Kathy M. Goad Missing: Unsolved Disappearance from Fort Worth, Texas in 1982

Missing Person: Kathy M. Goad
Full Name: Kathy Mae Brownfield Goad

Details from a Government Source (Paraphrased):

Namus: On November 11th, 1982, Kathy was going shopping instead of to her job at a bank. She disappeared that day. On November 15th, 1982, her vehicle was found abandoned in a parking lot at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Foul play is possible.

Last Contact: November 11th, 1982 (Thursday, Veterans Day in the U.S.)
Last Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Age When Disappeared: 20
Birthdate: August 17th, 1962 (Charley Project)

Sex: Female
Height: 65 inches (5’5”)
Weight: 110 lbs
BMI: 18.3 (normal range)

Ethnicity: Caucasian
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Green
Scars/Distinctive Characteristics: No known information

Government Source: NamUs MP8539
Websleuths Discussion: Kathy M. Goad

Search tips: She primarily made the news in Texas and Kentucky. She was from the latter state but resided in the former at the time of her disappearance.

Commentary and Research

By Shane Lambert
Originally written: March 9th - March 14th, 2025

Has Kathy M. Goad Been Found?

As of March 16th, 2025, Kathy Goad remains missing. Her NamUs profile (MP8539) is still active, indicating an unresolved case.

One thing that I wanted to state is that I don't like the NamUs description. I am worried some readers might get misled.

As it sounds, it reads like she decided to go shopping instead of going to her bank job. But November 11th, 1982, was Veterans Day, a federal holiday. While not all banks closed, many did, or operated with reduced staff.

It’s likely Kathy, a bank employee, had the day off, making her shopping trip unremarkable, not a deviation suggesting something was amiss on its own. I read that she was going to the mall to exchange some items the day she disappeared.

She seemed to have a stable routine in her life. She had worked at the bank, her place of employment, since high school, according to an article in the February 20th, 1983, Park City Daily News.

Not Thought to Have Boarded a Flight

This article is part of my "vehicle at airport series." For these articles, the tag denotes case where a missing person's vehicle is found at an airport. I've come to the opinion that this is usually done as a way of misleading investigators.

Kathy’s vehicle was found at DFW Airport on November 15th, 1982, but that doesn’t mean she took a flight. Per Charley Project and Websleuths, no flight records match her departure. Physical evidence, like hairs linking Kathy to a car salesman’s vehicle (more below), suggests she never reached the terminal.

Her husband, Steven Goad, is the person who found the car. Some might take that as evidence of him 'conveniently' knowing where it was. I took it to me he was exhaustive in searching for her. That the husband might have done something because he found the car was explored and abandoned as a lead early in the investigation. He also convincingly passed a lie detector test.

A Car Salesman’s Shadow: A Theory

What happened to Kathy? One compelling lead points to a car salesman from Hurst, Texas.

What follows is a constructed scenario based on available evidence and critical reasoning, aiming to provide clues to her fate. But first, I will bullet point some matters of fact. The following are true details, according to the early journalism of this case:

• The salesman, after selling the truck to Kathy and her husband, saw Kathy two other times; once at her home when she was locked out and once at a restaurant. That was noted in the Park City Daily News on February 20th, 1983.

• Reportedly, he made advances toward her the day she purchased the truck with her husband.
• In a different case, the salesman damaged a woman's car (called a "girl" in reporting) after she refused a sexual advance. This act led to his firing.
• He was arrested for the vehicle damage.
• The salesman, who became a suspect, agreed but then refused to take a lie detector test.
• The investigators took hair samples from the trunk of the salesman's demo car, and these samples matched hair samples from a brush and roller that belonged to Kathy Goad.
• The salesman had a history of sexual assault, assault, and criminal mischief. He had been charged with rape before.

July 31st, 1983. Courier-Journal.

• A witness claimed he saw the suspect put concrete blocks and a cord in the back of the car, where the missing person's hair was found (December 3rd, 1984/Courier Journal) on the afternoon of the day Kathy disappeared.

Concrete blocks and cords could be used to weigh down a body.

• As of December 3rd, 1984, the suspect was in jail, either for assaulting or raping a woman. (December 3rd, 1984/Courier-Journal).
• He had a 14-year sentence and was in a penitentiary in Huntsville.

Since he was fired, I assumed that the vehicle damage he did was to a client's car. However, it might have been on his personal time.

Meeting Up With a Salesman Not To Be Ignored

The first bullet was of extreme importance. In between the date when Kathy purchased the truck from the salesman and her disappearance, she had 'chance' encounters with the salesman: once at a restaurant and once at her home when she was locked out.

Firstly, I don't think the meetings are random. I think he was stalking her.

Secondly, that he was 'on the spot' when she needed help getting back into her house is very weird. It does prove that he, at least, learned of her address if this was a random encounter.

