Teekah Lewis was taken from a Tacoma bowling alley in January 1999 and there's been no sign of her since. But now her mother says she might be living in Dallas.

"This is the greatest tip we've had in 7 years," said Teekah's mother Theresa English.

English has always believed her daughter Teekah is alive, but now for the first time, she really believes Teekah may be coming home. Her prayers gave way to hope two weeks ago when Theresa's private investigator got a tip that Teekah may be living with a woman in Texas.

He checked it out. The woman said the girl is her daughter and not Teekah.

When shown a photograph of the girl in Texas, English says she sees a resemblance to Teekah. She said the right ear on her daughter matches the right ear on the girl in the photograph. Besides that, Theresa says she looks just like her other daughters.

"I seen the little girl's picture my heart said 'that's mine,' " English said.

But both the FBI and Tacoma police say they don't think it's Teekah. The "look-alike" has been ruled out as far as law enforcement is concerned, FBI Agent Melissa Schuler said.

"It was a combination of photos and records that are available and birthmarks," she said.

But they will do a DNA test to be absolutely certain for the family's sake.

The Tacoma police detective assigned the case has been kept in the loop, said Mark Fulghum, spokesman for the Tacoma Police Department.

"The FBI talked to the family down there (in Texas). They were cooperative from everything I've been told," Fulghum said. "Our detective hasn't gone down there. He's just being kept abreast of what's going on."

But English is still hopeful.

"(The investigator) got the tip from Dallas, these people are living in an R.V. with a Washington license plate," English said. "There is more to this story than what they're telling us."

Theresa knows the DNA will tell the truth, she just hopes it will reveal her what her heart already believes.

"This here brings new hope to our family she's out there and she could be coming home," English said.

The FBI says while this is a priority case, they don't know for sure when the DNA tests will be returned.