Bobby Jack Fowler - Was He Involved in Kristina Joanne Porco's Disappearance in 1986

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

Unraveling the Trail of Bobby Jack Fowler: A Suspected Serial Killer’s Hidden Years in Beaufort County

In the annals of American crime, few figures cast as dark and elusive a shadow as Bobby Jack Fowler, a suspected serial killer whose violent spree spanned decades and countries. Although his country of birth was the USA, Bobby Jack Fowler (BJF), is as much a dark figure in that country as he is north of the border in Canada. In this blog post, I will attempt to convince the reader that there is a chance (and not just a remote one) that he disappeared a teenager in South Carolina, in addition to his already known crimes.

Diving Into Bobby Jack Fowler's Whereabouts

Born on June 12th, 1939, in Texas, Fowler’s criminal history is a mixture of confirmed and suspected murders. Yet, there is a critical gap in his timeline, meaning not enough is known about the whereabouts of this individual. Between parole in March 1986 and the 1992 murders of two girls in Oregon, BJF's whereabouts are generally only speculated on. 

I decided to investigate this gap in his timeline, the one between March 1986 and May 1992. I believe he can be placed in Beaufort County, South Carolina. His Wikipedia page, without any supporting links, does say he spent time in South Carolina. Have a look at the following two newspaper clippings. Note that they both include an address.

February 14th, 1990. The Beaufort Gazette.

September 2nd, 1987. The Island Packet.

Summary of the Two Beaufort County Clippings

On August 28th, 1987, someone named Bobby Jack Fowler, aged 48, was arrested in Beaufort County and charged with public disorderly conduct, as reported by The Island Packet. His address was listed as 95 Mathews Drive, Hilton Head.

A second incident, documented in The Beaufort Gazette on February 14th, 1990, cites the name "Bobby J. Fowler," for a DUI. The date range for a license suspension is December 14th, 1989,  until June 14th, 1990.

Can These Citations Be Authenticated as Bobby Jack Fowler (BJF), the serial killer?

The two articles above are interesting. The one from The Island Packet lists BJF by first, middle, and last name with perfectly corresponding spelling. It also includes his age, which is strong evidence that we are talking about BJF, the serial killer, and not just a same-name match.

The other article omits the middle name but uses a middle initial. However, the two clippings are linked via an address -- almost. One lists 95 Mathews Drive while the other lists 95 Matthews Drive (ie. one 't' in Mathews vs. 2 't's).  Phonetically, the two addresses sound the same and are probably one and the same address and the two newspaper clippings involve the same person.

In fact, I do believe the clippings both reference the serial killer, placing him in Beaufort County over the long term. The exact spelling match and his age match BJF. He was presumably at the 'address' from August 1987 to December 1989 and maybe even longer.

This hypothesis raises critical questions. One question I would like to look at is the missing people in and around Beaufort County who fit the profile of his murder victims. As of March 18th, 2015, I do think I've found a missing person who might be linked to BJF's 'address' the night she went missing. But first, let's look at the profile of BJF's victims.

Profile of Bobby Jack Fowler’s Female Murder Victims

Bobby Jack Fowler, a suspected serial killer active from the 1970s to 1990s, targeted young adults and upper teens who were women. Gale Weys (19), Pamela Darlington (19), and Colleen MacMillen (16) are three Canadian women that he is thought to have killed, with DNA evidence linking him to the latter. He targeted hitchhikers but not exclusively.

BJF's suspected murders also include Sheila Swanson (19) and Melissa Sanders (17), who disappeared on May 3rd, 1992, at Oregon’s Beverly Beach State Park. They were later found dead. 

Meanwhile, Jennifer Esson (16) and Kara Leas (16), vanished on January 28th, 1995. All of these cases show that he targeted young adults and teens close to adulthood.

He had other attacks like his 1969 Texas attack and his 1995 Tides Inn assault, These highlight his violent pattern. These were also attacks against women. But looking at the other victims or assumed victims, it's clear that he targeted teenage females. 

