Norma Jolene Madera Missing: Yakama Reservation Murders Link, Yakima 1991

Missing Person's Name: Norma Jolene Madera

Last contact: July 1st, 1991

Last seen: Greyhound Bus Station in Yakima, Washington (602 E Yakima Ave Yakima, WA 98901)

Age when disappeared: 27 (Might be March 12th, 1964 -- same-name match in Ancestry)

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 64 (which is 5'4")

Weight in pounds (lbs): 110

Ethnicity: Native American. She was/is a member of the confederated tribes of the Colville Reservation.

Hair color: Brown

Eye Color: Not given, presumed to be brown due to Native American ancestry. Looks brown in the photo but this is speculative based on that common eye color among Native Americans.

Scar or distinctive characteristic: None known

AI enhanced photo, used in place of the grainy photo that NamUs offers. Do not circulate without stating that it's AI enhanced. Real photo below.

Details from government source: Norma was last seen at the Greyhound Bus Station in Yakima, Washington where she planned to travel to Seattle and then south on Pacific Hwy South to Tacoma. Norma never arrived at her destination. It was not confirmed whether or not she ever made it on the bus in Yakima.

Link to government source: https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/124251?nav

Commentary, Speculation, and Research

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: July 15th, 2024

Norma Jolene Madera was last seen on July 1st, 1991. There were not a lot of details on this missing person in the newspaper articles or online. This could reflect underreporting for marginalized groups in the 1990s. However, there was a chat forum started on her at Websleuths that may develop over time. There is a 33-year gap between her last-seen date and the upload date at NamUs.

Her name was not found in the newspaper database that I use, at least not for any news related to her disappearance. I think she appears in some obituaries for other people (ie. "survived by") years after her disappearance.

Also, she appears to have an entry at Ancestry with a birthdate of March 12th, 1964. Her parents at that source are listed as David A. Madera and Linda Marie Madera. Norma would then born in Great Falls, Montana, unless this is a same-name match (which I doubt).

Last Seen at a Bus Station

Those working on this case should think about what it means to be last seen at a Greyhound Station. On a related matter, being last seen at a bus station is not that uncommon for missing people. Mekayla Bali was last seen at a bus station in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Vickie Annette Smock was last seen at a Greyhound Station.

Furthermore, there are 59 hits for the search "Greyhound" with NamUs in the circumstances surrounding the disappearances listed there. That doesn't mean that they all disappeared from a bus station but quite of few of them were last seen at such a place. If you click the tag "bus station series" in the margin, then several links at this site will appear.

In my opinion, bus stations invoke dodgy and unsafe premises in typically sketchy parts of town. They are often in areas where some questionable characters are loitering.

Also, that Norma Madera was not confirmed to get on a bus does invoke the possibility of ridesharing or hitchhiking. Some people look for passengers at bus stations so it's possible that she hooked-up with the wrong kind of ride to try and save bus fare expense.

Possible Connection to Yakama Reservation Murders (1980 to 1992)

Norma Madera was a Native American. I think she was from Montana but that wouldn't matter to a murderer who targeted Native American women. There was a series of murders and disappearances concerning the Yakama Reservation, that should be mentioned because of the possibility that her 1991 disappearance is related somehow.

The Yakama Reservation Cases: A Tragic Era in Yakima Valley

The Yakama Reservation cases involved the unsolved murders and disappearances of primarily Native American women on or near the Yakama Indian Reservation in Yakima County, Washington, during the 1980s to early 1990s. Over 16–32 women, many from marginalized groups, vanished or were found dead, often in rural areas along the Yakima River. A notable case was Shari Dee Sampson Elwell, whose mutilated remains were discovered on December 30, 1991.

A lot of the victims were last seen in downtown Yakima, according to a 2018 article at Yakima-Herald Republic. That would place them near the Greyhound Bus Station at 602 E Yakima Ave, with victims often last seen in bars or hitchhiking.

January 26th, 1993. The Daily Herald

Norma Madera was a Native American woman in an area in 1991 where Native American women were facing violence and disappearing due to the actions of multiple rapists/murderers.

Serial Killers or Serial Rapists in the Yakima, Washington Area

• Keith Hunter Jesperson (“Happy Face Killer”): A Yakima Valley-based trucker, active 1990–1995. Confessed to eight murders across multiple states, including at least one in Washington in 1991. Investigated for possible links to Yakama cases due to his proximity and targeting of transient women, though no confirmed connections.
• John Robinson: Convicted rapist who targeted vulnerable women in downtown Yakima during the 1980s and early 1990s, preying on sex workers and transients.
• Ramon Padilla: Convicted in 1994 for raping four prostitutes in Yakima, active in the late 1980s to early 1990s, in high-risk downtown areas.
• Pete Savala: Convicted in 1990 for raping two women in Toppenish, near the Yakama Reservation, active around 1991.
• John Bill Fletcher Jr.: Convicted in 2001 for two 1987 murders in Yakima County. Incarcerated by 1991, so not active during Norma’s disappearance.

These individuals, along with unidentified perpetrators in unsolved cases (e.g., Shari Dee Sampson Elwell’s 1991 murder), contributed to the climate of fear in Yakima. The Greyhound station at 602 E Yakima Ave was a noted hotspot due to its role as a transient hub, as described in the Yakima Herald-Republic’s 2018 article (link).