pounds in weight. She has blue eyes and brown hair (though she may dye her hair, wear wigs or headbands). She reportedly has a thin body type.
Amanda has the following tattoos: lips on the right cheek of her buttocks, the Italian boot shape and the word "Tommy" on her right torso, writing under one of her breasts, the initials "SC" on the top of one of her fingers, and the letters "MF" on the inside of her lower lip. She also has a diagonal surgical scar on her upper and lower abdomen.
She is known to frequent the Upper Darby, Clifton Heights, and Overbrook sections of Philadelphia. She may go by the names Adrianna, Gianna, or Stacy.
This is my main source:
Here is the FBI page on Amanda, which describes her as a "known heroin addict" and says that she "may suffer from bipolar disorder":
https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/amanda-deguio
Here is the Charley Project page for Amanda, which says that Amanda "suffers from bipolar disorder" and that "she often wears flashy jewelry including bracelets, necklaces, earrings and large sunglasses."
https://charleyproject.org/case/amanda-ann-deguio
Here are some other sources.
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2021/05/14/amanda-deguio-missing-drexel-hill-cbs3-mysteries/
https://medium.com/@jennbaxter_69070/disappearance-in-delco-where-is-amanda-deguio-9fb6607d4c83
Questions
The obvious question is whether Amanda is alive or dead.
If she is alive, then where is she? Did she simply decide to run away from her life? Perhaps she is one of many unhoused drug addicts living on the streets of Philadelphia?
Or perhaps she was kidnapped and she is being kept somewhere, in the sort of way that Ariel Castro kidnapped women and kept them as slaves in is house in Cleveland? Amanda had apparently worked as a sex worker, which would put her in vulnerable situations and kidnapping is not out of the question.
If she is dead, then how did she die? From a drug overdose? Or perhaps she was killed by someone who was involved in the drug trade? Or perhaps she was killed by someone whom she met online while advertising as an escort?
Finally, I was not able to find any information concerning the father (or fathers) of Amanda's children. Could he (or they) be involved in Amanda's disappearance? I assume that Amanda's family knows the identity of the father (or fathers) and that he (or they) were cleared by police. But I've not found any source that explicitly says so.