Next, let's look at a missing teenage female near his 'address.' She might have been walking his way the night she disappeared.

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The Disappearance of Kristina Joanne Porco: A Summary

The following summary uses general facts regarding Kristina Joanne Porco's case with details to follow.

Kristina Joanne Porco, a 16-year-old resident of Hilton Head Island, Beaufort County, South Carolina, vanished under mysterious circumstances on Saturday, November 29th, 1986. This is a case that has gone unsolved for nearly four decades as her missing person profile at NamUs remains active.

Kristina lived with her family at the Woodlake Villas condominium complex on Hilton Head. On the night she disappeared, Saturday, November 29th, she was wearing light blue jeans, an orange sweatshirt, and white sneakers. After a curfew-related argument around 10:30 pm, Kristina stormed out of the family’s residence taking no extra clothes, money, or belongings beyond what she was wearing.

Shortly after leaving, Kristina made a phone call to a friend from a nearby phone booth, asking if she could spend the night. The friend’s mother refused, leaving Kristina without a safe place to go.

During this phone call, Kristina mentioned she might sleep by the apartment complex’s pool. There was also some kind of exchange where Kristina noted a taxi passing by slowly.

Concerned, her friend went to the pool to check on her at some point a little later. She would only a red sweater, which most have associated with Kristina. 

The teenager went missing and has not been seen or heard from again. At one point, she was considered a runaway. However, NamUs uses "FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED" in her profile, with their use of all caps.

Kristina Joanne Porco: Case Details

The 'average' description of Kristina's missing person case online does not jive for some of the journalism at the time of her disappearance. For example, Kristina was reportedly seen after the phone call with her friend.

One detail I found in researching her case was that Kristina was last seen on Sunday, November 30th, in the area of Port Royal Plaza. I took that to mean she left the pool area of the apartment complex for some reason, possibly because the cab creeped her out. The following snippet comes from the December 8th, 1986 edition of The Island Packet.

That she was reportedly seen on Sunday, November 30th, does not mean she survived the night. After leaving home at 10:30pm, a change of date would be just 90 minutes later. 

Technically, her last seen date appears to be November 30th, not November 29th. But her November 30th sighting could be the very early minutes or very early hours of Sunday, November 30th.

March 19th, 1987. The Island Packet. Reconfirms that Port Royal Plaza is relevant

Now for the Bombshell

The article above says she was in the Port Royal Plaza area. Importantly, that is basically Bobby Jack Fowler's 95 Mathews Drive address as per the articles posted earlier. 

He gave an address of 95 Mathews Drive when arrested. When I researched this address from that time frame, "95 Mathews Drive" returned links to advertisements for businesses at Port Royal Plaza. I selected four ads below to show the address is linked to a shopping mall or district but could have selected dozens.

So Bobby Jack Fowler, Known to be a Transient, Lives in a Parking Lot?

Why does Bobby Jack Fowler give an address that matches a shopping district when dealing with the law? How does this make sense? Does Bobby Jack Fowler live in a business? Is he renting a room above one? Is he working with staff accommodation provided? This latter scenario is more common with remote jobs, not ones in urban areas.

I can see why the reader might be confused because, for a time, I was. But then I remembered that Bobby Jack Fowler was a transient.

I would suggest that what makes the most sense is simply that he's living in a vehicle after his parole. 95 Mathews Drive, his published address alongside his citation, is the parking lot of the Port Royal Plaza shopping center and that's where he parks his car.

People living in vehicles in parking lots are by no means unheard of. I would think that the only way to make sense of BJF's address is that he doesn't have a real one -- except for the parking lot. It could be that he had to give an address when confronted with the legal situations in the newspaper clippings. 

The address of the parking lot where he lived in his car may have been the only thing he could provide. When confronted with everything factual, this is the most reasonable scenario I could conjecture.

