Missing
James Otis Anderson
Anderson, approximately 1982
Date and time person was reported missing : 06/13/1982
Missing location (approx) :
Townsend, Montana
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 03/21/1928 (93)
Age at the time of disappearance: 54 years old
Height / Weight : 5'9, 190 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Gray hair, brown eyes. Anderson has previously fractured his jaw and dislocated his hip. He wears eyeglasses, but they were left behind. His nickname is Jim.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Anderson was last seen driving east on Highway 12 in Townsend, Montana, towards White Sulphur Springs, at 8:00 a.m. on June 13, 1982. He was an Episcopal priest, and later on the day of his disappearance, he failed to show up for services at St. John's Episcopal Church. He has never been heard from again.
He left his residence in order and there were no indications that he had planned to leave for an extended time period. The sermon Anderson was supposed to preach that day was laid out on his desk, and his toothbrush and razor were still in the bathroom. Some items were missing, however, and have never been recovered, including Anderson's address book, a treasured afghan, and a pistol. Police monitored his credit cards, bank accounts and Social Security number, but they were never used.
Anderson was separated from his wife at the time of his disappearance, and he had filed for divorce a few months earlier. They had two children and were fighting over custody of them. In addition to his divorce, he was having problems at his job and may have been facing termination from his position in the church. His estranged wife stated he had been acting strange and seemed distant and uncommunicative, which was one of the reasons for their separation.
In October 1992, over ten years after Anderson's disappearance, his silver 1975 VolkswAge at the time of disappearance: n Scirocco was found abandoned in a heavily wooded area of White's Gulch in the Big Belt Mountains, northeast of Townsend. The car appeared to have been deliberately hidden, and investigators think whoever left it there was familiar with the surrounding area. It was not visible from the road, the trail or the air.
Anderson's wife said he wasn't a good driver and she doesn't think he could have driven his car to that location on his own. She doesn't believe he either walked away on purpose or taken his own life, because he "adored" his children and wouldn't have wanted to hurt them in that way.
A search turned up several of Anderson's belongings, including his prayer book, Old Testament Bible, cap, eyeglasses and clerical collar, about half a mile from Anderson's vehicle. They were found on a ridge overlooking Townsend, Canyon Ferry Lake and the surrounding area.
Police could find no connection between Anderson's case and the unsolved 1984 disappearance of Father John Kerrigan, a Roman Catholic priest who went Missing location (approx) : Ronan, Montana and was never found. The two men had worked in White Sulphur Springs, Montana at the same time earlier in their clerical careers, and they were friends.
Six months prior to his disappearance, before their separation, Anderson had dropped his wife's name from his life insurance and changed the beneficiary to his employer, St. John's Episcopal Church. The church collected on the policy when he was declared legally dead seven years after his disappearance. His case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Broadwater County Sheriff's Office
406-266-3441
September 2021 updates and sources
Montana Missing Persons Clearinghouse
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Missoulian
The Montana Standard
October 12, 2004. February 27, 2018; picture added, Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: and Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
