10 Oldest Missing Persons Cases Uploaded to NamUs in March 2025

10 Oldest Missing Persons Cases on NamUs in March 2025: A Closer Look

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: March 31st, 2025

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) added or updated about 450 missing persons cases between March 1, 2025, and March 31, 2025.

Below is a table featuring the 10 oldest cases from this period, sorted by "Date of Last Contact" (DLC).

These cases, ranging from 1970 to 2009, represent some of the longest-standing mysteries recently brought into focus by NamUs, drawn from various locations across the United States. As of March 31st, 2025, the Gene Stees case is the only one I've been able to look at on this site. He is missing as a fugitive from justice.

The Oldest Cases Uploaded to NamUs in March 2025

NamUs Case #	Name	Gender	Race/Ethnicity	Date of Last Contact	Missing From	Missing Age	Date Modified
#MP139693	Gene Stees	Male	White / Caucasian	February 21, 1970	Columbus, OH	38 Years	March 21, 2025
#MP140536	Daniel Weaver	Male	White / Caucasian	January 18, 1983	Waco, TX	20 Years	March 31, 2025
#MP139619	Wanda Phillips	Female	Black / African American	April 12, 1991	Tulsa, OK	20 Years	March 23, 2025
#MP139701	Philip Kramer	Male	White / Caucasian	February 12, 1995	Thousand Oaks, CA	42 Years	March 06, 2025
#MP139729	Marcus Hunter	Male	Black / African American	May 08, 1999	Auburn, AL	19 Years	March 06, 2025
#MP140783	Torey Newlin	Male	Multiple	February 16, 2002	Lahaina, HI	23 Years	March 25, 2025
#MP140784	Roger Brittain	Male	White / Caucasian	May 21, 2004	Lahaina, HI	34 Years	March 25, 2025
#MP140377	Rosa Pacheco-Monroy	Female	Hispanic / Latino	July 23, 2006	Panama City, FL	15 Years	March 20, 2025
#MP140379	Monica Cordoza	Female	Hispanic / Latino	September 17, 2006	Panama City, FL	14 Years	March 21, 2025
#MP139644	Cristina Hernandez-Abarco	Female	Hispanic / Latino	January 16, 2009	Wilmington, DE	21 Years	March 06, 2025

These cold cases, some over 50 years old, reflect a variety of demographics—ages 14 to 42, and ethnicities including White/Caucasian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Multiple.

There are locations across eight states. Clusters in Lahaina, HI (2 cases) and Panama City, FL (2 cases) stand out, potentially indicating priorities within certain offices in the last month. All cases were modified in March 2025, between March 06 and March 31, suggesting renewed efforts to resolve these decades-old mysteries.

Comparing Philip Kramer’s Wikipedia and NamUs Profiles

The Philip Kramer listed in NamUs (#MP139701) and the Philip Taylor Kramer on Wikipedia share striking similarities, suggesting they are the same person. Below is a table comparing key details from both sources:

Detail	Wikipedia	NamUs
Full Name	Philip Taylor Kramer	Philip Taylor Kramer
Date of Last Contact	February 12, 1995	February 12, 1995
Location	Los Angeles County/Ventura County, CA	Thousand Oaks, CA (Ventura County)
Age at Disappearance	42	42
Physical Description	Not specified (tall, athletic implied)	6’5”, 215 lbs, brown hair, blue eyes
Circumstances	Drove to LAX to pick up a business associate; made calls, including a suicidal 911 call mentioning O.J. Simpson	Last seen at Los Robles Hospital, heading to LAX to pick up friends; under stress, not sleeping
Resolution	Remains found May 29, 1999, in Decker Canyon; probable suicide	Listed as missing (no resolution noted)

The overlap in name, date, location, age, and circumstances (LAX trip, stress) is too precise to suggest two different people. The main discrepancy—NamUs’s lack of resolution—points to an error, as Wikipedia confirms the case was closed in 1999.

Philip Kramer's Inclusion Likely An Error

The Philip Kramer listed in NamUs (#MP139701) matches the well-documented Philip Taylor Kramer, Iron Butterfly bassist, who vanished on February 12, 1995, from Thousand Oaks, CA. Both profiles share the same full name (Philip Taylor Kramer), disappearance date, location, age (42), and circumstances—visiting Los Robles Hospital, heading to LAX, under stress.

Wikipedia confirms his remains were found in May 1999 in Decker Canyon, ruled a probable suicide, resolving the case. A July 25, 1999, Standard Speaker newspaper clipping further corroborates this, reporting that Kramer, a 42-year-old Iron Butterfly member, was found dead in a smashed van in a California ravine, four years after vanishing in 1995.