Proposed Timeline and Events for Joanne Porco

• She leaves home at 10:30pm on November 29th, 1986.
• Kristina goes toward a friend's place and phones her from a payphone.
• The mother of the friend denies Kristina entry. the 16-year-old decides she will sleep by a pool.
• Joanne changes her mind, finding the area too sketchy, and is fearful of a 'lurking' cab.
• Her friend checks on her well-being but finds that she is gone.
• Presumably, Kristina went for a walk.
• Reportedly, she was spotted in the area of Port Royal Plaza on November 30th, which could mean she was spotted in the early minutes or early hours of the day.
• If she is determined not to go home, then she is now looking for a place to sleep and/or is dependent on the kindness of strangers.
• In my proposed timeline, she doesn't meet a kind stranger in a parking lot on Saturday night/Sunday morning.
• Instead, I think she is abducted and presumably murdered with Bobby Jack Fowler linkable to the parking lot she is seen in.

Critical Assessment of the Timeline: Educated Guess as Opposed to Confirmed Fact

As for logical reasoning, there are problems with this timeline. I can't prove Bobby Jack Fowler was in the parking lot the night Joanne disappeared. All I can do is show an association with the address of the parking lot -- and that association is several months later.

Furthermore, I do rely on Wikipedia stating that he had associations with South Carolina. Anyone can edit Wikipedia, which is the problem with using it as a source. It's known that pranksters sometimes target the site.

However, I will say that he was associated with the same parking lot over the long term. The first association is in 1987 and the second is in 1989. 

It seems like he was living in some kind of vehicle or maybe a tent for quite a long time at 95 Mathews Drive. Based on that, I don't think I am being liberal in suggesting that he might have been there the night Kristina disappeared, even if the newspaper clipping is dated several months after.

As for using Wikipedia, all I can say is I don't think people generally write things there arbitrarily or as pranks. The information is generally true.

On another matter, there is that lurking taxi cab to think about. Did the driver abduct her?

In my opinion, the taxi is a red herring for two reasons. Mainly, Joanne was reportedly spotted at Port Royal Plaza. As long as someone didn't just arbitrarily report that, it means she survived the scene by the pool and retained her freedoms at that point.

Secondly, I have a "take it or leave it" opinion. I don't think the taxi was 'lurking' at all. I think the taxi driver is just wondering if this young woman on the phone might be a customer. Taxis lurk around people who might need a ride all the time as nothing more than just an attempt to get some revenue. We've all had taxi drivers watching our footsteps in public.

Conclusion: Be Aware of Bobby Jack Fowler When Looking at Joanne Porco

Joanne's age, sex, and vulnerability do align with Bobby Jack Fowler's preferred victims. She was 16 and female, just like some of the other ones associated with his profile. Furthermore, I know a lot of his assumed victims were Caucasian, like Joanne.

Last, but certainly not least, Joanne was reported to be at BJF's 'home' as her last known location. That is true if you agree that his use of 95 Mathews Drive, which is nothing more than a business complex, as his address meant that he was living in a parking lot in the time frame following his parole release. There's nothing unbelievable about that as he is described as a transient in numerous sources.

Lulaida Morales Sejalbo -- Missing Since November 25th, 1973

Missing Person: Lulaida Morales Sejalbo

Alias or nickname: Loyola, according to The Charley Project's webpage for this missing person

Last contact: November 25th, 1973 (Sunday), reportedly at 11 PM (friend saw her)

Last location: Santa Clara, California, reportedly at a bowling alley but seems to have worked at a McDonald's that night, perhaps near Scott Boulevard and El Camino Real.

Age when Lulaida Morales Sejalbo disappeared: 17

DOB: December 3rd, 1955 (I believe she was born in the Phillipines)

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 63

Weight in pounds (lbs): 120

Ethnicity: Asian/Phillipino

Hair color: Black (long hair)

Eye Color: Brown

Scar or distinctive characteristic: Scar on the right foot; small mole on her lower left lip

Clothing: McDonald's work uniform (McDonald's uniforms in 1973 could be blue as opposed to the yellow/orange uniforms)

Profession: Waitress at McDonald's

Link to government source: Link to Government Source: #MP4557 (right click to open)

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

Lulaida Morales Sejalbo had a BMI of 21.25. She was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance.

