The Great Read: His Mother Vanished When He Was 14. 33 Years Later, He Found Her.
Antonio Wiley’s mother, Anita, vanished during a time when her hometown Detroit was wracked by drugs and crime. It took three decades and an extraordinary effort by a missing persons detective to locate her.
The New York Times
The Great Read

March 9, 2026, 2:01 p.m. Eastern time

On weekdays and Sundays, we recommend one piece of exceptional writing from The Times — a narrative or essay that takes you someplace you might not expect to go.

Antonio Wiley, kneeling in the snow near a tree at a cemetery.

Nic Antaya for The New York Times

His Mother Vanished When He Was 14. 33 Years Later, He Found Her.

Antonio Wiley’s mother, Anita, vanished during a time when her hometown Detroit was wracked by drugs and crime. It took three decades and an extraordinary effort by a missing persons detective to locate her.

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