The paperwork associated with a vehicle purchase would have provided the car salesman with access to the missing person's address. He made a sexual advance toward her, showed up at her home on another occasion, and ended up in jail long-term for a serious offense against another woman.

However, on this occasion I think he was probably stalking her and that he used the fact that she was locked out to reacquaint himself at this point. For me, the fact that he was at her house is clear evidence that he knew her address somehow. In my theory below, I assume that he simply got her address from the paperwork involved in the truck purchase at the dealership. But even if him meeting Kathy and her home is a random thing where he was just passing by, the bottom line is he knew where she lived by the date of her disappearance.

A Theory on What Happened to Kathy Goad

The following sections are my guess on what happened to Kathy Goad after a lot of research into her case.

Theorized: Morning, November 11th, 1982 (Veterans Day) – East Fort Worth

Kathy, a 20-year-old newlywed, has Veterans Day off at her bank job. She is going to shop, likely at North East Mall in Hurst, 10 miles from her East Fort Worth home.

Not long ago, she and her husband bought a truck from a Hurst dealership. The salesman for the vehicle, known for inappropriate advances, is said to have made an advance toward Kathy.

In my theory, I suggest that he accessed her address from the paperwork of the vehicle sale. He had met up with her twice before, according to the journalism covering this missing person's case, at about the time of the disappearance. I think he had been stalking her fairly steadily ever since she and her husband bought the truck.

According to my research, dealerships commonly took people's addresses for vehicle purchases in Texas in 1982. This was needed for any purchase that required financing, and it was still standard for record-keeping and warranty purposes, even for purchases that did not require financing.

The car salesman was extremely likely to have had access to her address based solely on her buying a vehicle from him. That's corroborated by the fact that he ended up showing up at her house the day she got locked out.

In my theory, he is stalking her on Veterans Day 1982. As a holiday, it stands to reason he has the day off as well and therefore has the leisure time to stalk her.

Theorized: Midday – North East Mall Parking Lot, Hurst

Kathy parks at the mall, unaware that the salesman has followed her. As she exits her car, he approaches—perhaps pretending it’s a coincidence and/or using the truck as an excuse. His familiarity lowers her guard. He lures her to his demo car, then attacks her or maybe chloroforms her. Her hairs, later found in the vehicle he operated, mark this moment. He locks her in the trunk unconscious and drives off, leaving her car behind.

Theorized: Afternoon – Murder and Disposal

His prior advances and criminal history (assault, harassment) suggest a motive—rejection turned violent. The salesman rapes and murders Kathy Goad. That afternoon, he loaded concrete blocks and cord into his vehicle, as supported by an eyewitness. In my theory, he is doing this to sink Kathy's body somewhere.

The salesman heads to a secluded spot, possibly near Lake Worth or Eagle Mountain Lake, 10-20 miles from Hurst. He hides the body well.

Theorized: Evening to November 15th – Staging Kathy's Car

With Kathy’s keys (taken during the abduction), the salesman returns to the mall at some point. He drives her car to DFW Airport, and abandons it by November 15th. The four-day gap implies he hid the car first and then moved it during the night at some point. He is doing it to suggest she’d fled in hopes of confusing the investigators, whom he knows are coming. He returns to Hurst using a taxi or transit.

Aftermath: Not Theorized

The salesman did, in fact, end up fired after an unrelated arrest (damaging a woman’s car). Police then found Kathy’s hair in the demo car he used, and an informant shared the second-hand confession. 

Furthermore, Kathy's family hired an investigator who did not believe much the salesman said. The salesman agrees to a lie detector test but withdraws. Also, the salesman ends up in jail on a fourteen-year sentence for a crime against another woman.

As for Kathy's case, second-hand confessions aren't good for much. Without her body, prosecutors decline to charge him in 1983. The case goes cold - and here we are.

Why My Theory Fits

• Address Access: Sales records gave him her East Fort Worth address, enabling stalking. Journalism covering the case supports the notion that he had her address by November 11th, 1982.
• Hairs: Forensic evidence ties Kathy to his demo car, suggesting he abducted her. Those hairs are in the trunk, further suggesting abduction. Sometimes teenagers ride in the trunks of cars for lack of a seat. But when missing people are linked to a car trunk, it's only because they were there against their wills, either unconscious or restrained.
• Airport: The car’s location at an airport could easily be just deliberate misdirection as she was a happy newlywed. It's common for missing people to have their vehicles found at airport parking lots. They rarely have documented flights from the same airports.
• Lake: The informant’s tip and local geography point to a hidden disposal site.
• Profile: His previous behavior and job firing make him an interesting person to incorporate into the hypothetical scenario. His profile is clearly that of a misogynist.

Conclusion

This theory posits the salesman stalked Kathy from her home, abducted her from a mall parking lot, killed her, and dumped her body in a lake, using her car to mislead investigators.

