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 Linda Riffin



Riffin, date, approximate 1982
Date Missing 09/13/1982
Missing From
New Mexico, New Mexico
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 05/08/1949 (73)
Age 33 years old
Height and Weight 5'4, 125 pounds
Associated Vehicle(s) White Chevrolet hatchback (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Riffin has scars on her back and left knee. At the time of her disappearance, her hair was shorter than is shown in the picture above. She wears large brown horn-rimmed eyeglasses.
Details of Disappearance Riffin took a job at a restaurant in Ruidoso, New Mexico in the summer of 1982. She was last seen while taking a brief vacation in the mountains. She planned to travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado to visit relatives there.
Her white Chevrolet hatchback was found locked, stuck in a ditch and abandoned September 21, 1982. It was in a very rugged, remote area known as Holman Hill, a short distance from Highway 3, between Mora and Tres Ritos in New Mexico.Inside the car were were some clothing, painting materials and some paintings Riffin made of the New Mexico landscape. The only thing missing from the vehicle was her purse. The vehicle was in working order and had a quarter tank of gas.
Holman Hill is not a tourist destination and it's very sparsely populated. It is en route from Ruidiso to Colorado Springs, but it's not a direct route, and authorities aren't certain why Riffin was in the area.
A woman at a gas station ten miles from where Riffin's car was found believes she saw her shortly after her disappearance. According to the witness, Riffin appeared to be alone and requested assistance. She has not been seen since. Her parents in Montclair, New Jersey reported her disappearance to police; Montclair authorities are investigating Riffin's although she lived in New Mexico and disappeared from there.
Riffin attended Wellesley College after graduating high school, but dropped out in her junior year to travel. She subsequently enrolled at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and graduated with a degree in anthropology. She has previously lived in Britain, Israel and Peru, worked as a teacher and a journalist, and wrote articles for the Jewish News in East Orange, New Jersey. She enjoyed humanitarian causes and wanted to be an author in 1982.
Her sister described as a "troubled" and introverted person without a sense of direction. She moved frequently, sometimes staying with her parents, and also frequently changed jobs. She converted from Judaism to evangelical Christianity, and at one point taught at an evangelical Christian school. She had been living in Ruidoso, New Mexico for only a few months before disappearance, renting a room; her landlady said she dressed plainly, didn't date and rarely went out.
In spite of Riffin's travels, she did keep in touch with her family. None of her loved ones have heard from her disappearance, and her credit cards haven't been used. Her remains unsolved and the circumstances of her disappearance are unclear.
Investigating Agency
Montclair Police Department
973-744-1234
Other
California Attorney General's Office
The Doe Network
The New Jersey Record
The Santa Fe New Mexican

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