The Disappearance of Shapammala Latrisha Buckner — A Life Still Missing

By Yasmin Chaudhary — The Inkwell Times

Every missing person story carries a heartbreak, but some stay with you longer because the silence that follows feels too cold, too vast. That’s the case with Shapammala Latrisha “Pam” Buckner, a young woman who vanished from her Houston apartment in May 2017 and has not been heard from since — not in the years of family vigils, not in frantic calls or unanswered texts, and not in the official statements from police that her loved ones still await.

A Life Forgotten by Most — Not by Her Family

Shapammala Buckner was just 20 years old when she disappeared from her home in north Houston. According to missing‑person records, she stood about 4’11” tall, weighed around 100 pounds, and was described as having dark brown hair and brown eyes. She wore glasses and was known as someone soft‑spoken, sweet, and loved by those close to her. 

Her family continues to call her disappearance a void that has never been filled — a life that shouldn’t be reduced to a date and a location on a police bulletin. Eight years later, Pam still has no confirmed whereabouts and no closure.

The Last Known Moments

Pam was reported missing on May 21, 2017. At the time, she was living with her boyfriend, who was away on military orders. Neighbors later told police they heard a disturbance in her apartment the night before she vanished. One neighbor texted her to check on her, and Pam replied that she wasn’t okay and needed help. She even agreed the neighbor should call the police — but no officers made contact with her that night. 

According to some reports, Pam’s aunt also received a frantic call from her that same night suggesting she was being attacked inside her apartment. When the aunt arrived in person, someone — believed to be a member of her boyfriend’s family — answered the door, claiming Pam wasn’t there. After that night, all contact stopped, and her phone, purse, keys and identification were found inside the apartment, untouched — a powerful sign that she didn’t leave voluntarily.

Why Her Case Still Matters

Missing persons cases sometimes slip out of the spotlight, especially when there are no new leads, no arrests, and no breakthroughs in evidence. Eight years after Pam’s disappearance, there is still no confirmed theory on what happened to her, no official explanation for why the disturbance that night was not investigated more thoroughly, and no accountability for what may have occurred behind that closed door. 

Family members and advocates say they believe someone knows something — that someone was present that night and has never spoken up. They point to the unanswered calls, the abrupt end to messages, and the fact that all her personal belongings were left behind as signs that foul play may be involved.

A Family’s Ongoing Search

Pam’s family has held lantern‑lighting vigils on the anniversary of her disappearance, refusing to let her name fade even as the years stretch on. Her cousin and uncle have spoken publicly about her kindness and the shock of losing someone so young without closure. “She was very soft‑spoken, very positive, sweet,” one family member said. “She would never harm anybody.” 

The frustration expressed by her loved ones isn’t just grief — it’s pain mixed with unanswered questions and a sense that the system tasked with finding her didn’t truly pursue every possible lead.

Searching for Answers — and Not Forgetting

Organizations like Texas EquuSearch list Pam’s case alongside other long‑term missing persons, urging anyone with information to contact the Houston Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit or volunteer search groups. 

Podcasts and true‑crime programs have also kept her story alive in smaller formats, reminding listeners that behind every statistic is a real person — someone with friends, family, memorie, and a life unfulfilled.

The Broader Pattern of Missing Cases

Pam’s disappearance also reflects a larger crisis affecting countless families: missing adults, especially women of color, whose cases receive minimal sustained media attention, few leads and sparse updates. The lack of information isn’t just a gap in reporting — it’s a wound in the community and a daily reminder that too many disappearances go unexamined.

What Still Needs to Be Done

Although years have passed, advocates urge:

• Continued attention to the case on social media and in local news
• Renewed pressure on law enforcement to release timelines and investigative steps
• Public assistance with any information, no matter how small
• Support for families of missing people, who often feel abandoned by the very systems meant to protect them

Pam’s case isn’t just about a missing person. It’s about a young woman who stopped being seen not because she vanished — but because the world stopped looking. Her family’s hope remains: that someone, someday, will come forward with the truth.