NamUs’s physical details (6’5”, 215 lbs, brown hair, blue eyes) align with Kramer’s known profile, though Wikipedia lacks exact stats. Yet, NamUs lists him as missing in 2025, an apparent error. NamUs isn’t immune to mistakes—reports like NPR’s March 10, 2025, piece highlight thousands of data inconsistencies. This case likely reflects a clerical glitch, perhaps from re-entering old records without verifying its 1999 closure. 

I couldn't find any news suggesting that the case was reopened. I will send an email to the relevant authorities and update this blog accordingly.

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.

The Average Missing Person Case According to AI: Insights from My Blog

The Following is NOT a True Case of a Missing Person. Rather, it is content generated mainly by Grok, xAI's artificial intelligence. I uploaded numerous cases from this site and asked Grok to produce an average case.

I did take some personal liberties in editing what it spat out. My own comments appear in hard brackets [like this]. Also, I inserted some sentences myself.

I would say that this sounds a bit humorous at times. But there is something to learn from it as well.

- Shane Lambert

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Disappearance of Alexis Z. Harper: Missing Since 1985 (FICTION)

On a quiet evening in the late summer of 1985, 18-year-old Alexis Z. Harper vanished without a trace, apparently into thin air [Yes, "without a trace" always is the phrase that gets used or "into thin air." Shane]

Alexis Z., a young woman standing about 5’4” tall and weighing around 115 pounds, had a slender build, long blonde-brown hair, and striking blue-brown eyes. [You know, blue-brown eyes. Shane] She was Caucasian. [Sorry, will try to do cases involving non-Caucasian males a little more often. Shane]

Known for a burn scar on her left arm and a small tattoo on her upper back, she was last seen in a small town on the west coast of either Canada or the USA—a vague location reflecting the scattered geography of her life. [Not sure where this came from. Usually, there is a fairly definite last sighting of her. Shane]

Born in the mid-1960s to a working-class family, Alexis Z. had recently moved out of her family home, seeking independence, and was working a part-time job, perhaps at a fast-food joint or diner, while navigating the challenges of young adulthood. [Okay, so people go missing as young adults because they are still naive about the world at a time when they have to go full steam ahead into it, I guess. Shane]

Details of Her Disappearance

That night in the summer of 1985, Alexis Z. was last spotted around 9:30 PM. The details are hazy: some say she was heading to a bus stop after dinner with friends, but possibly she was planning to hitchhike home. Others claim she was leaving her residence or a casual hangout at a bowling alley or restaurant.

They described her clothing from that night. But the inherent contradictions from numerous eyewitnesses only befuddled matters.

Some said, she had a beat-up sedan from the mid-1970s—maybe blue or tan. She had borrowed it from her family.

Others said perhaps she was on foot, relying on public transit or a ride from a stranger. When it came to light that her parents' vehicle was missing, this provided an investigation starting point.

Why didn't they mention this pertinent detail before? The public raised an eyebrow at the alcoholic father just as police began looking for the car. When the image of the vehicle appeared on TV, local philanthropists then posted posters in public.

Hesitant witnesses eventually came forward. They recalled seeing her with someone—a vague figure, possibly a man in his 20s or 30s, driving a sporty car like a Camaro—or maybe she was alone, stepping into the night to run an errand or escape a restless home life. [Ahhh the beauty of consistent eyewitnesses. Shane]

Weeks later, her car—or what might have been her car—turned up abandoned near a vineyard, about 10 miles from where she was last seen. The vehicle was a riddle: mud-splattered, with two or three flat tires, and personal items left inside for some reason. Wherever she went, she didn't need her wallet anymore.

Some speculated vandalism, others a "Good Samaritan’s Ruse"—a predator tampering with the car, alerting her to the problem but only to lure her into danger. Alternatively, she might have ditched it herself, packed her belongings, and hitched a ride that went wrong.

The police found no signs of a struggle, but foul play was suspected from the start. Her BMI of around 20 suggested a healthy yet slight frame, not someone who’d easily vanish unnoticed. Apparently, it was easier to make her disappear than the car she was driving.

Police budgets were sparse those days -- a sign of the times. Young people often got up and left entirely on their own account. So Alexis Z.’s disappearance stumped authorities.

At 18, she was caught between youth and independence—too old to be dismissed as a typical runaway, too young for her fate to fade quietly. Newspapers ran a few stories on her birthday and then on the same date every year that marked her disappearance's anniversary. Concerned citizens shook their heads over the demise of society.

