I did this thread on MB, so I figured I'd do it here too, for those that might be interested in cases like this. Here's a thread to discuss cases of those who have gone missing. I'll post those that interest me but feel free to post your own. I'll post the synopsis from Wikipedia (if it's available, otherwise - other sources) with perhaps a few other resources as well. Click the headers to find the link to the Wikipedia article (if available, otherwise, it'll be a different source).

I'm fascinated by stories of disappearances - especially those which defy common explanations. In terms of being ethical, I think it's good to get the word out - and to provide details about who to contact if you've seen these people or have information - I'll do that at the bottom of my posts. In addition, I'm going to try to add an additional section to these posts I make from now on - Personal Speculation - in which I give my theory on what I think led to the disappearance after I've reviewed the information. Take it with a grain of salt - and if you think I'm full of it, I'd love to discuss why.

I may end up including the write-ups I've done on MB here at some point, but we'll start with a fresh one:



The Disappearance Of Karen Denise Wells (1994)

Karen Denise Wells - American - Female - Carlisle, Pennsylvania - missing since 04/12/1994 - age 23 at the time of disappearance

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Quote from: The Charley ProjectWells was on a trip from Haskell, Oklahoma to visit a friend in Bergen, New Jersey when she disappeared in April 1994. She stopped at the Pike Motel in the 1100 block of Harrisburg Pike in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on April 12 and called her friend from there at 7:00 p.m. She said she was going to eat at a McDonald's restaurant, then would go to her motel room to take a nap.

The friend offered to meet her at the motel and said she would be there by around midnight. After speaking to her friend, at 8:00 p.m., Wells went to the front desk of the motel and asked the staff for directions to the nearest McDonald's. They saw her leave and get into her rental vehicle, a white 1993 Plymouth Acclaim with Oklahoma license plates.

This is the last time anyone saw Wells. Shortly after midnight on April 13, her friend went to the motel to meet her as planned, but there was no answer when she knocked on the door of her room. The friend summoned a clerk, they went into the room and the clerk let her in with the master key.

Wells wasn't in the room, and all her belongings were there, including her room key. Her suitcase was sitting open on the bed and some of her clothes were lying next to it, and there was a magazine and a pack of cigarettes on the bedside table, but the bed itself didn't appear to have been slept in and there was no sign of Wells.

At 5:30 a.m. that same day, Wells's rental car was found abandoned in a rural area on Route 274, in Perry County, Pennsylvania, near Tuscarora State Park. This was 35 miles from the motel. It appeared to have stopped in its tracks in the westbound lane.

The driver's and passenger side doors were wide open, the vehicle was out of gas, the hazard lights were switched on and the battery was dead. Some empty soda bottles, a pair of shoes, maps and some trash from a Hardee's fast food meal, including French fries, were inside the car. There was a small amount of marijuana in the car, as well as other unspecified "indications of criminal activity". Wells's change purse, containing a small amount of cash, was in a nearby ditch.

Authorities checked the odometer on the car and discovered it had been driven 600 to 700 miles that couldn't be accounted for. The car itself was mud-splattered and scratched, suggesting someone had driven it off-road. Photos of the car are posted with this case summary.

Around Thanksgiving in 1994, the wife of Wells's married boyfriend claimed she had heard from her. Wells allegedly called the woman and said she had gotten married and wouldn't be coming home. This story hasn't been confirmed, and police don't believe Wells actually made the telephone call.

Wells has a prior criminal conviction for forgery in South Dakota. She was unemployed and the single parent of a baby son in 1994. Her mother stated she was handling her life well and loved her child, who was subsequently raised by his grandparents.

It's uncharacteristic of Wells to leave without warning. Her family has had her declared legally dead. Police have not named any suspects in her case, but stated they believed some of the people they interviewed knew more than they disclosed. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance, which remains unsolved.

