Bus Ride into Darkness: The Disappearance of Gabby Terrelonge

Bus Ride into Darkness: The Disappearance of Gabby Terrelonge

Lost After the Bus Ride

Gabrielle Patricia "Gabby" Terrelonge was a lively 10‑year‑old girl from Broward County who loved to dance and had dreams as bright as her smile. She was known for her playful spirit and for the way she could light up a room with her laughter. She moved between her parents’ homes, spending much of her time with her mother, Passha Bianca Davis, who often drifted between stable housing and bouts of homelessness. The little girl’s life took a tragic turn in the summer of 2025, when a seemingly ordinary bus trip became the last time anyone saw her.

In the months leading up to her disappearance, Gabby had bounced between her parents’ care. Her father, Gordon Terrelonge, doted on his daughter and made a point of keeping in touch, even as the adults around her struggled. By early May 2025 he stopped seeing her in person, although he still believed she was safe with her mother. During this period Davis, who had a history of mental health struggles, began living on the street with Gabby at her side. The pair reportedly wandered from shelter to shelter, occasionally relying on public transportation to travel across Florida.

On June 30, 2025, mother and daughter boarded a Greyhound bus together. Witnesses recalled the child’s exuberant energy as she hopped off the coach at the Florida Mall in Orlando. Surveillance footage later confirmed that Gabby and Davis stepped off the bus that evening. There were no confirmed sightings of Gabby after that moment. According to investigators, Davis purchased the bus tickets and told those around her that she was taking her daughter to see relatives. Friends assumed the trip was a chance for the girl to have some fun away from the instability of street life. In reality it was the beginning of a mystery that continues to haunt her family and the wider community.

The months that followed were marked by silence. Back in Broward County, Gordon Terrelonge became increasingly concerned when attempts to reach his daughter went unanswered. He did not know that in October his daughter’s mother had been arrested on unrelated charges after being stopped by Margate police. During that encounter she gave officers a false name and was taken into custody for resisting arrest. She made no mention that her child was missing. Only later did authorities realize that Davis had been traveling with her daughter in June and that the child was no longer with her.

A chance encounter with police led to further scrutiny. On October 29, 2025 Gordon Terrelonge reported his daughter missing after learning that Davis was in jail. When investigators interviewed Davis in a jailhouse visitation room, she allegedly insisted that she had turned the child over to her father months earlier. Gordon, however, told detectives that he had not seen or heard from his daughter since May. Alarm bells began to ring. Within days Davis was released on a small bond, only to be rearrested on November 4 on a charge of child neglect without great bodily harm. As news of Gabby’s disappearance spread, Broward County Crime Stoppers offered a reward, raising it from $5,000 to $10,000 in hopes of generating leads.

As Davis sat in jail, investigators fanned out across Central Florida. They retraced the pair’s movements, interviewed bus drivers, and scoured hotel registries. Search teams combed wooded areas and waterways near the Florida Mall, while investigators reviewed surveillance footage from businesses along the bus route. Despite their efforts, they found no evidence of Gabby’s whereabouts. Authorities alleged that Davis was uncooperative and refused to provide details about what happened after she and her daughter stepped off the bus. In late November, she was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. During a court appearance she made an obscene gesture toward news cameras and said little about her daughter. The judge observed that various parties were concerned about her mental health but emphasized that an evaluation was still pending.

On December 11, new allegations were added to the growing list of charges against Davis. Prosecutors accused her of concealing the location of a minor and of providing false information to law enforcement. At an arraignment scheduled for December 8 she refused to appear, further frustrating those desperate for answers. Davis maintained through her attorney that she was not guilty of child neglect, and she remained in the Broward County jail on a high bond while investigators continued their search.

With each passing day the community’s anxiety grew. Flyers bearing Gabby’s smiling face appeared on storefronts and at bus stations. Volunteers organized search parties in Orlando and Margate. Gabrielle’s father attended press conferences and took to social media, pleading for anyone with knowledge to come forward. “I beg, from the bottom of my heart, just bring my daughter home,” he said tearfully during a news briefing on November 19. As the holiday season approached, he told reporters there would be no celebrations until she was found.

The case remains open and active. Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether they believe Gabby is alive, and no evidence of foul play has been disclosed. The girl’s disappearance has highlighted the vulnerability of children living on the margins and the challenges faced by investigators when key witnesses are unwilling or unable to cooperate. For Gabby’s family, every day without answers is another day of agony.

A Little Girl with a Bright Future

Gabrielle Patricia “Gabby” Terrelonge was born on July 6, 2015. She was a fourth‑grade student known for her love of gymnastics and art. Those close to her describe her as outgoing and imaginative, always drawing pictures for her friends and teachers. At home she helped her mother with chores and treasured weekends with her father, who shared her love of music. When her mother’s housing became unstable, Gabby adapted to spending nights in shelters and riding buses to stay warm. Despite these challenges, she remained cheerful and optimistic.

At the time of her disappearance Gabby was approximately 4'8" tall and weighed around 90 pounds. She had dark brown eyes, black hair often styled in braids or ponytails, and a slim build. She did not have any known tattoos. Family members noted a small birthmark on her left shoulder. Her last known location was the Florida Mall in Orlando on June 30, 2025, when she exited a bus with her mother. Friends and relatives have not heard from her since.

From Bus Ride to Mystery: Reconstructing the Timeline

The mystery surrounding Gabby’s disappearance begins with a decision to take a bus trip. In late June 2025 Davis told acquaintances she planned to travel north from Broward County with her daughter. They boarded a Greyhound coach bound for Orlando on the evening of June 30, carrying only small bags and a few toys. Video from the bus terminal captured the little girl laughing and dancing beside her mother, unaware that their journey would become the focus of a criminal investigation.