The newspapers quoted her parents, who accepted that she was probably dead but still wanted closure. They asked for anyone to come forward or for the killer who must have taken her to clear his conscience.

But was it a random predator? Yes, it probably was because there were no known serial killers in the area. Or was it though? Yes, probably? But really? There were some stupid theories, like alien abduction.

As the years passed, many looked back at her case occasionally. Twenty years later, in hindsight, it was clear that there were in fact serial killers in her neighborhood.

In fact, one lived next door to her, but he kept silent when asked, which meant he would not be convicted until a scientist finally looked at the car with a microscope and found traces of his semen in the back seat. The serial killer then claimed the sex was consensual.

All along, someone she knew had known something. But she was tied to risky associations with street people and a quarrelsome boyfriend. The rumors had swirled: a hitchhiking mishap, a deliberate abduction, or just bad luck on a dark road. She was still missing because serial killers don't talk unless there is something in it for them.

So investigators searched nearby landfills, vineyards, and wooded areas, even tracking dogs along bus routes, but no body was found. Theories multiplied: some pointed to the car’s condition—flat tires and mud hinting at an off-road disposal—while others saw it as a red herring, the result of weeks of neglect or her own abandonment.

Hitchhiking, a dangerous habit she’d picked up, was another possibility, especially given her recent move and limited means. DNA wasn’t widely used then, and physical evidence was scarce. A Jane Doe found years later—small-statured, with long hair—briefly raised hopes, but the timeline didn’t align.

Decades passed. Alexis Z.’s case grew cold, filed away in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) or Canada’s Missing database with a case number and a fading photograph. Her family submitted DNA in the 2000s, hoping for a match, but none came.

The bowling alley closed, the serial killer died in prison after mocking authorities, the place where she was last seen became a memorial, and the world simply moved on. Everyone had their own problems, even if they wanted her to be found.

Yet, every so often, a blogger or websleuth would unearth her story, piecing together scraps from old newspapers: "Has Alexis Z. Harper been found?" the Internet searchers often typed in.

As of March 11th, 2025, the answer remains no. Alexis Z.’s story lingers in the shadows, a haunting echo of the thousands lost to time, their fates locked in silence.

Explore more missing person mysteries on my blog! Share this story with friends and join the discussion!

Read another intriguing case here!

Where Is Peggy Lynn Alt? Lost Since March 2, 1985

Missing Person: Peggy Lynn Alt

Image: The plaid coat Peggy Lynn Alt was last seen wearing on March 2, 1985.

Details from a Government Source

On March 2, 1985, Peggy L. Alt was last seen at her High Ridge, Missouri, residence. She was reported missing by her father on March 4, 1985—her 18th birthday. She has not been heard from since, with no contact with family. Foul play is suspected.

Last Seen Wearing: The jacket shown above.

Last Contact: March 2, 1985 (Saturday)
Last Location: Her residence, High Ridge, MO (Williams Creek Road)
Age at Disappearance: 17
DOB: March 4, 1967
Sex: Female
Height: 60 inches
Weight: 125 lbs
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Hair Color: Blond/strawberry
Eye Color: Brown
Distinctive Mark: Burn scar on left arm, near bicep
Government Source: MP9849
Discussion Page: Peggy Lynn Alt

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert
Written: March 8, 2025

Has Peggy Lynn Alt Been Found?

As of March 8, 2025, Peggy remains missing. Reported absent on her 18th birthday, her family likely noticed her absence that day. She vanished two days earlier, on a Saturday, which may not have initially raised alarm. In 2011, the case was reopened, including a search of a cistern near High Ridge, but no new leads emerged.

Sources on Her Disappearance

Per The Charley Project, Peggy packed her belongings and left voluntarily on March 2, 1985. Hitchhiking is a possible but risky travel method she may have used, especially in 1985 when the FBI noted numerous unsolved cases linked to transients on highways like I-44 and I-55, which connect High Ridge to neighboring states. Authorities showed little initial interest, halting the search after 11 days. A 2015 article in the Leader (Tracy Bruce, March 28, 2015) revisited her case.

Serial Killers Near High Ridge, MO in 1985: Relevance to Peggy Lynn Alt’s Disappearance

Organized by Serial Killer

Charles Ray Hatcher

Active Period: 1960s–1982

Primary Location: St. Joseph, MO; IL, CA (~300 miles from High Ridge, St. Joseph)

Victim Profile: Children, adults (varied)

Status in March 1985: Dead (since Dec 1984)

Relevance to Peggy’s Case: None – Dead in 1985. X

Lorenzo J. Gilyard

Active Period: 1977–1993

Primary Location: Kansas City, MO (~250 miles from High Ridge)

Victim Profile: Adult women (often prostitutes)

Status in March 1985: Active, not yet caught

Relevance to Peggy’s Case: Low – Far, profile mismatch. ?

