EL DORADO — Naquater Taylor was 8 years old when her mother vanished in 2002.
Minnie Evette Taylor — or “Evette” as she was more commonly known — was last seen 15 years ago at EZ Mart, 400 W. Hillsboro.
At the time, Naquater (pronounced nah-kwee’-tah) was living with her grandmother in north Louisiana, having gone there because her time in El Dorado was fraught with some of life’s harshest challenges, including her mother’s drug addiction and neglect.
“She would leave and wouldn’t come back. She would be gone for days at a time. I wouldn’t see her for two or three days,” Naqauter recalled.
During those intervals, she would stay with her mother’s friends, one of whom she affectionately called “Miss Mary.”
Minnie and Naquater moved with Minnie’s boyfriend to El Dorado from Haynesville, Louisiana, when Naquater was 5 years old.
They lived in a duplex on School Street, about two blocks away from EZ Mart.
With her mother in the throes of a crack cocaine addiction, Naquater said the duplex often drew the wrong kinds of activity — and people.
After three years in El Dorado, Naquater went to live with her maternal grandmother in Springhill, Louisiana — and later, her paternal grandmother 30 minutes away in Haynesville
Having seen and experienced things that children should not have to see or experience, Naquater thrived in the loving care of her grandmothers, but she would soon be dealt another severe blow.
Missing
Minnie Taylor was reported missing in El Dorado on May 26, 2002.
She was 33 years old.
Over the years, El Dorado police have said they have little information to go on.
Interviews and re-interviews with those who knew Minnie and her lifestyle and retracing her steps on that spring day in 2002 have not produced any results.
“Minnie Taylor lived on the south side of town, and she was last seen at a convenience store on the south side of town,” Police Chief Billy White has said. “We have no credible information other than that’s where she was last seen. We don’t know if anyone who saw her there saw her get into a vehicle or anything.”
Minnie is described as 5 feet 4 inches and 150 pounds, with light brown eyes and black hair.
Naquater said she had turned 9 years old when she learned through media reports that her mother had gone missing.
“I saw a newspaper at my grandmama’s house, and I saw my mama’s name in it,” she said. “Nobody had told me. Then I asked my grandmama, and she said, ‘Yeah, baby. She’s gone, and we haven’t heard anything.’”
Soon after, a friend’s mother took her and her friend to a store, and Naquater saw a missing person’s flier with Minnie’s photograph hanging up in the store window.
Naquater graduated from high school in 2014 and works as a caregiver in Haynesville.
She has a 1-year-old son.
She still checks with El Dorado police and her mother’s old friends in El Dorado for any updates or new developments in her mother’s disappearance.
“Investigators are very familiar with Minnie’s daughter. Out of all these kinds of cases that we have that remain unsolved, she calls the most, checking for new information,” said Lt. Cathy Phillips, an investigator with the El Dorado Police Department.
“I can only imagine how hard it was for her growing up without knowing where your mother is, how she is doing or, most important, when she will return home,” Phillips said.
Investigators believe Minnie may have met with foul play, and they have shared their beliefs with Naquater.
Naquater said she had already braced herself for that possibility.
“As I got older, I realized she was not coming back. I know why my grandmother didn’t tell me she was missing back then,” Naqauter said, her voice permeating a strength and wisdom that belies her years.
While police have said they don’t know if the unsavory aspects of Minnie Taylor’s life played a role in her disappearance, Naquater feels differently.
“She was on crack. She used to go off with different men, different people, and I think they had something to do with her disappearance,” Naquater said.
“No, I don’t think she’s still alive … I’m at a loss for words because it’s been so long,” she continued. “I called the police because I wanted an update, to see if somebody has said anything. I just want to know what happened to her.”
Phillips said investigators want the same thing for Naquater and her family.
“Just take one moment of your time and place yourself in this young lady’s shoes,” Phillips said. “Someone in this town knows what happened to Minnie and can speak up. Right now, investigators would just like to know where she is, so the family can have some closure.”
Police are urging anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Minnie Taylor to call the Criminal Investigative Division at 870-881-4810 or Crime Stoppers at 870-863-INFO (4630).
All information will remain confidential.
Crime Stoppers will offer a reward for information leading to the recovery of Minnie Taylor.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or by email at tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.