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 Case Updates with Photos

Ann Gotlib












Ann, date, approximate 1983; Age-progression to age 49 (date, approximate 2020); Ann's bicycle; Gregory Oakley in 1984
Date Missing 06/01/1983
Missing From
Louisville, Kentucky
Missing Classification Non-Family Abduction
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 05/05/1971 (51)
Age 12 years old
Height and Weight 5'1, 85 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A red and white t-shirt, navy blue shorts with white stripes on the sides, beige sneakers and gold earrings with purple stones.
Associated Vehicle(s) Red and white bicycle (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Red hair, gray eyes. Ann has facial freckles. She has moles on her lower back. Her ears are pierced. Her eyebrows are very light-colored. Ann is a Russian Jewish immigrant and speaks fluent Russian and English. She arrived in the United States in 1980. She may spell her last name "Gotliv" and some agencies give her first name as "Anna."
Details of Disappearance Ann was last seen in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky on June 1, 1983. She was riding her red and white bicycle from the Bashford Manor Mall back to her family's residence between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Her bicycle was later found propped up against a brick pillar outside of Bacon's Department Store in the mall; a photo of the bicycle is posted with this summary. Ann never arrived home and has not been heard from again. The mall was across the street from her Gerald Court home.
Tanya was the last person to see Ann before she vanished. Ester said Ann had never visited her apartment. Officials eventually concluded that the dog erred when distracted by the smell of cooking food. The entire family was checked and all were cleared of involvement.
There was speculation that Ann ran because she was having trouble adjusting to life in America. Her loved ones say she was not unusually anxious and, if she had decided to run away, she would probably have contacted them eventually or taken money and her favorite possessions.
There were several reported sightings of her, particularly in the Brighton Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, which has a high concentration of Russian immigrants. None of the sightings were ever substantiated, however.
A theory that Ann was kidnapped by agents of the Soviet government in an attempt to force her family to return to that country has been discarded.
In December 2008, authorities announced they believed Gregory Lewis Oakley Jr. was responsible for Ann's abduction and murder. A photograph of Oakley is posted with this summary.
He had once abducted his stepdaughter and injected her with a painkiller drug to sedate her. He was charged with attempted murder in that , but eventually pleaded guilty to assault. In September 1983, Oakley attacked a police officer's thirteen-year-old daughter in her home, stabbed her and attempted to rape her. She survived.
Oakley was arrested for the crime in January 1984 and was then questioned about Ann's . He denied involvement, but he failed a polygraph test and bank records proved he made an ATM transaction at the Bashford Manor Mall just 100 minutes before Ann disappeared. Oakley stated he left Louisville on a business trip immediately after he finished at the bank.
In June 1984, Oakley was convicted of burglary and attempted rape and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was paroled on medical grounds in 2002, returned to his native Alabama and died of lung cancer months later.
In September 2008, an inmate who had served time in prison with Oakley told authorities Oakley had killed Ann with an injection of the painkiller Talwin. He was a veterinarian and would have had easy access to the drug.
The informant passed a polygraph about his information, and Oakley's former girlfriend corroborated the story. She stated that at 11:00 p.m. on the night Ann disappeared, Oakley came to her Louisville home and asked her to wash some clothes for him. This contradicts his story that he left Louisville that afternoon, before Ann disappeared.
Investigators stated if Oakley was alive today, based on the evidence now available, he would be charged with Ann's murder.
The investigation into Ann's remains active, and authorities hope they can find her body. Her parents still live in the Louisville area and are hopeful that the will someday be .
Investigating Agency
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Louisville, Kentucky Office
502-583-3941
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Child Protection Education of America
Snitch
WHAS 11
The Child Seek Network
WKYT 27
WAVE 3 TV
The Doe Network
The Louisville Courier Journal
The Fort Mill Times
WLKY Louisville
NamUs
Facebook Page for Ann Gotlib

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 Case Updates with Photos