Robert Berdella

Active Period: 1984–1987

Primary Location: Kansas City, MO (~250 miles from High Ridge)

Victim Profile: Young men (lured to home)

Status in March 1985: Active, not yet caught

Relevance to Peggy’s Case: None – Men targeted, far. X

Kenneth McDuff

Active Period: 1966; 1989–1992

Primary Location: Texas (~700 miles from High Ridge)

Victim Profile: Young women (varied methods)

Status in March 1985: Incarcerated (paroled Oct 1989)

Relevance to Peggy’s Case: None – In prison until 1989. X

Terry Blair

Active Period: 1982; 1990s–2004

Primary Location: Kansas City, MO (~250 miles from High Ridge)

Victim Profile: Women (known or prostitutes)

Status in March 1985: Incarcerated (released 1991)

Relevance to Peggy’s Case: None – In prison, no 1985 link. X

Ottis Toole

Active Period: 1960s–1983 (possibly later)

Primary Location: Multi-state (incl. AR, OK) (~150–300 miles from High Ridge, AR, OK)

Victim Profile: Varied (often hitchhikers)

Status in March 1985: Incarcerated in FL (~1,000 miles)

Relevance to Peggy’s Case: None – In prison, ruled out. X

In March 1985, when Peggy Lynn Alt disappeared from High Ridge, Missouri, one serial killer was actively operating in Missouri: Lorenzo J. Gilyard. Gilyard, known as the Kansas City Strangler, was in the midst of his 1977–1993 killing spree, targeting adult women—often prostitutes—in Kansas City, Missouri, approximately 250 miles from High Ridge.

Do you have information about Peggy Lynn Alt’s disappearance? If it is SOLID information, contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. If you have an idea to share, feel free to offer your thoughts in the comments below.

Madera County Jane Doe - #UP125443 Was Found September 24th, 1989

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: July 18th, 2024

Introduction to Madera County Jane Doe Case #UP125443

#UP125443 is a Jane Doe who was added to the NamUs system in July 2024. There is a big gap between the entry date and the date that this person was discovered. I did find some journalism coverage on the discovery of the body dating back to September 1989.

Jane Doe. Madera County Jane Doe.

Physical Description of the Jane Doe

There were not a lot of details available in the NamUs report. But this person was determined to be a female of an uncertain race. She was placed in the Adult Pre-40 category with journalism suggesting an age in her 20s.

She had a weight of 130 to 135 pounds and she was between 4'8" and 5'2". Using the upper estimates, she would be upper normal on a lot of BMI scales. She may have appeared slightly chubby in life if she was 5'2" and 135 pounds.

She had black hair that was called shoulder-length in journalism. NamUs says she had a condition called "Enamel hypoplasia," which is when enamel does not develop properly.

Location Where the Body Was Found

Location of her body: About 10 miles southwest of Madera in a vineyard. Avenue 6 and Road 23, about 50 feet from the paved road. 36.83692288193394, -120.12828210216904 are the approximate Google Maps coordinates. There are still a lot of vineyards in the area in modern times.

Discovery of the Remains

Who found the body: A crew of grape pickers.

Estimated Time of Death

Time of death: There is no post-mortal interval provided at NamUs but the journalism in September 1989 suggested that she had been at the location where she was found for 2-3 weeks. I felt like this information had to be taken lightly.

Clothing and Personal Items

Clothing: At the original time of writing, NamUs did not have any clothing entered. According to journalism, she was wearing a multibanded silver-colored ring with a cluster of silver-colored balls. The ring described in the clothing sounds like what one would call a cocktail ring.

Media Coverage of the Case

Her Jane Doe report appeared in The Fresno Bee on September 28th, 1989, which was four days after she was found. As described from that source, it appeared to be a body dump.

D.B. Cooper Mystery - YouTube Videos Recount Hijacking Details, Speculates on Identity

By: Shane Lambert

The 50th anniversary of the D.B. Cooper mystery came and went in November of 2021. One of the great "whodunit" mysteries from the last century is from a plane highjacking in 1971.

The FBI has yet to solve the mystery and they don't seem to be too active in cracking this case at this point, one that they closed in 2016. D.B. Cooper, as the individual who hijacked the plane was called, remains the only person to hijack an airplane in the United States of America and not get caught.

Presumed likeness to D.B. Cooper.

