Sandra Faye Thompson Missing: Jacksonville, Florida Woman Vanishes in 1984 (Attempt to Match)

Missing Person: Sandra Faye Thompson

Notes on the pictures:

I have to say that these pictures do not look like the same person to me. I feel that way even if the black and white photo is from high school and the color photo is up to eight years later. However, there are no notes at NamUs suggesting that they are different people. The details for the case are sparse as well.

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): Sandra was last seen in Florida on July 2nd, 1984.

Last contact: July 2nd, 1984 (Monday)
Last location: Jacksonville, Florida
Age when Sandra Faye Thompson disappeared: 26
Date of birth: February 13th, 1958
Sex: Female
Height in inches: 65 (approximation, often averaged from ranges)
Weight in pounds (lbs): 100 (approximation, often averaged from ranges)
BMI: 16.6 - Underweight (calculated to help picture what Sandra might have looked like)
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Hair color: Black - Straight, thick blackish brown hair
Eye Color: Brown
Link to Government Source: NamUs (right-click to open)

Websleuths discussion page: Sandra Faye Thompson (right-click to open)

Unraveling the Mystery: Key Insights and Updates

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: March 11th, 2025

Has Sandra Faye Thompson been found?

The Websleuths community has kept Sandra’s case alive, with discussions dating back to 2016, without their activity, there would not be much available online to read about this missing person. There is speculation online about a possible connection to unidentified remains, such as UP116037, covered here at MPC. This is a Jane Doe discovered in Palm Bay, Florida, in January 1985, though no definitive link has been established.

Points Comparing Sandra Faye Thompson to UP116037 (Attempt to Match)

Websleuths Username: SimsGuy67, to my knowledge, associated the cases first.

Geographical Proximity: Sandra disappeared from Jacksonville, Florida, while UP116037 was found in Palm Bay, Florida, about 150 miles apart, both within the same state.

Timeline Alignment: Sandra went missing on July 2, 1984, and UP116037 was discovered on January 17, 1985, a gap of roughly 6.5 months, which matches UP116037’s estimated PMI of 6 months. This suggests the unidentified individual may have died around mid-1984, which is almost to the day when Sandra disappeared.

Age Range: Sandra was 26 years old at the time of her disappearance, fitting squarely within UP116037’s estimated age range of 24-28 years.

Height: Sandra’s height was 5'5" (65 inches), slightly above UP116037’s estimated range of 5'2" to 5'4" (62-64 inches), but within a reasonable margin of error for skeletal estimates.

Weight: Sandra weighed 100 lbs, aligning closely with UP116037’s estimated weight of 95-105 lbs, indicating a similar slender build.

Race/Ethnicity: Both Sandra and UP116037 are classified as White/Caucasian, supporting a potential match

Is there some kind of alignment between the UP and the MP in a more abstract way? The body seems to have been a body dump. Somehow, that's consistent with the MP having dangerous associations, as suggested at the Websleuths forum. However, the chart below sticks to more convincing points of comparison.

My AI's Assistant's Guess on the Probability That This is a Match

Mathematical guesses using AI are just food for thought. But they are nice to have because they can eliminate the bias we bring to research efforts as humans. For instance, as a researcher, you sort of want the match to be right and that can affect you. AI doesn't have such wants. The more information that's available, the better but here's what Grok had to say about the chances of these two being one and the same person.

"I’d estimate a 70-75% chance that Sandra Faye Thompson and the Jane Doe are the same person. This reflects a strong likelihood driven by timeline, age, and physical overlap, tempered by the distance between locations and absence of conclusive forensic or circumstantial links. Rounding for simplicity, I’ll settle on 75% as a reasonable mathematical guess, acknowledging it’s an approximation based on available data." (Grok, X's AI)

Basically, the physical characteristics, age, and timeline match, but there is doubt due to distance and a lack of conclusive forensic evidence. Still, I think these two cases need to be looked at

Criteria	Sandra Faye Thompson	UP116037	Match?	Explanation
Geographical Proximity	Jacksonville, Florida	Palm Bay, Florida (150 miles)	✅	Both locations are in Florida, 150 miles apart, a reasonable distance for a potential connection.
Timeline Alignment	Missing: July 2, 1984	Found: Jan 17, 1985 (PMI: 6 mo)	✅	6.5-month gap matches the 6-month PMI, suggesting death around mid-1984, aligning with Sandra’s disappearance.
Age Range	26 years old	24-28 years	✅	Sandra’s age of 26 fits within UP116037’s estimated range of 24-28 years.
Height	5'5" (65 inches)	5'2"-5'4" (62-64 inches)	✅	Sandra’s height is slightly above the range but within a reasonable margin for skeletal estimates.
Weight	100 lbs	95-105 lbs	✅	Sandra’s weight of 100 lbs falls directly within UP116037’s estimated range of 95-105 lbs.
Race/Ethnicity	White/Caucasian	White/Caucasian	✅	Both are classified as White/Caucasian, supporting a potential match.