Other resources:

FBI Listing - Karen Denise Wells

Midstate Mystery: The disappearance of Karen Denise Wells

The Road Trip Disappearance of Karen Denise Wells - Medium Blog Article

After Getting Lost on a Road Trip, a Single Mother Disappeared; Her Car was Found on a Country Road the Next Day. What Happened to Karen Denise Wells? -- Reddit Writeup and Discussion Thread (May 2023)


Personal speculation



I think the most likely scenario is that her friend, Melissa Shepard, got her involved in some kind of illegal activity (most likely drug running), things went south for whatever reason, and the connection ended up killing Denise as a result and hiding her body. The fuel gauge was faulty on the rental car Denise got, so the criminal ended up running out of gas before expected (after taking control of Denise's car), and thus abandoned it in the strange location (post body dump). This would also explain the 700 extra miles on the odometer that the rental company reported (relative to the most direct route from Denise's starting point and destination). The friend (Melissa) likely realized in effect what happened (without perhaps knowing all the details) after she arrived at Denise's motel and found her vehicle missing and her motel room empty, and tried to minimize her involvement/knowledge of the happenings to police.

The strangest thing to me about the case, and why I'm led to think it was a drug running deal, was that the story was Denise was making this long drive to visit her friend who needed emotional comfort. After she called her and let her know that she couldn't drive any longer, and needed to spend a few hours napping at a motel, Melissa (her friend) said that she'd be there in a few hours (around midnight) to meet up with her. And she brought along two men, who apparently were casual aquaintances from the strip club she worked at. In my eyes, the only reason Melissa would do this, instead of just waiting for her friend to arrive later the next morning, is because Denise had something in her physical possession that Melissa needed (drugs, money, etc.).

What do you think after reviewing the details of the case?



Any tips or information?
Please call Pennsylvania State Police, the investigating agency, at 717-249-2121






As I've said before, this is a great thread SGR.

The thing that makes it very weird is her friend going to meet her. I checked the distance and it is around 172 miles, your theory does have a lot of good points. Why else would someone drive so long and so far for a friend that is already on her way? Something is definitely off and the friend is hiding something.


Quote from: FETCHER. on Jul 07, 2023, 02:27 PMAs I've said before, this is a great thread SGR.

The thing that makes it very weird is her friend going to meet her. I checked the distance and it is around 172 miles, your theory does have a lot of good points. Why else would someone drive so long and so far for a friend that is already on her way? Something is definitely off and the friend is hiding something.

Thanks Fetcher! :)

And yes, I totally agree. Unfortunately, no one knows her whereabouts these days - and police unfortunately don't have evidence against her to bring a case. Hopefully she'll find justice one day, because there's no way she just up and started a new life, abandoning her child she cherished dearly.


#3 Jul 08, 2023, 12:41 AM Last Edit: Jul 08, 2023, 03:37 AM by SGR
The Disappearance Of Terrence Shemel Woods Jr. (2018)

Terrence Shemel Woods Jr. - American - Male - Idaho County, Idaho - missing since 10/05/2018 - age 26 at the time of disappearance

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Quote from: The Charley ProjectWoods was last seen in the vicinity of Pinman Mine near the ghost town of Orogrande in Idaho County, Idaho on October 5, 2018. A production assistant from Prince George's County, Maryland, he was in the area helping film a documentary on abandoned gold mines for a British television show called Whitewater.

He was supposed to be working with the crew up until mid-November, but a few days before his disappearance, he texted his parents to say he was cutting his trip short and would be home on October 10.

Woods's coworkers on the production crew said he was acting strange and at some point he ran into the woods and never returned. At first the rest of the crew thought he might have fallen off a cliff, but when they arrived at the cliff they saw him down at the bottom, still running. His coworkers reported him missing at 5:30 p.m.

Woods is a graduate of the University of Maryland and previously worked for the hit TV show The Voice. He lived in London, England for several years after graduation, and returned to the United States in 2018. His loved ones stated he had traveled extensively for work, as far as Morocco, and it was uncharacteristic of him to to a cut a trip short and return home early.

His mother theorizes he may have been afraid of someone he was working with in Idaho, and that's why he wanted to leave. Police stated there was no indication of foul play in his case, but the circumstances of his disappearance are unclear.

Other resources:

Strange Outdoors Blog - Terrence Shemel Woods Jr.

