Norma Jolene Madera - Missing Since 1991

Missing Person's Name: Norma Jolene Madera
Last contact: July 1st, 1991 
Age when disappeared: 27 
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.
Scar or distinctive characteristic: None known



Image Link: https://www.namus.gov/api/CaseSets/NamUs/MissingPersons/Cases/124251/Images/205355/Original 

Details from government source: Norma was last seen at the Greyhound Bus Station in Yakima 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. 


Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

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. 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 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 was born in Great Falls, Montana.



Those working on this case should think about what it means to be last seen at a Greyhound Station. 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. There are 59 hits for the search "Greyhound" with NamUs in the circumstances surrounding the disappearance. 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 you 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 she was not confirmed to get on a bus does invoke the possibility of ridesharing or hitchhiking. Some people look for passengers at bus stations.



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