Shoutout to ep1999 on websleuths for finding this.

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert 

Has Lulaida Morales Sejalbo been found?

Lulaida Morales Sejalbo went missing in November 1973. She was a waitress at a McDonald's restaurant and went out to a bowling alley with a friend. There seems to be some inconsistency between sources as to whether she disappeared from a bowling alley or on her commute home from McDonald's. I assumed the former because of the journalism that covered this case. The friend claimed that the last time she saw Miss Sejalbo was at 11 PM.

The missing person had a vehicle that she was driving. This vehicle was found on December 24th, 1973, almost a month after Miss Sejalbo disappeared. The vehicle was found abandoned in Santa Clara with Miss Sejalbo's purse and coat inside. Many of these details were reported in the Peninsula Times Tribune but not until January 16th, 1974. Another source said her keys were in the vehicle and that foul play was suspected in this disappearance.

I noticed some contradictions between sources. Some websites reported that she went missing after work. However, the journalism from early 1974 said she was missing after going to a bowling alley with a friend.

I noted that Sejalbo was described as an 18-year old in the journalism below. NamUs describes her as being 17-years old at the time of her disappearance. Her 18th birthdate was on December 3rd, 1973 so that accounts for the discrepancy (ie. she was 17 when she disappeared; if alive, she would have turned 18 prior to the news piece below).

When someone goes missing while driving a car, it can be difficult to picture how the abduction took place. But there was a method of abduction, that was actually fairly common in California in decades past known as the "Good Samaritan's Ruse."

In this scenario, an abductor sabotages a victim's car and then offers the individual assistance when the car doesn't work. This method was noted by others a long time ago. I have written about this modus operandi before and won't duplicate my writing. But you can have a look at my article from 2018 entitled "Women With Car Troubles Go Missing" if you want to learn more about this method. 

If this scenario applied to Lulaida Sejalbo, then you might expect some damage to the vehicle to have occured, either while she was at the bowling alley or maybe even at work. I didn't find any coverage stating that the vehicle was damaged but this case did not have much journalism available.

Pointers and Bullet Points

• She went to Wilcox High School, which still stands today; it is called Adrian Wilcox High School in modern Google searches; it had the same address of 3250 Monroe Street in Santa Clara in 1973 as it does now.
• Her McDonald's work location was listed by Websleuths user nanajani as being near Scott Boulevard and El Camino Real; a Reddit user (ezza111403) suggested the location of the McDonald's as 1995 El Camino Real; the Websleuths user posted the comment in 2019 and only posted ONE comment as of the time of writing; I am taking that to mean the user was genuine and motivated to post about someone she knew and registered with the website solely for that purpose.
• My thoughts were that Miss Sejalbo attended an event at the bowling alley and someone either sabotaged her vehicle or entered her vehicle while she was in the bowling alley; this individual then abducted her either by overtaking her in the vehicle or using the Good Samaritan's Ruse to lure her roadside; I lean to the latter because I think someone who enters someone else's car and lays in weight is entering a very random situation that he would not be in control of as a passenger in the car but either scenario is possible.
• There were numerous significant serial killers in California in the time frame in question.
• The name and location of the bowling alley might be good to know.
• Due to the expectation of foul play and the unlikelihood that she disappeared on her own, I don't think her age-progression depictions will prove fruitful to this case.

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.

Louise N. Zunker - Missing in Wisconsin Since 1976

Paraphrased details from government source**: The missing person, Louise N. Zunker, had a scheduled dentist appointment for August 17th, 1976 in Portage, Wisconsin. Louise's sister, Hilda Zunker, took her to the dentist appointment (ie. disputed: I think they were just planning to go there). They were in the parking lot (possibly of a shopping center) when her sister turned around and Louise was gone. There were reported sightings of Louise walking east on Albert Street in the Mud Lake vicinity several hours after becoming separated from her sister. There has been no known contact with Louise since this time.

