Missing Person Photos
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 unknown. 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 to 5 percent 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.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images 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.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Photos
Linda Evans Lunsford
Lunsford, date, approximate 1996; John Harvey Howard
Date Missing 12/26/1996
Missing From
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 10/07/1958 (64)
Age 38 years old
Height and Weight 5'1, 110 pounds
Associated Vehicle(s) Burgundy 1994 Nissan Sentra (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Light brown hair, green eyes. Lunsford's maiden name is Evans. Her ears are pierced.
Details of Disappearance Lunsford was employed at the Walmart store in the Village Marketplace on Midlothian Turnpike in Chesterfield County, Virginia. She worked a shift during the evening hours of December 25 into the early morning hours of December 26, 1996 to prepare for the post-holiday clearance sales.
Lunsford and her ex-boyfriend, John Harvey Howard, who was a co-worker, purchased breakfast at a nearby fast-food restaurant at approximately 8:30 a.m. on December 26. She apparently went to Howard's house after that, and his children saw her, but then he sent them away on an errand. Lunsford and Howard were left alone in the house, and Howard stated she went downstairs and said she had to leave, then walked out the front door alone.
She was scheduled to pick up her three daughters from her mother's house. She never arrived and has not been heard from again. Her burgundy 1994 Nissan Sentra was discovered locked and abandoned in the shopping center's parking lot, not far from her place of work, later during the day. There was no sign of her at the scene.
Lunsford broke up with Howard three months before her disappearance; Howard later described their relationship as "rocky" and off-and-on, but said he loved her very much. They remained in touch, however, as they worked together and Lunsford was friendly with his children.
A photo of Howard is posted with this summary. Prior to her disappearance, Lunsford had filed a sexual harassment claim against him at work, and he claimed she attacked another Walmart employee he was dating and keyed her car, although no police report was taken of this incident.
In May 2021, Howard was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Lunsford's disappearance. He was convicted in August 2022 and is awaiting sentence. A first-degree murder conviction in the state of Virginia carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Lunsford's family members said it's uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning. She held three jobs to support her five children and other relatives. She had been amicably divorced for two years by the time of her disappearance. Foul play is suspected in her due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
Chesterfield County Police Department
804-748-1251
Other
Chesterfield County / Colonial Heights Crime Solvers
Chesterfield Connections
The Prince William Daily Journal
The Doe Network
The Midlothian Exchange
The Chesterfield Observer
NBC 12
NamUs
WTVR 6
WRIC 8
Missing Person Photos
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 unknown. 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 to 5 percent 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.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images 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.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Photos