Russell Raymond Williams, Missing Person: Unsolved Abington Disappearance Since April 1972

Missing Person: Russell Raymond Williams

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): Mr. Williams received a phone call at his lumber company (Reed Lumber Company), on 4/19/1972, at approximately 1:30PM, and left. Mr. Williams was never seen or heard from again. Mr. Williams' vehicle was recovered from Logan Airport in Boston, MA on 4/26/1972, with no evidence or information as to his whereabouts.

There is no photo available of Russell Raymond Williams, who was last seen after receiving a phone call at his place of work.

Last contact: April 19th, 1972 (Wednesday)

Last location: Abington, Massachusetts

Age when Russell Raymond Williams disappeared: 33

Date of birth: April 20th, 1938 - April 19th, 1939 (When a date range is used, it is calculated based on the MP's age when he disappeared)

Sex: Male

Height in inches: 67 (approximation, often averaged from ranges)

Weight in pounds (lbs): 190 (approximation, often averaged from ranges)

BMI: 29.8 - This is in the overweight range. This calculation helps in attempting to picture what Russell Raymond Williams looked like.

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Hair color: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Link to Government Source: MP91100 (right-click to open)

Unraveling the Mystery: Key Insights and Updates

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: March 9th, 2025

Has Russell Raymond Williams been found?

As of early March 2025, this individual has not been found. Furthermore, there is very little coverage of his case. Finding information on the company he worked for, Reed Lumber Company, was also difficult. I'm sure most people who look at this case will have questions regarding the phone call and the location of his vehicle at the airport.

The Phone Call: A Critical Clue or Red Herring?

The phone call that prompted Williams’ departure stands as the last known interaction before his disappearance. Questions should arise: was the call pertaining to a business matter, a personal emergency, or a deliberate lure? 

Unfortunately, in 1972, tracing calls was rudimentary, and no accessible records detail who called or what was said. Coworkers’ accounts—if preserved—could hold the key, yet their absence from the narrative suggests early investigative limits. This ambiguity invites speculation: could it have been someone he knew, or a staged event to justify his exit?

The Logan Airport Connection: Mislead or Genuine Lead?

Often when a missing person's car is left at the airport, it does not mean that they took a flight. In some cases, all it means is that the missing person was a target of foul play. Then whoever committed the crime against the MP, decided to mislead investigators by leaving the MP's car at the airport.

This is a case that will require some kind of opening up, maybe from a surviving family member. At present, few details are available.

Kimberly Jane Britts: Car Found on Highway, Woman Missing Since April 6, 1985

Missing Person: Kimberly Jane Britts

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): Her unattended vehicle was located on Interstate 64 eastbound ramp at Route 616 in Albemarle County. Signs of red stains in the vehicle and Britts has never been located. Britt was temporarily living at a farm in Goochland County (central coordinates for the county: 37.6806° N, 77.8853° W).

Last contact: April 6th, 1985 (Saturday)
Last location: Charlottesville, Virginia, according to NamUs. If the location of her car is to be taken as her last known location, then it would be at Route 616 and Interstate 64. Route 616 is also known as Black Cat Road on modern Google Maps..
Age when Kimberly Jane Britts disappeared: 21
DOB: Between April 7th, 1963 and April 6th, 1964
Sex: Female
Height in inches: 62
Weight in pounds (lbs): 103
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Hair color: Brown, shoulder length, straight, and combed back
Eye Color: Brown
Scar or distinctive characteristic: Round dime-size circular scar on the middle of the forehead; additional scar
Car: Maroon and red Honda Civic Hatchback with plate FBY426

This is not the actual car. It's an AI generated image based on vehicle descriptions.

Link to Government Source: MP11604 (right-click to open)

BMI means body mass index. It is meant to describe someone's healthy body weight relative to the individual's height. It is only food for thought because it does not account for all body types. Kimberly Jane Britts had a BMI of 18.84. She was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance.

Clothing and Accessories:

At the time of her disappearance on April 6th, 1985, Kimberly Jane Britts was believed to be wearing a pullover shirt, blue jeans, a gold and diamond wedding ring set, and a gold chain necklace. She was also carrying a burgundy Aigner purse featuring a handle and a zipper. According to the reports for her, this purse went missing.

Source: The Charley Project.

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: March 10th, 2025

Has Kimberly Jane Britts been found?

At the time of writing, Kimberly Jane Britts was still missing. Furthermore, there is not much online in terms of recent news. The online hits for her are the usual suspects: Charley Project, Facebook posts, Wiki pages, and niche websites.

What stood out with this case is that her car was found, her purse was missing, and there was blood in the car. When last seen, she had said she was leaving for a short time with plans to return. She left in her vehicle but has never been seen again.