Missing Person: Louise Zunker
Last-contact date: August 17th, 1976 (Tuesday)
The area where the MP was last seen: Portage, Wisconsin, possibly walking east on Albert Street in the Mud Lake district of town. 
Link to government source: NamUs MP84012

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sex: Female
Age at time of disappearance: 56 years old
Birthdate: Louise Zunker was born between August 18th, 1919, and August 17th, 1920 based on her reported age at the last date of reported contact.
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Scar: None
Height/weight: 5-foot-3 to 5-foot-5 and 125 to 135 pounds
BMI*: Louise Zunker was in the normal range for BMI.
Tattoos: Louise Zunker did not have any tattoos associated with her profiles.
Find-a-grave: There is a Louise N. Zunker on find-a-grave.com for the Columbia County area of Wisconsin. This person has an unknown date of death. It may reference the same person, however, it's likely a cenotaph memorial and not a final resting place.

Louise Zunker was last heard from on August 17th, 1976 when she was 56 years of age. This individual has now been missing for about 45 years as of the original publication date of this blog post.

The NamUs description of Louise's circumstances isn't great. It's hard to tell from that source if she disappeared before or after the dentist appointment. According to some journalism I read from 1976, she and her sister Hilda appeared to be on their way to the appointment, presumptively from their shared residence or from a shopping center. One source gave her address as 619 W. Franklin Street while another newspaper article gave her address as 56 Franklin Street. The individual that reported her missing was her brother Albert on August 18th, 1976.

21 Aug 1976, Sat Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin) Newspapers.com

The article below mentions that Louise was despondent at the time of her disappearance. In my view, that increases the chances of a voluntary disappearance or even suicide and decreases the chances of something clandestine happening to her. However, everything appears to be in play. One thing that stood out with this case is the way Louise seemingly just went "poof" into thin air. In picturing the disappearance, I imagined Louise and Hilda walking in stride and then Louise disappearing when Hilda wasn't paying attention to her.

07 Sep 1976, Tue Waukesha Daily Freeman (Waukesha, Wisconsin) Newspapers.com

20 Aug 1976, Fri Portage Daily Register (Portage, Wisconsin) Newspapers.com

Given the missing person's footwear (ie. low heels), it's hard to picture her planning on walking all that far. I considered the Albert Street sighting and examined the bridges in the area as prospective suicide points. However, none appeared to be of sufficient height. However, Google Maps in the area only went back to 2008. 

The marshy area to the east of Mud Lake could be the focal point. However, if she was planning to kill herself, the method is the question. It would be interesting to learn about her purchases on the shopping trip that she was reportedly on. That they searched the marshy area to the west of the town and did not find her does not mean that she could not still be there. Police searches fail quite often.

This was an individual who was in Ancestry's files with simple searches (ie. first and last name) as she appeared in a few censuses with her original family. She had at least two sisters by my research, one of which is likely the one referenced in the NamUs description as being the last person that knew Louise to see her alive.

Louise's whereabouts were sought for legal matters that developed following the death of her mother in 1977. She was referred to as "deceased" in a 1983 classified ad, which isn't unusual given the circumstances.

25 Jun 1977, Sat Portage Daily Register (Portage, Wisconsin) Newspapers.com

17 Dec 1977, Sat Portage Daily Register (Portage, Wisconsin) Newspapers.com

12 Nov 1983, Sat Portage Daily Register (Portage, Wisconsin) Newspapers.com

Louise Zunker may have had the following articles when she disappeared: a blue and white square patterned sleeveless dress; a blue/black raincoat, dark-rimmed and tinted glasses, and beige low-heeled shoes.

Furthermore, she was thought to only have 15 cents in her purse. These are items that can be cross-referenced against Jane Does or reports associated with unidentified remains in hopes of finding a reason for further comparison between Zunker and the Jane Doe.

Please, take a moment to share this blog post on social media using hashtags relevant to the missing person's area. Also, please include the website hashtag #MPCSL.

Author: Shane Lambert (Edmonton, Canada)

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Shane Lambert (Edmonton, 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: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing persons case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.

