Pridgen was last seen at 10:15 p.m. in the living room at her residence on South Street in La Grange, North Carolina on May 12, 2001. Her mother, Cosandra Best, was waiting for her boyfriend, Eric Earl Mercer Moore, to come home. She planned to break up with him that night. Best fell asleep and woke up at approximately midnight, and discovered her daughter was gone and Moore wasn't at the residence either.

Authorities initially classified Pridgen as a runaway and believed she may have traveled to Goldsboro, North Carolina. However, they now think she may have been forced out of her home by someone after she let the person inside. She was barefoot at the time of her disappearance and left all her belongings behind, including her purse, money and her shoes.

Moore is considered a person of interest in Pridgen's disappearance. He had prior convictions for kidnapping, assault, theft and a sex crime, something Best didn't discover until after Pridgen vanished. In 2006, he was convicted again of sexually assaulting a minor and is in prison. He hasn't been charged in connection with Pridgen's case. A photo of Moore is posted below this case summary.

Pridgen's mother stated her daughter was a typical teenager in 2001 and enjoyed drawing, and that she had no reason to run away from home. Her case remains unsolved.

Above: Eric Earl Mercer Moore