Good Samaritan's Ruse: What's Happened to Female Motorists Before

The location of the vehicle is interesting. If it had been found at a mall, store, or airport, then different speculation or conjecture would result. In these scenarios, she's more likely to have been abducted at a place of business or while using the public sidewalk.

But the vehicle was found on the side of the highway and therein lies a bit of a mystery. How do you abduct someone from a moving vehicle?

Abductors in other cases have done it with a ruse. They alert the driver of the vehicle to a false alarm, encourage her to pull over, and then commit their crime at that point.

The scene involving Kathleen Johns in the film Zodiac depicts a Good Samaritan's Ruse. A mysterious man honks at a female motorist, she pulls over believing there's an emergency, he makes a false claim about the state of her vehicle, he then sabotages her vehicle while claiming to help her, and then he offers the woman a ride. When she accepts, she is then in his custody.



I think a lot of times when a missing woman's vehicle is found roadside or especially highwayside, some kind of Good Samaritan's Ruse has played out. There are other scenarios, like the vehicle being ditched there or simply something else happening. But I've covered the ruse at other blog posts on this site, which the reader can review.

Further reading: Women With Car Troubles Go Missing

If your car is operating perfectly fine from your perspective, then don't take the word of a stranger who shows up claiming the opposite. I guess it would only be natural to inspect the vehicle at some point, but I would get to a visible spot.

Kimberly Jane Britts: A Deeper Dive

The Connecticut River Valley Killer (CRVK) stands out as an intriguing figure to Kimberly Jane Britts’ disappearance on April 6th, 1985, due to his confirmed activity during that precise time frame and his habit of targeting women on highways.

This unidentified serial killer, linked to at least seven murders between 1978 and 1988, was active around Britts’ vanishing, with murders of Bernice Courtemanche on May 30, 1984, in Claremont, New Hampshire, and Eva Marie Morse on July 10, 1985, in Charlestown, New Hampshire (New Hampshire DOJ, ongoing updates). These killings, 13 months apart, frame April 1985, suggesting he was operational when Britts vanished (Wikipedia, last updated 2023).

By Murder, She Told - https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/jane-boroski, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133649378

Connecticut River Valley Killer: A Highway Predator Linked to Britts?

Primarily known for crimes in New Hampshire and Vermont—400–500 miles north of Virginia—the CRVK’s whereabouts are untracked during gaps between his suspected murders. The stretch between Courtemanche’s disappearance in Claremont and Morse’s in Charlestown leaves his location unknown for 13 months, a window where travel to Virginia isn’t impossible. Serial killers like Ted Bundy roamed widely, and the CRVK’s anonymity means a southern detour in 1985 can’t be ruled out, despite his northern base.

Online, the association between the CRVK and Britts’ case is rare but not absent. While major platforms like Websleuths and Reddit focus heavily on the CRVK’s New England victims, a few users on Reddit’s r/UnresolvedMysteries have speculated about broader connections, including Virginia cases, though Britts’ name isn’t explicitly tied to him often.

The Charley Project and NamUs detail Britts’ disappearance without mentioning the CRVK, and no recent news links them directly. However, the highway context and timing have sparked occasional armchair detective theories, though these lack evidence and remain niche discussions.

His method heightens his relevance: he attacked women on highways, often with brutal stabbings. Courtemanche and Morse were hitchhikers, nabbed along Route 12, but his scope widened. Jane Boroski survived a 1988 stabbing at a rest stop, and Barbara Agnew, a motorist, was killed near a highway on January 10, 1987. Britts’ car, abandoned on I-64 at Route 616, fits this pattern—a lone woman, possibly ambushed.

The red stains in Britts’ vehicle, presumed blood, align with the CRVK’s MO. Courtemanche and Morse were stabbed to death, their remains found near Claremont and Unity, New Hampshire, with frenzied knife attacks. Stabbing fits better than bludgeoning. Though his range is distant, his active period, highway focus, and style—active between May 30, 1984, and July 10, 1985—make him a fascinating candidate in Britts’ unsolved case.

Christi Jo Nichols: Vanished December 10, 1987 - Unsolved Mysteries Case Still Haunts Nebraska

Missing Person: Christi Jo Nichols

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased):

Nichols, a mother of two small children, was last seen alive on December 10th, 1987, at her home in Gothenburg. Her husband reported her missing the next day, and she has never been seen since. 

The Nebraska State Patrol investigated the case and the family hired a private detective to no avail. 

Although authorities suspect Christi Jo Nichols is dead, her body never has been found. At first, police handled the disappearance as a missing persons case, but as time progressed, it evolved into suspicion of murder. An investigation revealed traces of Christi's blood in the couple's house and in the husband's car. Recent DNA tests have proved that the blood found was indeed Christi's.

Her suitcase, along with her purse, was found at a rest stop near Maxwell in 1988. Christi was in an abusive relationship and had been treated in an emergency room for injuries weeks before she disappeared. She was planning to leave her husband at the time of her disappearance.