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Thomas Eldon Bowman -- Missing in California Since 1957

Details from NamUs**: 

"Thomas was last seen walking with family members on a trail in Arroyo Seco Canyon. Thomas ran ahead to the family vehicle and when his family members arrived at the vehicle the child was not there."

Missing Person: Thomas Eldon Bowman
Last-contact date: March 23rd, 1957 at about 5pm

• This could be disputed as there were witnesses that claimed to have seen him later than the time mentioned above. However, March 23rd, 1957 at about 5pm is a non-challenged sighting time.

The area where the MP was last seen: Altadena, California near the Arroyo Seca Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains above Devil's Gate Dam.
Link to government source: NamUs MP 

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sex: Male
Age at time of disappearance: 8 years old
Birthdate: Thomas Eldon Bowman was born between March 24th, 1948, and March 23rd, 1949 based on his reported age at the last date of reported contact.
Hair: Blond/strawberry
Eyes: Brown
Scar: No scars known
Height/weight: 4'0" and 50 pounds

Thomas Eldon Bowman, a missing person, was last seen on March 23rd, 1957 when he was 8 years old. This missing person case is a part of a series of cases that I decided to group together that are unified by the theme of hiking or trails. Thomas was last seen on a hiking trail.

What happened, according to the early journalism, is that he was part of a six-person hiking excursion that included his father, Eldon Bowman, and "four youngsters."  Thomas "became separated" from the group, he was not found before dusk, and then the father summoned the authorities to help. The area that the boy was lost was in is the San Gabriel Mountains above Devil's Gate Dam. Below is the earliest journalism I found that mentioned the missing boy.

24 Mar 1957, Sun The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) Newspapers.com

This individual has now been missing for about 64 years as of the original publication date of this blog post. There was a lot of journalism in this case for the weeks that followed the disappearance. This case went from being a lost child-hiker to an expected abduction. Furthermore, someone tried to extort the father.

The clothing was a clue in this case. One witness said he saw Thomas Eldon Bowman in the company of a dirty/transient man. Thomas had a Davy Crockett belt buckle, a t-shirt, and jeans. The belt buckle was described by the ten-year-old witness who thought he saw Thomas.

When I read the NamUs description, this seemed like a parking-lot abduction. I didn't come across anything in the journalism that made me think otherwise. There was a ruddy transient who was known to hang around in the area of the parking lot. He was seen the night that the child disappeared but was not seen in the area afterward.

26 Mar 1957, Tue News-Pilot (San Pedro, California) Newspapers.com

29 Mar 1957, Fri The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) Newspapers.com

This case is a little different than most of the missing person cases that are associated with trail hiking. Thomas's disappearance has a little more to do with the parking lot than the trail in my opinion.

Furthermore, many missing trail hikers are adults that, I think, usually face dangers while hiking or they hike in an unsafe manner (ie. alone). However, Thomas is a young minor who, according to the prevailing theory, was likely abducted. If anything, the case reminds me of the disappearance of Trenny Gibson, however, even that case is very different.

Thomas Eldon Bowman had the following distinctive characteristic: 'missing two teeth.' This characteristic of his would only be relevant if he died close to the time of his abduction. If he aged at all then it stands to reason that his teeth would have matured in kind.

You can click the "trail hiking series" hashtag at the end of this blog post to bring up all the missing person cases profiled on this website that have something to do with nature trails or nature hiking.

Author: @UncoolNegated on Twitter

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

@UncoolNegated on Twitter is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of March 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.
**Text might be paraphrased. If taken verbatim, then grammar or spelling errors are not necessarily corrected from original sources.
Disclaimer: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing persons case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.

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Lillian Rochelle Holmes -- Missing From Pasadena Since 1984

Details from NamUs** (the time in the description below is disputed): 

"21-year-old Lillian Rochelle Holmes went missing in Pasadena California on 3/22/1984. Lillian was last seen by her father when she left her Pasadena home at approximately 6:30 am on her way to start a new job demonstrating products at Robinsons in the Santa Anita Mall located in Arcadia, CA. Lillian was last seen boarding an RTD bus in Pasadena carrying a blue dress over her shoulder. Lillian was never seen or heard from again. It is believed that Lillian never made it to the new job at the mall but it is unknown where exactly she vanished along her journey between her home and the mall."

