MISSING: Jennifer, Sidney, and Monique
When a young mom and her two small daughters disappear without a trace from Topeka, Kansas, in May 2000, her family goes on a decades-long hunt for answers. But right in the middle of our reporting, the family gets a huge tip that could change everything.
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From left to right: Jennifer Lancaster, Sidney and Monique Smith.
Credit: Lancaster family photo
Jennifer Lancaster.
Credit: Lancaster family photo
Sidney and Monique Smith.
Credit: Lancaster family photo
Vicki and Jessica Lancaster.
Courtesy: Vicki Lancaster
Missing person’s poster for Jennifer, Sidney, and Monique.
Courtesy: Vicki Lancaster
Steak ‘n Shake thank-you card and coupons.
Courtesy: Vicki Lancaster
John Robinson.
Credit: Kansas City Police Department
Timeline:
Jennifer Lancaster and her daughters, Sidney and Monique Smith, are reported missing.
Jennifer’s car is found abandoned, and all personal property belonging to her had been removed.
Misty Glen Apartments
Where Jennifer and her daughters were last seen by her mother, Vicki Lancaster.
Apartment Complex
Where Jennifer’s abandoned car is found.
Please contact the authorities if you have any information:
Topeka PD
If you have any information about the disappearances of Jennifer Lancaster or Sidney and Monique Smith, please reach out to Topeka PD at 785-368-9551.
KBI
You can also submit a tip to KBI directly online or by calling 1-800-572-7463.
We’d love to speak with you and see how we can support.
If you’re a law enforcement agency or family member of one of the people we mentioned in this episode, or if you’re looking for more coverage on a case, please reach out. You can email us at:
Episode Source Material
- Original reporting by Taylor Day.
- Courthouse News Service (Kansas City, MO): Death Penalty Upheld for Kansas Serial Killer by Emma Gannon. Published November 9, 2015. Accessed May 10, 2025. https://www.courthousenews.com/death-penalty-upheld-for-kansas-serial-killer/
- Investigation Discovery Crimefeed: The Internet’s First Serial Killer: John Edward Robinson, The ‘Internet Slavemaster’ by Catherine Townsend. Accessed May 10, 2025. https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/serial-killer/the-internets-first-serial-killer-john-edward-robinson-the-internet-slavemaster
- The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO): Two murder charges presented by Richard Espinoza and Tony Rizzo. Published June 16, 2000. Accessed May 10, 2025 via Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/686437561/?match=1&terms=john%20edward%20robinson
- The Topeka Capital-Journal (Topeka, KS): KBI says these 40 people remain unaccounted for after going missing from Shawnee County, by Tim Hrenchir. Published October 2, 2021. Updated October 4, 2021. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/2021/10/02/missing-persons-topeka-area-among-those-listed-kansas-bureau-investigation-website/5932760001/?fbclid=IwAR3BxlrErVhttCAjbMv1OI7HvsNKrx1F7t9cpQJDWTxLktAZ8WMT7AyhKk0
- The Topeka Capital-Journal (Topeka, KS): After daughter and babies disappeared 23 years ago, Vicki Lancaster still doesn’t know what happened by Tim Hrenchir. Published April 10, 2023. Accessed February 10, 2025. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/local/2023/04/10/topeka-police-still-seek-tips-in-2000-disappearance-of-jennifer-lancaster/70075896007/
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