The Mysterious Disappearance of Terrence Woods Jr. - VICE


The Disappearance of Terrence Woods Jr. - Medium Blog Article

Terrence Woods Jr. -- Reddit Discussion Thread (2020)



Personal speculation



I think, as unexceptional as it might be, that this was a case of a mental breakdown/panic attack. I think Terrence either unintentionally - or rather compuslively, lost it in a mental break and ran off set into the woods. Maybe he was under too much pressure, maybe he had some sort of undiagnosed disorder, maybe he thought he saw something that wasn't really there. Either way, I think he lost it and ran into the woods - he probably got far/deep enough to not be able to find his way back, died by exposure to the elements, and thus was to never be found. Maybe he tripped and fell down a ravine or something similar - but depending on the density of the forest, it's very difficult to locate a body.

Alternative theories claim that his coworkers were involved with his death and coverup, but I just don't think that many people could keep a secret like that for so long without at least one cracking. It just doesn't seem feasible - and in addition, I don't see a motive for them to do so.

What do you think after reviewing the details of the case?



Any tips or information?
Please call Idaho County Sheriff's Office, the investigating agency, at 208-983-1100





I may follow this thread but in general I don't like missing person cases when it comes to True Crime.

I like some type of conclusion to True Crime cases. I watch this twitch streamer that does Murder Mondays and she follows that same train of thought and avoids broadcasting/sharing missing person cases because there is no "end" to it. Same thing with cold case files.

I was this cool the whole time.

Quote from: DJChameleon on Jul 08, 2023, 02:46 AMI may follow this thread but in general I don't like missing person cases when it comes to True Crime.

I like some type of conclusion to True Crime cases. I watch this twitch streamer that does Murder Mondays and she follows that same train of thought and avoids broadcasting/sharing missing person cases because there is no "end" to it. Same thing with cold case files.

That's the exact reason I prefer disappearances over solved murders - with the former, there's more room for speculation, intrigue, and discussion - there's the opportunity to discuss with others as to what you think the ultimate conclusion really was - and even though the chance is small, there's even the chance of a happy ending. With the latter, it's already all been written in stone - and it's never good.


Quote from: SGR on Jul 08, 2023, 03:35 AMThat's the exact reason I prefer disappearances over solved murders - with the former, there's more room for speculation, intrigue, and discussion - there's the opportunity to discuss with others as to what you think the ultimate conclusion really was - and even though the chance is small, there's even the chance of a happy ending. With the latter, it's already all been written in stone - and it's never good.

yeah I prefer the solved murders because even though it's never good for the victim I get to hear about the justice done to the murderers! I get to hear about how long they got etc. I also end up watching court trials too and the verdict at the end is always satisfying for me. To find out the justice that these criminals get and deserve for their heinous crimes.  The whole muddled in mystery and the fact that their killer gets away with this disappearance upsets me.

I was this cool the whole time.

I'm not into true crime or missing person stories that much, but I will say, Mr. Waffles is very into weird mysteries, cults, and other unsettling stuff and often listens to podcasts about them so I sometimes will absorb a bit of it through him.

I'm not into stories of violence or kidnapping or foul play in any way, but I do sometimes get fascinated by unsolved mysteries in general.



"stressed" is just "desserts" spelled backwards

Quote from: DJChameleon on Jul 08, 2023, 11:47 AMyeah I prefer the solved murders because even though it's never good for the victim I get to hear about the justice done to the murderers! I get to hear about how long they got etc. I also end up watching court trials too and the verdict at the end is always satisfying for me. To find out the justice that these criminals get and deserve for their heinous crimes.  The whole muddled in mystery and the fact that their killer gets away with this disappearance upsets me.

Totally fair - I understand where you're coming from. That being said, I think if some of these cases received a lot more attention/coverage, the likelihood of justice would be greater.

Quote from: Mrs. Waffles on Jul 08, 2023, 12:06 PMI'm not into true crime or missing person stories that much, but I will say, Mr. Waffles is very into weird mysteries, cults, and other unsettling stuff and often listens to podcasts about them so I sometimes will absorb a bit of it through him.

I'm not into stories of violence or kidnapping or foul play in any way, but I do sometimes get fascinated by unsolved mysteries in general.


An unsolved mysteries thread would be another interesting idea. :)


Not missing person post but Jill Dando's murder freaks me out a bit. One of the most well known TV presenters in the country shot dead on her doorstep in 1997. The killer has not been found but a man was wrongly convicted and served years in prison (another miscarriage of justice in the UK).