If you asked me, the sketch of D.B. Cooper looks a lot like a man who used to be on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list, a man known as Bradford Bishop. But besides likeness and similar ages, there's nothing else to go on, except that Bradford Bishop certainly had the nerve to commit a felony. 

Bradford Bishop. Still wanted by the FBI at the time of writing for five counts of first-degree murder.

Don't get too excited about the remote possibility of Bishop being Cooper. From what I read, Bishop was in Italy in 1971. Also, the case of D.B. Cooper reminds me of the case of Jack the Ripper in one way: that is, so many people have been named as potentially being the unknown criminals that it's hard to take any one of them seriously without something really convincing being laid out first.

A couple thoughts I've had on the D.B. Cooper case have to do with the point in space where Cooper jumped from the plane and the ransom money that was recovered. Regarding the jumping point, I wondered if it was hard to determine because the plane was relatively empty. I will elaborate on this.

Cooper was on a flight from Seattle to Reno when he jumped out of the back of the plane he highjacked. If you are flying from Seattle to Reno with a full load of passengers then you probably will get different flight times compared to flying with a plane-load of passengers because the weight of hundreds of passengers affects the weight of the plane.

I wonder if the plane that Cooper hijacked, which had only him and four crew members, flew a lot faster than a plane that would otherwise have had full occupancy. It only stands to reason that it would and I wondered if this made the point where he jumped harder to pinpoint since flight times along the same route might not have been trustworthy for measuring times.

Cooper Lost Some of His Ransom Money: Proves He Was Under Major Duress

Also, I don't think that Cooper would have parted with his ransom money without one hell of a fight. That he lost $5880, arguably during his fall, could be taken to mean that he was in great duress while he attempted to negotiate a safe parachuting landing, He was up against gravity, the darkness of night, the uncertainty of the elements, and the terrain of his uncertain landing spot.

With 50 years now gone since that night when he highjacked the plane, perhaps this is a crime that will become more for the historian than someone interested in justice. If he survived the fall, he could easily be dead from old age now. 

The Infographics Show did an episode on DB Cooper on September 4th, 2022. Their top suspect is Richard McCoy (Jr.). 

There's another pretty good half-hour upload on Youtube that deals with this mystery embedded below. I watched it tonight and felt like there wasn't much 'fluff' in the program. It comes from LEMMiNO and it was an informative and inquisitive recounting of the events surrounding the highjacking, complete with guesses as to who D.B. Cooper might have been. At the time of writing, the video had over 11 million views and nearly 500 "likes" attesting to decent quality. The video is embedded below and it is recommended viewing for anyone interested in this "true crime" event.

Sandra Lee Hopler - Missing from Scranton Since September 1973

Paraphrased details from government source**: Sandra was last seen on September 29th, 1973. She was a student at Keystone Junior College in La Plume, PA, and was last seen at Martz Trailways Bus Station in Scranton, Pennsylvania, or at the pick-up point.

Missing Person: Sandra Lee Hopler
May use the following alias(es): Sandy
Last-contact date: September 29th, 1973 (Saturday)
The area where the MP was last seen: Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the LaPlume area possibly at the Martz Trailway Bus Station or at a pick-up point. Possibly, she would have been near Lackawanna and Jefferson Avenue since that's where Martz Trailways offices were located in 1973 according to the following classified advertisement but the pick-up point could have been somewhere else. The zip code 18440 is given as her place of disappearance, which would be near Lackawanna Trail in La Plume.

23 May 1973, Wed The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania) Newspapers.com

Link to government source: NamUs MP#8897

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: White or Caucasian
Sex: Female
Age at time of disappearance: 18 years old
Birthdate: June 8th, 1955
Hair: Brown or light brown
Eyes: Hazel
Scar: a small scar on one eyebrow
Height/weight: 5-foot-4 and 125 pounds
BMI*: Sandra Lee Hopler was in the normal range for BMI.
Tattoos: Sandra Lee Hopler did not have any tattoos associated with her profiles.

Clothing and accessories: Burgundy blazer, dark blouse, Seiko watch with a gold face, and a tan shoulder purse

Distinctive: A mole on the back of the hand between the thumb and index webbing, a small mole near lip (left side), pierced ears, and she may have glasses, however, these aren't pictured in the two pictures I found of her. 

Family: Lyle Joseph Hopler Jr. (father, d. in 2002), Patricia Lee Snyder (mother, d. in 2017), and she had siblings.

28 Feb 2002, Thu The Courier-News (Bridgewater, New Jersey) Newspapers.com

Sandra Lee Hopler was last heard from on September 29th, 1973 when she was 18 years of age. This individual has now been missing for about 48 years as of the original publication date of this blog post. 

