Missing Person: Marla Jean Thomas - Anacortes, WA 1974 Unsolved Case

Missing Person: Marla Jean Thomas (nee Crabtree)

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased):

Marla Jean Thomas was last seen on December 11th, 1974 (Wednesday) at an unknown specific location in Anacortes, Washington.

Last contact: December 11, 1974, approximately unknown time
Last location: Anacortes, Washington - Unknown specific location but may be 511 T Avenue in Anacortes.
Age when Marla Jean Thomas disappeared: 22
DOB: April 22nd, 1952 (Charley Project)
Sex: Female
Height in inches: 62
Weight in pounds (lbs): 140
BMI: 25.6 - Overweight (calculated to help picture what Marla Jean Thomas might have looked like)
Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
Hair color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Link to Government Source: NamUs MP31485 (right-click to open)
Discussion page: Marla Jean Thomas Case on Facebook (right-click to open)

Family: Alfred P. Thomas Jr. (husband)

March 24th, 1970. The Daily Herald.

Unraveling the Mystery: Key Insights and Updates

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: August 18th, 2025

Marla Jean Thomas, a 22-year-old White/Caucasian woman, vanished on Wednesday, December 11th, 1974, from Anacortes, Washington, under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind an enduring unsolved case. Standing 5'2" tall and weighing approximately 140 pounds, Marla had brown hair, blue eyes, and a BMI of 25.6, indicating a slightly overweight build.

No distinctive physical features or clothing details are mentioned in her NamUs profile. Furthermore, her exact last known location in Anacortes, Washington remains unspecified. Anacortes, located on Fidalgo Island in Skagit County, is a picturesque coastal town about 80 miles north of Seattle, known for its stunning views of the San Juan Islands, vibrant maritime culture, and small-town charm. Nestled in northwestern Washington, it serves as a gateway to the islands via ferry, with a close-knit community surrounded by Puget Sound’s natural beauty.

I did not find a missing persons report in the journalism from the time of her disappearance. However, I do recommend looking through the Facebook group hyperlinked. She was married with three children.

On thing that stood out with this case is that she and her husband were involved in a lawsuit against a local company, one that started just 2-3 months before Marla's disappearance. 

September 28th, 1974. Kitsap Sun.

Liverpool Mother’s Newborn Killing Confession: A Cold Case Echoing Other Tragedies

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of writing: March 24th, 2025

Baby Callum’s Tragic End

In recent news, a 55-year-old woman in Liverpool, England has admitted to killing her newborn son back in the late 1990s. The body of an infant was found in 1998.

Although the attempt to identify the newborn initially failed, DNA did connect the baby to his living brother. That helped investigators piece together what happened.

Joanne Sharkey confessed in 2023 to killing her son, dubbed Callum, found in bin bags near Gulliver’s World in Warrington. Forensic evidence showed asphyxiation from tissue paper in his mouth. DNA eventually linked Callum to Sharkey’s son, Matthew, leading to her arrest.

Source: Open Country/Alejandro Josan/March 24th, 2025

A Secret Birth Unraveled

Reportedly, Sharkey hid her pregnancy, gave birth alone, and silenced Callum (not the baby's real name) in panic, later admitting it to her husband, Neil. It's this latter conversation that was pivotal in understanding what happened as it was recorded. Her charge shifted from murder to manslaughter due to postnatal depression. She awaits sentencing with family support.

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Why This Case is Important to the True Crime Readers

This case is just one example of many cases where a mother or parent murders a newborn child. This is a scenario that true crime readers need to be familiar with.

I’ve studied many John Doe and Jane Doe cases where it is very clear that the unidentified person is a newborn. The giveaway is that they are often incredibly light, exceptionally short for an estimated height, wrapped, and discarded like Callum. In these cases, I have suspected parental panic, a pattern Sharkey’s story fits perfectly. I'm sure my suspicions in these cases will align with everyone else's.

Here are some other cases that mirror this tragedy, showing a recurring theme of concealment. Below is a small table of examples where mothers killed newborns and hid the remains:

Name	Location	Year	Details
Megan Huntsman	Utah, USA	1996-2006	Strangled/suffocated six newborns, hid them in garage boxes; got life in 2015. Source: Utah County Attorney's News
Andrea G.	Germany	2000s	Killed eight newborns, wrapped them in towels, hid them at home; charged in 2016. Source: BBC article from 2016
Michele Kalina	Pennsylvania, USA	1996-2010	Hid five newborns’ remains in a closet after killing them; got 20-40 years in 2011. Source: CBC article from 2011

Resolution’s Rarity

I rarely work on these kinds of cases since secret newborns lack missing persons reports. Obviously, if the mother kills her own child, she isn't going to have an interest in reporting her baby missing. I can't think of much of a research angle for such cases.

Identification mainly looks like it will be dependent on, not just forensics, but the police having the time and resources to pursue the investigation. In my opinion, the number of discarded newborns in any nation will be shockingly high.

At the time of writing, if you went to NamUs and searched unidentified remains as either infant or fetus, then you would get 606 results. That is just a small sample, capturing only the cases that end up digitalized. Some of them go back 80 years now, highlighting the unlikelihood of resolution.

Politically, I think the cases relate to the topic of abortion. It's important not to overgeneralize as not all the cases would be related to the topic.