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Missing Josephine Yvette Cogburn 
Josephine, approximately 1983; Age at the time of disappearance: -progression to 44 (approximately 2011) Date reported missing : 10/02/1983 Missing location (approx) : Norman, Oklahoma Missing classification : Non-Family Abduction Gender : Female Ethnicity : White DOB : 04/10/1967 (54) Age at the time of disappearance: 16 years old Height / Weight : 5'1, 128 pounds Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Josephine goes by her middle name, Yvette. She has the nickname "VETTE" in script lettering, with a swirl underneath, tattooed on the inside of her foot near her toes. Her ears are pierced. Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Josephine and her younger sister, Joyce, were staying at family friend's apartment in Norman, Oklahoma. The individual reported the sisters' disappearance on October 2, 1983. He claimed that he was out that day and Josephine and Joyce were supposed to go to the library, and when he came home they were gone. They have never been heard from again. All their belongings were left behind. Investigators initially believed they'd run away from home, but as time passed without anyone seeing or hearing from the sisters, they began to suspect foul play. Joyce and Josephine's father was killed in a car accident in 1968. Their mother was pregnant with Joyce at the time, and Josephine was an infant. She gave the two girls to their paternal grandparents; their older sister, Rosetta, went to her maternal grandmother. The sisters were reunited in 1975, after their mother remarried. She made her second husband leave their home over allegations that he'd tried to molest Joyce and Josephine. In 1983, Joyce and Josephine were having disciplinary problems at home in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. They left and moved in with the family friend in Norman. He was granted temporary custody of them. Then they disappeared. The sisters may have been involved with drugs at the time of their disappearances. There have been possible sightings of them since they vanished and investigators think they may still be alive, but none of the reports have been confirmed. Their older sister believes the family friend murdered Joyce and Josephine. He has been interviewed several times by police and never ruled as a suspect in the Cogburns' cases; he's considered a person of interest. In mid-September 1983, Josephine told Rosetta that Joyce and the man had been dating, but Joyce now had a new boyfriend and didn't want anything to do with her guardian. Rosetta theorizes the man killed both teens in a jealous rAge at the time of disappearance: . She says he never returned the girls' belongings, like clothes and photo albums, to the Cogburn family, even though they asked him to. Neither sister's names, birth certificates or Social Security numbers have been used since October 1983. Their disappearances remain unsolved and foul play is suspected. Other information and links : ncy Norman Police Department 405-366-5211 September 2021 updates and sources The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children The Oklahoman NewsLibrary The Doe Network The Norman Transcript 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. |