The journalism coverage I found for this missing person case was either modern or written years after her disappearance. She has been mentioned in cold case articles for the region she lived in, however, these articles did little but mention the broadly known details of this case. The oldest article using the databases I searched was from 2010.

I did find a second picture of her using Ancestry. She had a photograph in the 1973 yearbook for James Caldwell High School. Her hair was parted in the middle and she had a wavy characteristic to it that is consistent with the photo of her from her missing person profile. Sometimes the place of hair parting can be discerned from Jane Does so this is one point of comparison if you are looking at descriptions of unidentified remains.

Online sources say that Sandra Hopler was going to New York, that she told her plans to a roommate, and that she was last seen at a bus station or pick-up point for Martz Trailways. The details of this case could be opened up by someone in the family or the roommate (if surviving), people who may know more publishable details, or have some publishable information on the investigation.

I tried to find information on the bus schedule since these are sometimes in newspapers. However, I found only an article from 1962 when the original service between Scranton and New York was announced from Martz Trailways. This article may or may not contain information about where she was dropped off.

25 Jun 1962, Mon The Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania) Newspapers.com

One major point with this case is simply if she got on the bus or not. From what I gathered, she was seen waiting for the bus. Sometimes an attractive young woman waiting for a bus attracts the attention of someone offering a rideshare. But if she did get on the bus, then New York becomes the focal point. 

This individual has a landing page in a family tree with Ancestry. There was little information there but it could be updated in the future.

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

Author: Shane Lambert, (Freelance Writer)

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Shane Lambert, (Freelance Writer) 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

Doreen Pickard's Murder, Susan Laferte's Assault - What Happened After the "Unsolved Mysteries" Episode

By: Shane Lambert

On May 18th, 1988, "Unsolved Mysteries" aired an original episode. One of the mysteries ("Rhode Island Amnesia") included the murder of Doreen Picard and the assault of Susan Laferte. Laferte, as a surviving witness to the murder, unfortunately, went into a coma from her injuries and could not remember the attack when she came out of it.

03 Apr 1998, Fri The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) Newspapers.com

More modern versions of the "Unsolved Mysteries" episode indicate that one Raymond Tempest was convicted of the crimes, was sentenced to 85 years in prison, but has since been released. Naturally, that should raise some questions for fans of the television series: why was he convicted, and if his sentence was for so many decades, how is it that he could be released already?

The episode was the 7th "Special Edition" of "Unsolved Mysteries." This was a time period in the show's history when they appeared to be feeling out the ratings. The following preview of the show appeared in the News-Press out of Fort Myers, Florida on May 18th, 1988.

18 May 1988, Wed News-Press (Fort Myers, Florida) Newspapers.com
With the newspaper databases I used, Raymond Tempest's name starts to enter journalism related to the crime in June of 1991. The following article is the earliest journalism I found that associated Raymond Tempest with the case.

09 Jun 1991, Sun The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com

Later journalism suggested that Raymond Tempest benefited from having family ties involved in law enforcement in the community that Picard was murdered in:

 

21 Apr 1992, Tue Record-Journal (Meriden, Connecticut) Newspapers.com

The conviction came in what would have been late June of 1992.

05 Jul 1992, Sun The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com

The conviction was vacated in July of 2015:

 

14 Jul 2015, Tue The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com

After the vacation of the conviction in July 2015, I did not find any more newspaper coverage. However, there are online news articles as this saga appears to be ongoing even in very modern times.

Dottie Caylor's Disappearance - What Happened After the "Unsolved Mysteries" Episode

By: Shane Lambert

03 Apr 1998, Fri The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) Newspapers.com

Dottie Caylor's disappearance was featured in one of the opening episodes of the "Unsolved Mysteries" television program. According to a Youtube video I watched, it was in the pilot episode. From Wikipedia, it was a special program that was aired before the series became the series that fans grew to love. According to a newspaper article I consulted (The Leaf-Chronicle out of Clarksville, Tennessee), the show aired on November 29th, 1987. If you watched the "Unsolved Mysteries" program and wondered what happened with this case, then this article is for you.

29 Nov 1987, Sun The Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville, Tennessee) Newspapers.com

Firstly, this individual, as of the time of writing (December 17th, 2021), still has an active missing person's profile with NamUs, America's national database of missing people. Dorothy May Caylor is case number #MP14589. Her profile says that her last date of contact was June 12th, 1985 in Concord, California, which is information that is available in the "Unsolved Mysteries" episode.

