Missing
Tonia Gay Aldrich
Aldrich, approximately 1997
Date and time person was reported missing : 03/29/1997
Missing location (approx) :
Elyria, Ohio
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 02/06/1959 (62)
Age at the time of disappearance: 38 years old
Height / Weight : 5'0, 110 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : Possibly a t-shirt, blue or black pants, a black zip-up hooded sweatshirt and sneakers.
Medical conditions : Aldrich may have depressed at the time of her disappearance. She is supposed to take daily medication to prevent seizures, and doesn't have it with her.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Aldrich has a tattoo of a panda bear on her right shoulder and she may have a small tattoo of a star on her left shoulder. Her ears and navel are pierced. Her maiden name is Woodburn. She wears eyeglasses for reading. Aldrich has had the toenails removed from the big toes on both feet, and she has previously broken her finger.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Aldrich was last seen on March 29, 1997 in Elyria, Ohio. She was at Chris's Place, a bar on Clark Street, at the time of her disappearance. Aldrich left the bar at 2:00 a.m., near closing time, and walked east on Clark Street towards Concord Avenue. She has never been heard from again.
The same night Aldrich disappeared, her purse was found on her mother's doorstep with her medicine inside it. Her mother took them inside, not realizing there was a problem. Aldrich's brother reported her missing several days later when he dropped by their mother's house and found out she'd never returned to pick up her belongings.
Prior to her disappearance, Aldrich kept in regular touch with her brother's wife, speaking to her three to five times a week. She would always tell her family members whenever she went anywhere. After late March 1997, she never contacted her loved ones again.
Foul play is suspected in Aldrich's disappearance; she hasn't used her credit cards, Social Security number or driver's license since 1997. Her brother stated she liked to sing and enjoyed going to karaoke nights at bars. Foul play is suspected in her case, which remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Elyria Police Department
440-326-1205
440-323-3302
September 2021 updates and sources
Elyria Police Department
NewspaperArchive
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 Chronicle-Telegram
October 12, 2004. April 1, 2012; picture : and Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