Missing Person: Lillian Rochelle Holmes
Last-contact date: March 22nd, 1984 (Thursday) -- NamUs says she was seen at 630AM, another source says noon to 1pm
The area where the MP was last seen: Pasadena, California at Lake Avenue and Rio Grande Street
Link to government source: NamUs MP14475

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: Black (described as a light-skinned mulatto)
Sex: Female
Age at time of disappearance: 21 years old
Birthdate: January 23rd, 1963
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Hazel
Scar: None indicated
Height/weight: 5'2" to 5'5" and 105 to 120 pounds
BMI*: Lillian Rochelle Holmes was in the normal range for BMI.
Tattoos: Lillian Rochelle Holmes did not have any tattoos associated with her profiles. If you know that the missing person did have tattoos, then please post a remark at the end of this blog post on the matter.

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: March 22nd, 2021

Lillian Rochelle Holmes was last heard from on March 22nd, 1984 when she was 21 years of age. This individual disappeared during her commute on what was her first day of a new job according to the NamUs description. She has been missing for about 41 years as of early 2025.

What stands out with this case to me was the fact that it was her first day at a new job. I considered the possibility that she was not entirely familiar with her commute. When I research modern routes, the trip between Pasadena and the mall should not have been complicated for Lillian. Evidently, things did not go as planned.

I found her in high school yearbooks from Pasadena in what would have been earlier times of her life. It's clear that she lived in the area for at least seven years prior to disappearing. She is in the 1978 Pasadena High School yearbook as a freshman. That picture is below but the one at the top of this article is from closer to the time she disappeared.

A search for journalism regarding this case failed when I used my membership at Newspapers.com. However, she was definitely covered somewhere as NamUs included an uncredited newspaper article in their profile. Apparently, this newspaper article wasn't in the newspapers that are included in the Newspaper.com database at the time of this article's research.

In reading below, you will note that the missing person had a blue dress in her possession that she had just gotten from the laundromat. The location of this laundromat would be interesting to learn. Also, the journalism indicates that she was last seen later in the day than what the NamUs description states.

I would like to credit this article to the source. If you know where it appeared, then please comment at the end of this blog post.

NamUs says she was last seen at 630AM by her father, whose name was Kenneth Holmes. However, the newspaper article clipped above says she was last seen between noon and 1pm by a bus passenger. There is a contradiction here to try and make sense of.

I think her day likely involved leaving home at 630AM, going to the cleaners, perhaps going for lunch, and then taking the bus from the laundromat to the mall where she was to start her job. That scenario is how I've made sense of the contradicting information in this case.

The following clippings are advertisements from the Robinson's store that she was going to work at. One of them may even have been the job that Lillian applied to as the timing is about right.

Sun, Feb 5, 1984 – 660 · The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) · Newspapers.com

Sun, Mar 4, 1984 – 613 · The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) · Newspapers.com

I think trying to trace her exact commute would be useful. What laundromat she used is one question in this case. Where she might have gone to lunch would be a point to note too, however, that seems difficult to figure out after all these years. 

I'm picturing an abduction in this case because of how attractive Lillian was and the fact that I think she was showing up for work eager to make a good first impression in the type of job where looks mattered to the employer. Sales Associate or Product Display positions in department stores usually feature well-dressed and attractive women. That would also attract a lot of attention her way during her commute.

Abduction on a city bus is hard to do with a grown adult like Lillian. A commotion would create witnesses. The same could be said inside the mall. In my opinion, the part of her commute where she was most vulnerable would be the mall parking lot. That is my presumptive area of interest for where she might have been abducted.

Along these lines, a similar case would be that of Cindy Lee Mellin. She was a department store employee that was practically known to have been abducted in the parking lot of the mall where she worked. In Mellin's case, it happened during her commute as well but after her shift. Mellin's disappearance was 14 years earlier in 1970 and about 80 miles away in Ventura. Mellin was 19 and she a female. That's pretty close to the same demographics as Holmes. 