I found an article in The Salt Lake Tribune from March 31st, 2004 that Kristen Stewart wrote. The article indicated that Jule Caylor, Dottie's husband, faced some problems when he attempted a career in politics. Ultimately, Jule Caylor withdrew his candidacy for the Utah Legislature (The Salt Lake Tribune/Page 24/April 18th, 2004).

One interesting piece of information in this article is that Jule had "an engagement to another woman six months before Dottie went missing." This wasn't covered in the "Unsolved Mysteries" episode, perhaps because it wasn't known when they made the episode. Furthermore, the Stewart article in the Tribune mentioned an interest in a concrete slab, possibly as a place to look underneath for Caylor. I think the following article is good reading for anyone looking for follow-up information on this case after watching the "Unsolved Mysteries" episode. You can click the article to enlarge it.

31 Mar 2004, Wed The Salt Lake Tribune (Salt Lake City, Utah) Newspapers.com

 I didn't find any journalism after 2004 with the sources I use. However, based on the fact that Dottie still has a missing person profile with NamUs, it's clear that she is yet to be found.

Christi Jo Nichols, Mark Nichols - What Happened After the "Unsolved Mysteries" Episode

By: Shane Lambert

The missing person case of Christi Jo Nichols was profiled in the hit television show "Unsolved Mysteries" back in 1988. Christi Jo Nichols, as presented in the show, was a mother who disappeared from Gothenburg, Nebraska while contemplating a divorce from her physically abusive husband.

If you watched the episode online and are wondering what happened with the case, then this article is for you. 

In the episode of "Unsolved Mysteries," the husband, Mark Nichols, claimed that he awoke one morning and saw that Christi wasn't beside him in bed. His side of the story is not presented as particularly credible in the episode.

This was Season 1 of the series and Episode 6 of that season, according to my research on the show. It originally aired on November 16th, 1988. The episode had the following synopsis in the November 16th, 1988 edition of The Evening Sun in Baltimore Maryland:

Unsolved Mysteries. Season 1. Episode 6. 16 Nov 1988, Wed The Evening Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) Newspapers.com

Christi Jo Nichols went missing on December 10th, 1987. She was 22 years old at the time. The first instance of journalism I found on the case was dated February 8th, 1988 in the Lincoln Star Journal (page 9). Much of this article is based on information from that newspaper source.

Mark Nichols is cited in the article.

08 Feb 1988, Mon Lincoln Journal Star (Lincoln, Nebraska) Newspapers.com

According to the journalism that I reviewed, this case was not solved as of October 29th, 2006. I found an article in the Lincoln Journal Star for that date where she was included among the cold cases for the state of Nebraska.

29 Oct 2006, Sun Lincoln Journal Star (Lincoln, Nebraska) Newspapers.com

Here are some interesting details that weren't covered in the Unsolved Mysteries episode, probably because they weren't known at the time. Firstly, Christi's "blood was found in the trunk of her husband's car and on the floor of their bedroom" (Lincoln Journal Star/Page 1/August 24th, 2003). However, there wasn't enough blood to build a murder case. Mark Nichols said that a drop of blood found in the bedroom was menstrual blood, however, "tests proved" that it was not.

There was also some lye stolen from a local farm at about the time of her disappearance. Lye is a substance that can be used to destroy human remains (Lincoln Journal Star/Page 1/August 24th, 2003). Whether this theft should be connected to the case is not clear. Also, Mark Nichols divorced Christi Jo Nichols in April 1990, claiming that he and the three children were abandoned.

24 Aug 2003, Sun Lincoln Journal Star (Lincoln, Nebraska) Newspapers.com

The "Unsolved Mysteries" episode covered the discovery of Christi's luggage. The luggage and other items were found "at a rest stop near Maxwell in March 1988." Furthermore, if Christi left on her own volition, then there is a question as to why she didn't take her paycheque, her tips from her job, or his driver's license.

There is journalism that suggests that there may have been another man in Christi's life. However, this man was ruled out as a suspect.

The babysitter that is in the "Unsolved Mysteries" episode claimed in the 2003 Lincoln Star Journal article that she had not been questioned in the case since 1988.

At the time of writing (December 17th, 2021), this missing person case was still unsolved. Christi Jo Nichols has an active profile at NamUs, where she is #MP4677. You can click the link to exit to her NamUs profile if you want further updates. If the profile is still active, it would strongly suggest that the case has not been solved.

3 Decades Old Cold Cases That Perplex Me

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: August 30th, 2021

While working on this website, I have generally gravitated toward cases that are forty years old or less believing that they are the ones that are still most likely to be solved. However, from time to time I have not been able to help but look at older and colder cases. These are three old and cold cases that stand out in my memory.