Last contact: December 10th, 1987

Last location: Gothenburg, Nebraska

Age when Christi Jo Nichols disappeared: 22

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 69

Weight in pounds (lbs): 120

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Hair color: Brown

Eye Color: Green

Scar or distinctive characteristic: Scar left eye; scar on abdomen; and pierced ears.

Link to Government Source: MP4677 (right-click to open)

Websleuths discussion page: Christi Jo Nichols (right-click to open)

BMI means body mass index. It is meant to describe someone's healthy body weight relative to the individual's height. It is only food for thought because it does not account for all body types. Christi Jo Nichols had a BMI of 17.72. She was underweight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance.

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: March 10th, 2025

I covered this case some years ago in relation to an old episode of Unsolved Mysteries. Readers can find what I wrote at the following link: Christi Jo Nichols.

There was some news coverage with this case back in 2020. The Gothenburg Leader's Ellen Mortensen published an article on Christi's disappearance on January 16th, 2020 with updates the next month. The following bullet points summarize the news article.

• On December 10th, 1987, Christi Jo Nichols went out with her husband, Mark Nichols; she has not been seen since; the children were left with a babysitter, who did not see or hear Christi when Mark returned
• The next day, Mark gave conflicting stories about Christi’s whereabouts before filing a missing person report.
• Spousal Abuse Allegations: Reports surfaced that Christi was treated for injuries from a fight with Mark, 10 days before disappearing and had consulted a divorce attorney two days prior, suggesting domestic tension.
• Mark’s Claims: Mark insisted Christi left voluntarily, citing a missing suitcase (later found matching his exact description at a rest stop) and suggesting she ran off with another man, though evidence for this is thin.
• Family and Community Impact: Christi’s family—parents, siblings, and children Lindsey and Preston—have lived without closure, while her disappearance remains a haunting memory in Gothenburg, driving ongoing efforts for answers.
• Media and Public Role: The case gained attention through an Unsolved Mysteries episode, which I reviewed in another article.
• Status back in 2020: Despite extensive searches and occasional leads, the case remains open but unsolved.

Brian Douglas Adrain -- Missing Since February 5th, 1991

Missing Person: Brian Douglas Adrain

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): On February 5th, 1991, Brian Adrain was seen for the last time. Brian’s abandoned vehicle was found west of Millarville, also known as McLean Creek, in the Kananaskis area in Alberta.

Last contact: February 5th, 1991 (Tuesday)

Last location: Kananaskis, Alberta, west of Millarville or McLean Creek

Age when Brian Douglas Adrain disappeared: 37

Sex: Male

Height in inches: 69

Weight in pounds (lbs): 146

Ethnicity: White/Caucasian

Hair color: Brown and long

Eye Color: Green

Scar or distinctive characteristic:

Link to Government Source (Canada's Missing): 2014003507 (right click to open)

Online discussion page: Brian Douglas Adrain (right-click to open)

BMI means body mass index. It is meant to describe someone's healthy body weight relative to the individual's height. It is only food for thought because it does not account for all body types.

BMI means body mass index. It is meant to describe someone's healthy body weight relative to the individual's height. It is only food for thought because it does not account for all body types. He was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance.

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: February 11th, 2025

Has Brian Douglas Adrain been found?

As of the original time of writing, Brian Adrain has not been found. One source indicated that he went missing while hiking.

The McLean Creek area is at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary. You would expect dangerous hiking conditions with a lot of snowfall at that time of year in the region. Presumptively, I think this is a hiking accident. Secondly, you would wonder if there was an animal attack.

Gloria Jean Abotossaway -- Missing Since February 14th, 1992 After a Murder at Her Apartment

Missing Person: Gloria Jean Abotossaway

Nickname: Marty

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): On February 14th, 1992, Gloria Abotossaway was last seen by a family member on Shuter Street in Toronto, Ontario.

Last contact: February 14th, 1992 (Friday, Valentine's Day)

DOB: October 7th, 1963

Last location: Toronto, Ontario on Shuter Street

Age when Gloria Jean Abotossaway disappeared: 28

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 62

Weight in pounds (lbs): 130

BMI: Gloria Jean Abotossaway had a BMI of 23.77. She was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance.

Ethnicity: Aboriginal/Indigenous

Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women: Click the tag "missing and murdered aboriginal women" to see all the cases that are profiled at this site

Hair color: Brown and long

Eye Color: Brown

Scar or distinctive characteristic: Nothing found

Link to Government Source (Canada's Missing): 2014005078 (right click to open)

Websleuths discussion page: Gloria Jean Abotossaway (right click to open)

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Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: February 11th, 2025

At the original time of writing, full research on this case is pending. However, I wanted to get some bullet points onto the website regarding this case. I found some useful information on the Websleuths page for this missing person (her page is hyperlinked above).

