Missing
Judy Tolane Wardrip
Wardrip, approximately 1984; Wardrip's dog
Date and time person was reported missing : 12/10/1984
Missing location (approx) :
Bethany, Missouri
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 11/13/1955 (65)
Age at the time of disappearance: 29 years old
Height / Weight : 5'4, 110 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A shirt and pants.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Wardrip wears prescription eyeglasses. She talks with a lisp. She goes by her middle name, Tolane.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Wardrip was last seen at her job at the Bethany Motel in Bethany, Missouri at noon on December 10, 1984. The Bethany Motel was her family's business, founded by her father. She went there for her shift that morning, bringing her dog, a Lhasa Apso named Moppett. A photo of the dog is posted with this case summary.
Wardrip's sister was in Kansas City, Missouri that day. When she returned to the motel that evening to start her shift, there was no sign of Wardrip anywhere. This was uncharacteristic of Wardrip; she and her sister were the only employees at the motel and spent most of their time running it, and Wardrip was responsible and wouldn't have left the motel unattended for an extended time period.
The only sign of Wardrip was a cup of coffee in one the rooms, which Wardrip had been cleaning. The television in that room was on also. Her sister called the police, who began a search, but nothing turned up. None of the motel's guests reported seeing or hearing anything usual that day.
Wardrip's dog disappeared with her, but she left behind her purse, identification, money, clothing and jewelry. She has never been heard from again. She had recently visited her father in Corpus Christi, Texas where he had retired to, and he returned to Missouri to help with the search.
Although Wardrip's mother had suffered from depression and took her own life a few years before Wardrip disappeared, her daughter had never shown any indication of depression. She had already bought Christmas presents for her family for the upcoming holidays.
Wardrip's sister believes Wardrip would have contacted her by now if she could have. Her father, who died in 2010, believed she hadn't left of her own accord and must have been abducted. Her case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Harrison County Sheriff’s Office
660-425-3199
September 2021 updates and sources
The Doe Network
Missouri State Highway Patrol
The True Crime Files
October 12, 2004. September 26, 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