Paula Jean Welden Missing for Nearly 80 Years

Something happened to Paula Jean Welden on December 1st, 1946 that, at the time of writing, has not yet been traced. The then 18-year old student at Bennington College in Vermont left her home after telling her roommate, a young woman named Elizabeth Johnson, that she was going to hike a trail known as The Long Trail. Many others besides Elizabeth would see Welden that day but no one has seen her since December 1st, 1946. At the original time of writing, the 75th anniversary of her disappearance was on the horizon. As of January 2025, she has now been missing closer to 80 years.

My guess on what happened to Paul Jean Welden is that got lost while hiking. A plausible enough competing guess might hold that she was abducted. After all, she was known to have been hitchhiking that day, although she was spotted after exiting her driver's vehicle. There is a question as to whether she hitchhiked on her return route.

But Paula Jean Welden, according to my research, was lost from the get-go. According to witnesses that saw her on December 1st, 1946, she was reliant on directions just to find the trail that was interested in. 

When I examined this case in 2020, I found that she was still receiving directions to The Long Trail even as dusk quickly approached. My thoughts on her disappearance are that she got lost and in the resulting panic that night, she only went further and further into the forest due to disorientation. I think she would have tried to find a spot that felt safe, even off-trail, and that she then perished in the cold December night in what would have been a little bit of a hiding spot from the cold wind. It's this, her desire to escape the cold (which may have resulted in going off trail) and the fact that it snowed soon after she went missing, that made her hard to find after she died, in my opinion.

Beverly Sharpman Missing for More Than 85 Years

Beverly Sharpman's case is one that has grabbed my attention on plenty of nights. This high school student disappeared and was last seen in Philadelphia on September 11th, 1947. The 74th anniversary of her disappearance, at the original time of writing, was nearing.

Sharpman's case details included a telegram that was sent from a train station. It read "Got married. Leaving town. Will not be back." If you don't question the authenticity of that telegram, then it seems like she meant business with the last sentence.

Questions with this case are aplenty. Firstly, why did Beverly Sharpman register for her senior year of high school the morning of September 11th, 1947 if she was running away that night? My suggestion is that she didn't want anything to seem amiss but that's just speculation.

Another question is what did she want to tell her mother the evening before she disappeared? Beverly appeared to have something to say to her mother, perhaps something difficult, but Beverly decided to keep quiet about what she had to say. You would think that would have to do with pregnancy or maybe just a relationship with someone who might be inappropriate from her mother's perspective.

The question of the ages with this case is one that could crack it wide open. The telegram said she "Got married." Assuming she was telling the truth, then where is Beverly Sharpman's marriage certificate? I know I've spent hours combing through the records that you find at Ancestry looking for it but it has been to no avail.

My efforts lead me to believe that it was not straightforward for a 17-year old (ie. a minor) to get married in Pennsylvania in 1947. I remember seeing other married records involving minors where parental consent was required.

This, in itself, brings a lot of questions into play. What options were there for a 17-year old to get married in 1947 without parental consent? How easy was it to assume a false identity? Did she not really get married?

With Sharpman's case, I've always thought that she really did leave town on her own volition. I think she married into a new name and was then able to live a life under a different identity. Under this new identity, no one ever connected her to the Beverly Sharpman missing person case precisely because she married into a new name -- somehow. There were a lot of classified ads placed by the mother asking for information on where Beverly Sharpman was but no one in her new circles would know her maiden name, from this perspective.

The Rahway County Jane Doe Unnamed Since 1887

Picture this scenario. Late one evening in March 1887, a young woman alights a train in Rahway, New Jersey. A short time later, she is murdered, a dog nearby in the darkness of night seems to be aware of the drama, and then four brothers find her the next morning. The resulting 'whodunit' and "Who is she?" stories are a coast-to-coast media hit and the details of the Rahway County Jane Doe story gets plenty of coverage. However, to this day she remains unnamed.

I looked at this case back in 2017. One angle I took that I hoped would lead to her identity was to search newspaper classifieds for someone that was looking for a missing person. Newspapers used to have a section where you could post information on someone you were trying to reconnect with. In fact, Beverly Sharpman's mother used such classfieds. 

What I hoped with the Rahway County Jane Doe was to find a classified advertisement where someone was looking for their friend, daughter, or wife who was last known to be traveling via train to New Jersey in March 1887 and has not been heard from since. I failed at that but this is a process that could be done over and over again as time goes by. That's because newspaper databases are constantly expanding.

I've always felt that the best chance for this case to be solved is just for a television network to take an interest in her case for nothing more than TV ratings. It would be a captivating hour-long television program to name a Jane Doe from the late 1800s using modern forensics, I think.