Could Lake Worth or Eagle Mountain Lake hold the final clue? As of now, Kathy’s fate and what happened to her remains unsolved.

Eugene Gabbard Jr. -- Missing Since January 14th, 1985

Missing Person: Eugene Gabbard Jr.

Note: This photo was taken from a 1979 high school yearbook, 5-6 years before the person disappeared.

He had facial hair at the time of his disappearance.

Details (might be paraphrased): Gabbard was last seen in Jackson, Kentucky on January 14th, 1985. He has never been heard from again. At the time of his disappearance, he was driving a blue 1976 Pontiac 2+2, license plate KY JGM-248 which has never been located. There are few details regarding Gabbard's disappearance and his whereabouts remain unknown (from Websleuths).

Not the actual vehicle. Generated image to show what the vehicle likely looked like.

Last contact: January 14th, 1985 (Monday) according to NamUs; January 15th, 1985 (Tuesday) according to journalism

Last location: Jackson, Kentucky

Age when Eugene Gabbard Jr. disappeared: 23

Sex: Male

Height in inches: 72

Weight in pounds (lbs): 150

Ethnicity: White/Caucasian

Hair color: Brown, had a beard

Eye Color: Brown

Scar or distinctive characteristic: small scar over left eyelid under the eyebrow; birthmark of a brown spot on front of left chest near shoulder; skull with spider over it on left arm between shoulder and elbow, Harley Davidson sign with eagle over a green wreath with initial H.D. on upper right arm.

Link to government source: Link to Government Source: MP9737 (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. Eugene Gabbard Jr. had a BMI of 20.34. He was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance. 

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert 

A color photo from his high school yearbook. Also, 5-6 years before his disappearance. Shootout to Websleuths user MadMcgoo for the find.

Has Eugene Gabbard Jr. been found?

I did not find much information on this missing person when it came to published journalism from about the time of his disappearance. However, he received a bit of press coverage in 2001.

Reportedly, he was on his way to purchase a new truck the day that he disappeared. This day was reported as January 15th, 1985. That is one day later than the dates on his online profiles.

Was Robbery a Possible Motive?

Importantly, when he disappeared he had $3000 in cash on him that he was planning to use to buy the vehicle. That's about $8700 by today's standards. This could have made him a target for anyone who knew that he might have been carrying that kind of cash during his trip. There were some tips that he had been murdered, however, the police seemed to have very little to go on.

The Mountain Eagle. August 15th, 2001.

I feel like one loose end in this case is simply who was he going to meet?

Car sales involve more than enough money to generate clandestine activity. We're all aware of stories, in modern times, involving illicit transactions from online classifieds. The same things happened before the Internet, involving newspaper classifieds.

Bud and June Runion Murder: How a Craigslist Car Sale Turned Deadly in Georgia

As food for thought, in January 2015, Elrey “Bud” Runion, 69, and his wife June Runion, 66, embarked on a 180-mile trip to Telfair County from their home in Georgia. They were chasing a 1966 Ford Mustang convertible, a car Bud had coveted since much younger days. After posting an ad on Craigslist, they thought they’d found a seller in McRae, a quiet rural town. Carrying cash for the purchase, they left home on January 22nd, 2015, with intentions to buy the vehicle.

But things turned really dark for them. The couple never made it back, and four days later, on January 26, their bodies were found in a wooded area near McRae, both shot in the head. Their 2003 GMC Envoy was discovered submerged in a nearby lake. There was an arrest and conviction, but the point is that a simple vehicle sale can be a very dangerous meeting, due to the amount of money involved.

Source: The Runions Went Missing, Later Found

Why Hiding a Car Is Harder Than Concealing a Body: Size and Logistics Explained

Hiding a car can be far more challenging than concealing a body. A vehicle like Eugene Gabbard Jr.’s 1976 Pontiac 2+2 is a large, conspicuous object that doesn’t vanish without effort.

Abandoning it in a remote forest or ravine might seem viable. If it goes unnoticed the years and decades will pass and it will start to deteriorate. But if someone recognizes the car as belonging to a missing person, then the vehicle could be incriminating.

Often when a person is missing and the car is as well, the vehicle is found submerged in water. The following image is computer-generated based on the description of Gabbard Jr.'s vehicle.

Research in March 2025 Proved Fruitless

On March 17th, 2025, I tested a hypothesis that there might have been an advertisement in a local newspaper that Gabbard had responded to. I looked for such an advertisement for a truck that cost $3000 and did not have an exact hit. But not all of the newspapers in the region are digitalized at Newspapers.com. The Mountain Eagle was the main newspaper available, which was not entirely local to Gabbard. I gave up feeling like maybe a hit to an interesting classified ad might be possible in the future, so feel free to visit this angle with other publications, as more and more are presumably digitalized in the future. Despite extensive analysis, no definitive leads emerged.