The Websleuths page itself hyperlinks back to Canada's Missing, the RCMP's website for Canada's missing people. However, it's not clear where the Websleuths user got the info (web pages change all the time). It did state the following pointers:

• She lived at 90 Shuter Street.
• The MP said she was going to Moss Park with her boyfriend, someone named Lenny.
• They were going to meet someone named Bob Russo.
• Gloria Abotossaway took her birth certificate and a status card with her (a status card is a card that some Indigenous people in Canada have; it is government identification that pertains to The Indian Act); She was a member of the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nations, otherwise known as Sucker Creek First Nations in Little Current, Manitoulin Island.
• The missing person had previous disappearances that were presumptively voluntary and short-term.
• There was a murder in her apartment the night she disappeared. The victim was David Marlatt.
• There was a statement saying that Gloria was not considered to be involved in anything suspicious, despite the murder of someone in her apartment.

Her address at 90 Shuter Street is visible in Google Maps going back to September 2007. You can visit this page to see the building and what it looked like at that time.

It's said she was going to Moss Park, which would be a very short walk from her address. This was known as a rough area in 1992, with drug transactions and dangerous people.

She did go missing on Valentine's Day and the MP was with her boyfriend. This wasn't someone that anyone in her circles knew well as he has not been identified (only as "Lenny").

Can't Look Further Than The Murder in Her Apartment

I think the elephant in the room with this case was that there was a murder in her apartment the night of her disappearance. She clearly wasn't having a standard day.

I think anyone thinking about this case should wonder what it means exactly to go missing on the same day that there is a murder in your apartment of another individual, a murder that the police did not think you committed.

The murdered man was named David Marlatt. I did some research, I think I found the murderer, but I don't want to name him in print. I do feel safe in saying that Gloria Jean Abotossaway kept some dangerous associations.

Did she see too much? More research is necessary on this case.

My inclination is that someone had a motive to disappear her. However, the kind of person who has a murder take place in their apartment is someone more likely to have dangerous associations.

Furthermore, in news sources, it is stated that she has not filed taxes since at least the year 2000. If she filed in that year, then it would mean she survived her disappearance date by several years.

Are we dealing with two dates in this case? One in 1992 and then another around 2000? Tax returns were signed back then, so would that be proof she survived the timeframe after the murder in her apartment?

Yet, her family has not seen her since the night of the murder in 1992. She is missing from them in that sense, but it seems like she has a paper trail extending to the year 2000.

The last thing I want to say at this time is that "Lenny" and "Bob Russo," whoever they are, could have many name variations. Lenny could be all of Leo, Leonard, Leonardo, and perhaps more. Meanwhile, Bob could be Bobby, Robert, Rob, Robbie, Robby, and perhaps more as well. Anyone researching this case should be aware of all the different spellings.

I also wondered if Russo was the spelling of the name or just how it sounded. If it is just the way the name sounded, then it brings "Rousseau" into play.

Hiromi Kazuni -- Missing From Fort Myers, Florida since July 10th, 1986

Missing Person: Hiromi Kazuni (went by Rachel as an English name)

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): Hiromi was last seen selling puppets for the Unification Church on Fort Myers Beach. The last person to see her was at Dino's Restaurant at 6 pm.

Last contact: July 10th, 1986 (Thursday); one source said she disappeared on July 11th

Last location: Fort Myers, Florida at Dino's Restaurant which was near 11500 San Carlos Boulevard. Generally, said to be missing from the Fort Myers Beach area. On the night she disappeared she was also around a business called Dodge's Gas and Convenience Store at Summerwinds Court and San Carlos Boulevard (26.501128, -81.943422)

The best address that I could find for Dino's Restaurant, of which the parking lot is considered to be her last known location, was the address of a business that claimed it was right beside Dino's Restaurant. Please see the classified advertisement below. This would only be about a 1.1 miles from Summerwinds Court and San Carlos Boulevard.

Jan. 5th, 1984. News-Press.

Age when Hiromi Kazuni disappeared: 25

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 64; called 68 inches in a media article

Weight in pounds (lbs): ~113 at NamUs; but called 140 pounds in a media article

Ethnicity: Asian/Japanese

Hair color: Short and black

Eye Color: Black

Scar or distinctive characteristic: None.

Link to government source: https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/4931?nav

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert

Has Hiromi Kazuni been found?

Hiromi Kazuni's missing person case did not receive a lot of attention. But one thing I noticed while researching this case was that the weights and heights were off between media coverage and NamUs. It's not clear which one to go with but the media reported her as 5'8' and 140 pounds while NamUs has her four inches shorter and some 25-30 pounds lighter. The two bodies would look very different and might lead to very different estimates if she is a Jane Doe somewhere.

July 16th, 1986. News-press.

