Missing
Walcie Rae Downing
Downing, approximately 1956
Date and time person was reported missing : 12/14/1956
Missing location (approx) :
Gallup, New Mexico
Missing classification : Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
Native American
Age at the time of disappearance: 32 years old
Height / Weight : 5'6, 130 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A white blouse, blue jeans and an engAge at the time of disappearance: ment ring.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Native American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Downing may go by her middle name, Rae. Her maiden name is Alston and her previous married name is Pearce (sometimes spelled "Pierce"). Downing has moles on her back, and her ears are pierced.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Downing was last seen in Gallup, New Mexico on December 14, 1956. She drove a cream or tan 1952 or 1954 Ford at the time of her disappearance; it has never been recovered. It's possible she contacted her children by phone in around 1959, but this hasn't been confirmed. She has never been heard from again.
Downing was born in Arkansas and had lived in Arizona, Texas and California as well as New Mexico. Her family stated she was going through a difficult time at the time of her disappearance, including a broken relationship. She may have been having an affair with a police officer.
When she left, she told her fourteen-year-old daughter not to look for her. Nevertheless, her five children don't believe she would have abandoned them permanently.
One theory is that she was murdered in the area of Grants, New Mexico or somewhere in the lava fields, known as the malpais. Her case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Gallup Police Department
505-863-9365
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.
Mystorical
Justice for Native Women
Genealogy Today
October 12, 2004. September 9, 2017; .
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