Theory.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2698820/Murdered-Crimewatch-presenter-Jill-Dando-tried-bosses-investigate-alleged-paeodphile-ring-inside-BBC-no-one-wanted-know.html

Only God knows.

Quote from: jimmy jazz on Jul 18, 2023, 07:31 PMNot missing person post but Jill Dando's murder freaks me out a bit. One of the most well known TV presenters in the country shot dead on her doorstep in 1997. The killer has not been found but a man was wrongly convicted and served years in prison (another miscarriage of justice in the UK).

Theory.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2698820/Murdered-Crimewatch-presenter-Jill-Dando-tried-bosses-investigate-alleged-paeodphile-ring-inside-BBC-no-one-wanted-know.html

I had always heard people talking about Jill Dando growing up. I was about 7 when she was murdered so I don't remember much but I read up on it quite recently. I'll need to try and watch the documentary too.


Quote from: FETCHER. on Aug 04, 2023, 12:07 AMI had always heard people talking about Jill Dando growing up. I was about 7 when she was murdered so I don't remember much but I read up on it quite recently. I'll need to try and watch the documentary too.

Definitely do. It's very interesting. An irony of this is she presented Crimewatch and her murder ended up being one of the cases they appealed for help with.

The guy they convicted was basically the top suspect for being a bit weird.

I think it was a professional hit man who did it cos she knew something. It's the only thing that makes sense.

Only God knows.

Every time I see this thread I think of...




Quote from: Paul Smeenus on Aug 04, 2023, 12:56 AMEvery time I see this thread I think of...


lol

This is the only song I've heard from them - good song too



The Disappearance Of 'The Springfield Three' (1992)

Stacy Kathleen McCall - American - Female - Springfield, Missouri - missing since 06/07/1992 - age 18 at the time of disappearance

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Suzanne Elizabeth Streeter - American - Female - Springfield, Missouri - missing since 06/07/1992 - age 19 at the time of disappearance

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Sherrill Elizabeth Levitt - American - Female - Springfield, Missouri - missing since 06/07/1992 - age 47 at the time of disappearance

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Quote from: WikipediaStreeter and McCall graduated from Kickapoo High School on June 6, 1992. They were last seen at around 2:00 a.m. on June 7, when they were leaving the last of the few graduation parties they had attended that evening. At some point during the night, they were also seen in Battlefield. The pair planned to spend the night at their friend Janelle Kirby's house, but when they decided Kirby's house was too crowded, they instead left to go to Streeter's (and thus Levitt's) home at 1717 East Delmar Street to retire for the night. It is assumed they arrived, because their clothing, jewelry, purses and vehicles were all present at the house the next day. Levitt was last heard from at approximately 11:15 p.m. on June 6 when she spoke with a friend on the phone about painting an armoire.

The following day around 9:00 a.m., Kirby and her boyfriend visited the house after Streeter and McCall failed to show up at her home; they had planned to spend the day at a water park, and were supposed to leave from Kirby's residence. Upon arriving, Kirby found the home's front door unlocked and entered the home, but found no sign of Streeter, McCall, or Levitt; each of the women's cars were parked outside. She also reported to police that the glass lamp shade on the porch light was shattered, though the lightbulb itself was intact. Kirby's boyfriend innocently helped her sweep the broken glass off the porch, which police later determined may have destroyed potential evidence. Inside the house, Kirby found Levitt and Streeter's dog, a Yorkshire Terrier named Cinnamon, who appeared agitated; while inside, Kirby also answered a "strange and disturbing call" from an unidentified male who made "sexual innuendos". She hung up and immediately received another call of a sexual nature, again hanging up the phone.

Several hours later, McCall's mother, Janis, also visited the house after failed attempts to reach her daughter by phone. Inside, she noticed all three women's purses were sitting on the floor of the living room, and also saw her daughter's clothing neatly folded from the night before. Levitt and Streeter's cigarettes were also left inside the house. Janis frantically called police from the home's telephone to report the three women missing; after placing the call, while checking the phone's answering machine, she listened to a "strange message", but it was inadvertently erased from the tape. Police were "very interested" in the call and believed it "may have contained a clue". They also did not believe it was connected to the prank calls Kirby received.