The Florida Mall, a sprawling shopping center near Orlando’s tourist corridor, was bustling when the bus arrived. Witnesses later recalled seeing the pair disembark at the terminal adjacent to the mall. Investigators later confirmed this with surveillance footage. Davis appeared to be in good spirits, and Gabby clutched a small backpack. What happened next remains unclear. Some shoppers remembered seeing a woman matching Davis’s description walking toward the mall’s entrance, but no one could say definitively whether the child was with her. There is no public record of the two entering any store together, checking into a hotel, or boarding another bus.

Over the summer, Davis and Gabby were apparently transient. Investigators discovered that they had been staying at various motels and shelters in Central Florida. Staff at one motel remembered a young girl who matched Gabby’s description playing in the pool in early July, but investigators could not confirm this sighting. Davis allegedly told people that she and her daughter were “taking a vacation,” though she never explained where they were going. By August Davis began using a false name and borrowing cash from acquaintances. Her mental health reportedly deteriorated, and she became more isolated from friends and family.

On October 17, a Margate police officer approached Davis outside a store after a report of shoplifting. According to body camera footage released by authorities, she initially refused to give her real name, leading to an arrest on charges of resisting without violence and providing false identification. Davis never mentioned her daughter during this encounter. She was booked into the Broward County jail under an alias and released after posting a small bond.

The pivotal moment came on October 29 when Gordon Terrelonge learned of Davis’s arrest and realized he had no idea where his daughter was. He immediately contacted law enforcement, triggering a missing child investigation. Detectives from the Broward Sheriff’s Office interviewed him and began piecing together the family’s movements. They learned that Davis had claimed to have turned Gabby over to her father months earlier. Gordon insisted this was false. His voice cracking, he told investigators he had been calling and texting Davis for months with no response. He feared something terrible had happened.

Authorities swiftly issued a missing child alert. The FBI joined the search, and Crime Stoppers offered a reward. On November 4, after investigators reviewed the timeline and determined that Davis was the last known person to see Gabby, she was arrested on a charge of child neglect. At her initial court appearance she was assigned a public defender. Later that month she was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. During the evaluation hearing she smiled at the judge and made an obscene gesture toward television cameras. She provided no details about Gabby’s whereabouts.

Investigators searched Davis’s phone records and social media accounts, attempting to track her communications. They found messages to acquaintances asking for rides and cash, but nothing about her daughter. Detectives combed the Florida Mall area, interviewing shop employees, bus drivers and ride‑share operators. They reviewed hours of surveillance footage from the mall, bus station and nearby hotels. None showed Gabby after she stepped off the bus with her mother. They drained retention ponds, searched wooded areas and enlisted the help of canine units. Still, no sign of the little girl emerged.

In early December prosecutors announced two additional charges against Davis: concealing the location of a minor and providing false information to law enforcement. These charges stemmed from allegations that she intentionally misled investigators about where her daughter was and obstructed their search. Davis did not enter a plea at her first hearing for these new allegations. She remained in the Broward County jail, her bond set at $100,000.

Verified Investigative Findings

• Investigators confirmed that Gabrielle Terrelonge and her mother boarded a Greyhound bus from Broward County and were seen on surveillance exiting at the Florida Mall in Orlando on June 30, 2025. This is the last known sighting of Gabby.
• Davis was arrested on October 17, 2025 for resisting arrest and providing a false name during a shoplifting investigation in Margate. She did not mention her daughter to officers at the time.
• Gordon Terrelonge reported his daughter missing on October 29, 2025 when he learned of Davis’s arrest. He told investigators he had not seen his daughter since May and did not know her whereabouts.
• Davis allegedly told investigators on October 31 that she had given her daughter to Gordon months earlier, a claim authorities say could not be corroborated.
• Davis was charged with child neglect without great bodily harm on November 4, 2025 and has remained in custody since then.
• A missing child alert was issued, and law enforcement agencies including the FBI have searched in and around the Florida Mall and other locations in Central Florida. A reward for information has been increased to $10,000.
• On December 11, 2025, prosecutors added charges of concealing the location of a minor and providing false information to law enforcement.

Lingering Mysteries

• Where did Gabby go after exiting the bus with her mother on June 30, 2025?
• Did anyone see the child with Davis later that day or in the following weeks?
• Did Davis hand the child over to someone else, or was the child left somewhere without assistance?
• Could there be other individuals involved who have not come forward?
• Are there digital footprints—phone records, ride‑share receipts, hotel check‑ins—that might reveal Gabby’s movements after the bus ride?
• Is Gabby still alive, and if so, is she being cared for by someone unknown to authorities?

People Involved and How They Are Connected

• Gabrielle “Gabby” Terrelonge – Missing child – 10‑year‑old girl last seen exiting a Greyhound bus at the Florida Mall on June 30, 2025.
• Passha Bianca Davis – Mother – Primary person of interest; traveled with Gabby on June 30; currently charged with child neglect, concealing the location of a minor and providing false information to law enforcement.
• Gordon Terrelonge – Father – Reported his daughter missing on October 29, 2025; asserts he has not seen her since May; actively searching and pleading for information.
• Broward Sheriff’s Office – Investigative agency – Leading the missing child investigation alongside the FBI.
• FBI Miami Field Office – Federal agency – Assists local law enforcement; issued a missing child alert and helps coordinate search efforts.
• Mental Health Judge – Judicial official – Oversaw Davis’s court appearance regarding her mental health evaluation in late November 2025.
• Public Defender – Defense attorney – Represents Davis in her criminal proceedings.
• Tipsters and witnesses – Individuals who may have seen Gabby and Davis during their travels or have information; encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers.
• Broward Crime Stoppers – Community organization – Offers a reward for information leading to Gabby’s whereabouts.