• The puppets she was selling were Garfield puppets.
• She also had a large bag.
• Her pink blouse was described as bright pink.
• She may have been going door-to-door.
• That she might have left the church voluntarily was suggested in early journalism but later foul play was suspected.
• Dino's Restaurant was closed for the summer (ie. she was not a customer there).

News-Press. February 17th, 1988.

• In some ways, this sounded like a parking lot abduction more than anything as she seemed to be last seen in one. However, the church that she was a member of has been described as a cult. I wondered if her "predetermined route" made her fairly easy pickings for someone who knew she would be walking across a parking lot of a closed restaurant at a given time. Who predetermined her route is a good question in this case, I think.

Joan Gay Croft Mystery - What Happened After the Unsolved Mysteries Episode?

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: July 27th, 2023

The mystery of Joan Gay Croft is an enduring mystery in missing persons cases. An episode of Unsolved Mysteries (Robert Stack hosting) covered the events surrounding her disappearance. The episode is in Season 6, Episode 1. The following is a summary of the events as told in the episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

Tornado damage.
By City of Woodward, Oklahoma - https://www.weather.gov/oun/events-19470409 (Exact URL & Archived URL), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=134069705

The Disappearance of Joan Gay Croft, According to Unsolved Mysteries

• A strong tornado struck the town of Woodard, Oklahoma in April 1947, killing scores of people in addition to widespread property damage (read about it at Wikipedia);
• One family, the Crofts, loses its mother, the father is badly injured, and the two daughters require hospitalization;
• Joan Gay Croft goes missing while in the hospital when two men in military khakis reportedly make off with her;
• She has not been seen since;
• The embedded video below should be started at the 31:30 mark.

What Happened After the Unsolved Mysteries Episode?

If you are reading this, then you are probably wondering what happened with this case after the Unsolved Mysteries episode? Well, as of July 27th, 2023, Joan Croft still has an active profile at NamUs, meaning she is still missing.

This is a case that I covered independently of the Unsolved Mysteries episode. I wrote about this case in 2020 and watched the television show more recently. I think the points I made in the 2020 article are still relevant for anyone interested in this case.

The Unsolved Mysteries episode does not depict Joan Gay Croft's injuries in the same light as the newspaper coverage from 1947 did. The episode says that Croft had a splinter that was finger-sized in her leg. The journalism at the time says the splinter was broom-handle-sized.

Furthermore, her injuries, according to her Namus profile, were not treated. At least, that's what I wrote in 2020 after reading her profile. As of July 27th, 2023, her profile states the following: "left calf - splinter wound from tornado (not removed prior to abduction)."

If the splinter was, in fact, broom-handle sized then who knows what kind of infection could result from having that untreated throughout a couple of days. Furthermore, there must have been significant blood loss.

April 20th, 1947. Blackwell-Journal Tribune.

Also, the Unsolved Mysteries episode presents her as a fairly well-groomed child huddled in the hospital basement with her sister. The journalism that covered her disappearance back in 1947 said that she had "severe facial abrasions and a possible head injury." She certainly was not in good shape.

FBI Not Interested in the Case So TV Show Likely Sensational

Another important point from the 1947 journalism, is that the FBI didn't investigate the case. They didn't have convincing enough proof that an abduction had taken place. Apparently, all the people who spoke in the Unsolved Mysteries episode were credible enough for the show but not for more serious matters.

The journalism at the time supports the notion that she died amidst the confusion and may have been buried under an incorrect name. I recommend that readers visit my article on this case but be sure to read the newspaper clippings that are embedded as well. This 'unsolved mystery' about two men in khakis will seem far less mysterious after that.

Unsolved Mysteries isn’t a great show when it comes to dealing with facts. In this case, I think that they were trying to captivate more than report.

Unsolved Mysteries Episode: Fake News From the 1980s

In fact, in the very same episode as the one that featured Joan Croft's case, they started with a tall tale of a man who had a fear of water. Turns out, as presented in the show, that it was because -- get this -- he was the reincarnation of a submarine sailor who drowned in WWII.

The television series dabbled in all kinds of nonsense. It's clear to anyone who is logical and reasonable that some people were willing to say whatever they needed to appear on the show. It's also clear that the show was willing to indulge such people and present them in a credible light to captivate the viewing audience.

I'm not saying that journalism can't behave similarly. Then, the question is why didn't they?

For those looking at this mystery, the journalism from 1947 is more reasonable than the fanciful Unsolved Mysteries episode.

Conclusion: In my opinion, Joan Gay Croft is probably in the local graveyard as supported by the 1947 journalism.

Christine Marianne Harron - Missing in Hanover, Ontario Since 1993

Paraphrased details from government source**: On the morning of May 18th, 1993, Christine Harron stayed home from school as she was not feeling well. Around lunchtime, Christine and her mother argued about Christine returning to school for the afternoon. Her mother heard Christine leave the house at about 1:30 pm. Christine did not attend school that afternoon and has not been seen since. The investigation revealed that Christine left the house without her purse, money, or knapsack. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest and conviction of a male regarding the disappearance of Christine Harron, however, she remains missing.