McCall's parents contacted police in reference to their daughter's disappearance from Levitt's home more than sixteen hours after the women were last seen, and other worried friends and family called and visited the home the following day. Police later estimated that the crime scene had been corrupted by ten to twenty people who visited Levitt's house. Upon the officers' arrival, the scene showed no signs of a struggle, except for the shattered porch light. Police also noted Levitt's bed had been slept in. All personal property was left behind including purses, money, cars, keys, cigarettes, and the family dog.

LATER DEVELOPMENTS:

On December 31, 1992, a man called the America's Most Wanted hotline with information about the women's disappearances, but the call was disconnected when the switchboard operator attempted to link up with Springfield investigators. Police said the caller had "prime knowledge of the abductions" and publicly appealed for the man to contact them, but he never did.[2] Levitt and Streeter were declared legally dead in 1997.[9] However, their case files are still officially filed under "missing".

Investigators received a tip that the women's bodies were buried in the foundations of the south parking garage at Cox Hospital.[10] In 2007, crime reporter Kathee Baird invited Rick Norland, a mechanical engineer, to scan a corner of the parking garage with ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Norland found three anomalies "roughly the same size" that he said were consistent with a "grave site location"; two of the anomalies were parallel, and the other was perpendicular. Springfield Police Department (SPD) spokesperson Lisa Cox said that the person who reported the tip "provided no evidence or logical reasoning behind this theory at that time or since then." She also said the parking garage began construction in September 1993, over a year after the disappearances. "Digging up the area and subsequently reconstructing this structure would be extremely costly, and without any reasonable belief that the bodies could be located here, it is illogical to do so, and for those reasons SPD does not intend to. Investigators have determined this lead to not be credible." Darrell Moore, a former assistant at the Greene County Prosecutor's Office, said the tip came from someone who either "claimed to be a psychic or claimed to have a dream or vision about the case".

Other resources:

People - It's Been 31 Years Since the 'Springfield 3' Went Missing — Here's Everything to Know About The Case

The Crime Wire - "The Springfield Three": A 30-Year-Old Cold Case

The Springfield Three -- Reddit Discussion Thread (2023)



Personal speculation



Man, this is an interesting case that unfortunately I don't think will ever be solved. It's really unfortunate that their friends and neighbors tampered with what they didn't realize was a crime scene and destroyed valuable evidence. Every theory I've come across or thought of myself has holes in it. But the general gist of what I believe happened is that they were abducted and killed. Might've been one man, or more, but I don't find it hard to believe that a man with a gun could've overpowered three women. They probably went with him without putting up much of a fight. Word to the wise, if someone is trying to abduct you, it's almost never a good idea to go with them, even if they have a gun - it's almost always a better idea to fight back or flee - because wherever they plan on taking you, it's probably somewhere with less eyes on it.

I don't put much stock into the lewd phone calls to the house the day after - and I don't put much stock into whatever the voice mail was in my opinion. But I will say one thing - chain smokers don't leave their cigarettes behind. They definitely left that house in distress and against their will. Robert Craig Cox seems to fit the profile of someone who could've done this - and he's made statements that the women were dead and their bodies will never be found. He was in Springfield at the time of the disappearance. He's done things like this before. Doesn't mean he's guilty, and there's no evidence tying him in directly. Ground penetrating radar was used near the Cox Medical Hospital in Springfield, MO, and three body-sized anomalies were found - but it's too expensive to tear everything apart and verify without serious evidence that these anomalies are the women - I don't buy this theory because if bodies were placed in cement/asphalt before it hardened, it would've seriously damaged the structural integrity once the bodies rotted away and there was empty displaced space in the concrete foundation.

Abducted, killed, bodies buried somewhere. That's my general thoughts. But the way it all went down leaves a lot of mystery - and the big question of - why them? Why that time? Was it the women being targeted, or the house? It's hard to imagine a botched robbery could've resulted in the abduction and murder of three women. But who knows - this is a wild case.

What do you think after reviewing the details of the case?



Any tips or information?
Please call Springfield Police Department, the investigating agency, at 417-864-1810