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Missing Ivy Matory RESOLVED 
Ivy, approximately 1977 Date reported missing : 07/21/1977 Missing location (approx) : Compton, California Missing classification : Endangered Missing Gender : Female Ethnicity : Black Age at the time of disappearance: 12 years old Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : African-American female. Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : In 1977, Ivy lived in Compton, California with her mother, Earlene Williams; her sister, Violet Matory, and her half-sister, Yolanda Williams. On July 20, 1977, a boy named Sir-Kristopher Marshall was spending the night in the Williams/Matory home in the 300 block of east 131st Street. At 4:30 a.m., the house caught fire and burned to the ground. Earlene's body was found inside near the front door; she had been strangled. The children had all disappeared from the residence, and there was a trail of blood leading from the house down an alley, where it stopped. Earlene was estranged from her husband, James Williams, at the time of her death. They separated after James was charged with child molestation and rape in connection with a 1976 attack on Ivy. He was questioned and released the day after the fire, but arrested for murder the next day when the autopsy results proved Earlene had been a homicide victim. In August 1977, James was additionally charged with murdering the four missing children. Authorities stated the three girls were supposed to testify against him in the Gender : ual abuse case, which was scheduled to go to court on July 21, the day before they disappeared. James was tried twice for murder, but the jury deadlocked both times, and in July 1979, before a third trial could take place, the five murder charges against him were dismissed. He is now deceased. In 2014, Ivy's skeletal remains were found in Corona, California, about an hour's drive east of Compton. The other children have never been located. Other information and links : ncy Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department 562-465-7816 September 2021 updates and sources California Attorney General's Office For the Lost The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children The Long Beach Independent 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 Los Angeles Times Updated 5 times since October 12, 2004. May 20, 2019; case resolved. |