Missing Person: Christine Marianne Harron

Last-contact date: May 18th, 1993 (Tuesday)
The area where the MP was last seen: Hanover, Ontario; it sounded like she disappeared between her residence and John Diefenbaker High School.
Link to government source: Canada's Missing 2010001799

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: White or Caucasian
Sex: Female
Age at time of disappearance: 15 years old
Birthdate: Christine Marianne Harron was born between May 19th, 1977, and May 18th, 1978 based on her reported age at the last date of reported contact.
Hair: Brown, long
Eyes: Blue
Scar: None known
Height/weight: 5'3" and 110 pounds
BMI*: Christine Marianne Harron was in the normal range for BMI.
Tattoos: Christine Marianne Harron had no tattoos associated with her profile.

Christine Marianne Harron was last heard from on May 18th, 1993 when she was 15 years of age. This individual has now been missing for about 32 years as of early 2025. However, her disappearance is not as clouded in mystery as many other disappearances.

A man named Anthony Edward Ringel pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Harron's case. According to a National Post article from October 2016, he abducted, raped, and murdered the teenage girl before leaving her dead near the Saugeen River. When this river flooded in what I think was 1994 (as communicated by the NP article), the resulting currents and water flow may have moved her body.

Taking everything at face value, this isn't a case that amateurs will be able to help with much. People who go missing in water are often missing until a chance event of a geological nature or even real-estate developmental reveals them. Missing people in flooded areas are often buried underneath a lot of sediment. 

I would say that amateurs probably will not find a clue in this case. However, a news report in the area of human remains being found in association with the Saugeen River or even Lake Huron would be interesting. That said, people who are absolutely known to have fallen into a river often stay missing for decades and decades.

Christine's clothing could be cross-referenced against any Jane Does in the area. She may have had the following articles when she disappeared: a light-blue denim jacket, blue denim pants, black running shoes, and plastic glasses that were brown and had tape.

One interesting takeaway from this case is that the teen disappeared after an argument with her mother. Perhaps, that fueled the idea that Christine had been a runaway. But based on the conviction, it's clear that she met up with a clandestine individual.

There were many alleged sightings of Christine, all of which would be false if the words of Ringel were to be trusted. Given that he received a lengthy sentence for his admissions, it doesn't make sense that he's lying. But that many people reported seeing her even though she is conclusively dead is a point that can be taken away from this case. Unfortunately, sightings of missing people can be pretty frivolous. 

That does bring to mind a lot of cases involving missing people, like Paula Jean Welden. Sightings of missing people that are ambiguous should be taken with a big grain of salt in my view, but never discounted.

Thank you for reading. If have any information about this case, consider contacting the authorities.

Author: Shane Lambert (Vancouver, Canada)

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Shane Lambert (Vancouver, Canada) is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of April 2021.

If you like this blog, then you can join the affiliated Facebook group: MPC Facebook Group

Website hashtag: #MPCSL

*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight.
**Might not be the exact meaning that NamUs or Canada's Missing conveys. I improve upon their descriptions with my research.
Disclaimer: Non-opinionated information at this site generally comes from government sources or police reports. Other sources may be used.

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Rahway County Jane Doe (Attempt to Match) - Was Her Name Annie Primroe?

By: Shane Lambert

Original Time of Writing: December 19th, 2021

I researched the case of the Rahway County Jane Doe almost five years ago, as of the original time of writing this article. If you are not familiar with the case, then, in a nutshell, in March 1887, a woman was found murdered in the town of Rahway, New Jersey. The details of her case became a bit of a media circus. Perhaps this is just like more modern murder mysteries, like the case of JonBenet Ramsey.

The Rahway County Jane Doe was thought to have been a passenger who had recently alighted a train before being murdered. That she was supposed to be a traveler made the case difficult to solve back in the late 1800s because it suggested that the woman was not a local. Accordingly, missing persons from anywhere in the world were -- and still are -- actually in play with this case.

Searching the Classifieds to Research the Case

Back in February 2017, I attempted to find a classified advertisement where someone was looking for a missing woman who was last seen in 1887. It used to be that if you lost touch with someone, then you might take to the newspaper classifieds to find the person.

Newspaper classifieds have been featured in other missing person cases that I have worked on. The case of Beverly Sharpman, last seen in Philadelphia, comes to mind as does the case of The Lady in the Well who was discovered in Saskatoon in modern times but thought to have been dead since the 1920s.

When I originally looked for someone back in early 2017 who might have been searching for the Rahway County Jane Doe, I failed in that effort. It could have been that the exact newspaper I needed was not in the databases I used at the time. I made a second attempt in December 2021, one that was successful in finding a lead that I can only call tenuous at this time.

Please read the classified advertisement below, which appeared in a Buffalo-area publication in 1902.