These cases may be unrelated but, if you agree that the mall parking lot was the most dangerous park of Lillian's commute, then they do have some interesting similarities. If either missing person is to be found then certainly a lot of work remains to be done. 

Author: Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths)

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Shane Lambert (UncoolNegated on Websleuths) is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of March 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.
**Text might be paraphrased. If taken verbatim, then grammar or spelling errors are not necessarily corrected from original sources.
Disclaimer: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing persons case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.

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Mary Leah Rodermund -- Missing Since March 1978

Details from NamUs**: 

Sent to a local drugstore and did not return home. The vehicle she had driven was located in the drug store parking lot.

 

Missing Person: Mary Leah Rodermund
Last-contact date: March 2nd, 1978 between 7:30pm and 8pm (she had made a purchase at the K&B Drug Store at a mall)
The area where the MP was last seen: Morgan City, Louisiana, thought to be abducted from the parking lot at the Inglewood Mall on Victor II Boulevard
Link to government source: NamUs MP#6849 

---

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sex: Female
Age at time of disappearance: 16 years old
Birthdate: Mary Leah Rodermund was born between March 3rd, 1961, and March 2nd, 1962.
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Hazel
Scar: No scars known
Height/weight: 5'3" to 5'5" and 110 to 115 pounds
BMI*: Mary Leah Rodermund was in the normal range for BMI.
Tattoos: Mary Leah Rodermund did not have any tattoos associated with her profiles. If you know that the missing person did have tattoos, then please post a remark at the end of this blog post on the matter.

Mary Leah Rodermund, a missing person, was last heard from on March 2nd, 1978 when she was 16 years old. I've included this case with the broad site tag "car found person missing." This tag refers to a case, of which there are many, where an individual's vehicle is found but the driver or owner is not heard from again. Mary Leah Rodermund has now been missing for 43 years as of the original publication date of this blog post. 

What stands out with this case is that there was reporting of a ransom request. The family, in this case, was willing to pay the ransom but there were not any details provided on how to do that, according to the early news coverage. The early coverage also said that the girl was not put on the phone, however, much later reports state that there was a second call where she verified her well-being. If true, then that would make the time of her last contact late in the evening on March 2nd, 1978.

Sun, Mar 5, 1978 – Page 8 · Daily World (Opelousas, Louisiana) · Newspapers.com

There appear to have been leads in this case. The article below mentions a vehicle that was in close proximity to the scene of the crime. Early in the investigation, there was interest in two or three adult males that were in a vehicle in the parking lot. Two possible suspects were described as 35-40-year-old men, "shabbily dressed," and driving a 1966-69 Chevy. After the article below, there are composite sketches of these suspects.

Tue, Mar 7, 1978 – Page 21 · The Town Talk (Alexandria, Louisiana) · Newspapers.com

Fri, Apr 14, 1978 – 10 · The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana) · Newspapers.com

This case received daily coverage until about March 10th and then it was covered less often but still regularly appeared in local newspapers. Furthermore, there appeared to be a spat of kidnappings in the Morgan City area. The disappearances of Gordon Mark Cannella and Bridget Cantrell Sons were mentioned in conjunction with Mary Leah Rodermund as was the disappearance of Bertha Gould. Robert Hohenberger is mentioned as a possible link to these cases in journalist coverage.

Mary Leah Rodermund may be among the Jane Does of America. Accordingly, it's important to note what she was in possession of. She may have had the following articles when she disappeared: a brown shirt and sweater, khaki pants, brown loafer-type shoes, a burgundy purse, and a gold chain necklace. These items can be useful in expediting a match if the missing person is in a Jane Doe database. Unidentified persons are often profiled in conjunction with items or clothing that they were last in possession of.

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 March 2021.

Website hashtag: #MPCSL

*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight.
**Text might be paraphrased. If taken verbatim, then grammar or spelling errors are not necessarily corrected from original sources.
Disclaimer: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing person's case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.