Missing
Janice Marie Hannigan
Janice, approximately 1971
Date and time person was reported missing : 12/24/1971
Missing location (approx) :
Wapato, Washington
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
Native American
DOB : 03/23/1955 (66)
Age at the time of disappearance: 16 years old
Height / Weight : 5'0, 105 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Native American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Janice's ears may be pierced. She has a mole on her chin.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Janice was last seen in Wapato, Washington in 1971. At the time of her disappearance, she was a sophomore at White Swan High School. Her hobbies included cooking, beadwork, and watching football. She is the oldest of seven children, and after her parents separated, she stayed with her father near Harrah, Washington while her six siblings joined their mother in Buena, Washington.
On December 21, 1971, Janice went to the hospital for treatment of numerous bruises on her head and chest. The surviving medical records don't identify which hospital she went to, or what the cause of her injuries was. Janice was discharged in satisfactory condition on December 24 and left. She never arrived home and has never been heard from again.
Many Age at the time of disappearance: ncies incorrectly give the date of her disappearance as March 1, 1971, over nine months before it actually happened. One theory is that she ran away from home, but it's extremely unusual for a runaway to be gone for this long.
Both her parents are now deceased, but one of her younger sisters, who was eight years old at the time, has been active in the search for her. Her case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Yakima County Sheriff's Office
509-574-2500
September 2021 updates and sources
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.
Navajo Nation Missing Persons Updates
Facebook pageheader for Janice Hannigan
The Yakima Herald
October 12, 2004. November 4, 2018; date of disappearance corrected, DOB : added, Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