20 Jun 1902, Fri Buffalo Evening News (Buffalo, New York) Newspapers.com

Could Annie Primroe be the Rahway County Jane Doe?

Is Annie Primroe the Rahway County Jane Doe? This is something I want to prove or disprove.

Firstly, the year of disappearance matches up to the year that the Rahway County Jane Doe was murdered. The person who placed the classified advertisement, one "J.J.T.", says Annie had been "missing since 1887."

Secondly, there is a question as to whether Annie Primroe may have changed locations: in the final statement, J.J.T. seems to acknowledge that Annie may no longer be in the Buffalo area, the city where this classified advertisement was placed.

Furthermore, I do know that the train line that served Rahway, New Jersey, served New York state. I read a story in The Morning Call newspaper from February 26th, 1886, that attested to this (Page 8). The first clues, in this case, are very tenuous, but there's nothing to contradict a match between Annie Primroe and the Rahway County Jane Doe.

To better understand the potential connection, the following table cross-references key details between Annie Primroe and the Rahway County Jane Doe:

Attribute	Annie Primroe	Rahway County Jane Doe	Notes/Observations
Year of Disappearance	Missing since 1887 (per 1902 classified ad by J.J.T.)	Murdered in March 1887	Timelines match exactly, supporting a potential connection.
Location Connection	From Buffalo, New York; last known location per ad.	Found in Rahway, New Jersey; believed to be a traveler, possibly via train.	Train lines connected Buffalo and Rahway in 1887, making travel between them plausible.
Marital Status	Likely unmarried in 1887 (ad suggests her name might have changed later, possibly due to marriage).	Presumed unmarried; autopsy indicated she was a virgin, ruling out prostitution.	Both appear to be unmarried in 1887, a point of corroboration.
Travel Context	J.J.T. acknowledges Annie may have left Buffalo, suggesting she traveled.	Believed to have alighted a train shortly before her murder.	Both cases involve potential travel, aligning with the transient nature of the Jane Doe.

The family tree information can't be discounted. Annie is the cousin of J.J.T., she is the sister of Hattie Lesher, and, very importantly, Primroe appears to be a maiden name. This is actually a small clue that corroborates with the Rahway County Jane Doe.

J.J.T., in the classified advertisement, says "Her name was...Annie Primroe," in 1887, but the statement tacitly acknowledges that her name may have changed in the 15 years after that time. The most likely reason for a woman's name to change is through marriage. Thus, we can assume that Annie Primroe was not married at the time of her last contact with J.J.T. in 1887. The Rahway County Jane Doe, coincidentally enough, was actually thought to not be married.

On that matter, there was some discussion in a newspaper article I read that the Jane Doe, in some circles of gossip, was thought to have been a prostitute. However, during her post-mortem, I inferred they inspected her vagina and concluded that the Rahway County Jane Doe was a virgin. This discounted the notion that the Rahway County Jane Doe was a prostitute, and it strongly implies that she was not married. There seems to be some corroboration with Annie Primroe that is, admittedly, tenuous, but I felt intrigued enough to look at this lead deeper.

Research Angles and Challenges - Find a Record for Annie Primroe

For me, this is a work in progress that I invite others to look at. If you are interested in researching whether Annie Primroe might have been the Rahway County Jane Doe, then remember one important point: the primary goal is to try and disprove it. If you can't do that, then you can look at proving it.

One way to disprove that Annie Primroe was the Rahway County Jane Doe is to find her death record that proves she lived past 1887. She can't be declared dead in absentia or anything like that: in fact, dead in absentia might mean she was the Jane Doe. However, if you can prove that Annie Primroe lived past 1887, then it would mean she wasn't the Rahway County Jane Doe.

I have done some introductory work on this subject with Ancestry records. However, the name Primroe is not very common. I've wondered if it is meant to be "Primrose," however, as soon as you start working on angles like that, you are often going on futile tangents.

But finding Annie Primroe in Ancestry would be a great first step. The challenge is that her first name is the kind that has a lot of derivations, like Anne, Ann, or Anna. If you find someone who might be her, then keep in mind the family tree connections in trying to identify her. She has a sister named Hattie Lesher, with Lesher probably being a married name. "Hattie" can stand alone or it can mean Henrietta or Harriette. Hattie Lesher should be dead by June 18th, 1902. Also, Annie should have a cousin with the initials "J.J.T" who should be alive as of June 18th, 1902.

Any connections to Buffalo and Rahway County, New Jersey, would be very interesting, of course. If you build off of this article, please just be sure to properly cite me and link back.

Summary: Annie Primroe vs Rahway County Jane Doe

• Annie Primroe went missing 1887, the year that the Rahway County Jane Doe was found deceased.
• Primroe was from Buffalo, which has train connections to Rahway
• Primroe was not married and the Rahway County Jane Doe was not married, presumptively, because she was a virgin