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

Esther Mae Gesler








Gesler, date, approximate 1976; Glenn Bagley in 1979; Bagley, date, approximate 2009
Date Missing 03/13/1976
Missing From
Auburn, Washington
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 05/16/1938 (84)
Age 37 years old
Height and Weight 5'8, 155 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A red t-shirt with the words "ATHLETE'S FOOT" in white lettering, a black leather coat with a fur collar and red and white checkered pants.
Associated Vehicle(s) Metallic blue 1973 Mercury station wagon (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, green eyes. Gesler has a Cesarean section scar on her abdomen. She may use the last name Bagley.
Details of Disappearance Gesler was last seen in Auburn, Washington on March 13, 1976. She left her husband and children at home in the 400 block of north Prospect at 11:00 a.m., saying she was going to rent a hotel room so she could be alone and study for an upcoming college final exam; she was taking night classes to become a para secretary. She was driving a metallic blue 1973 Mercury station wagon. She said she would return the next day.
Gesler kept a hairdresser's appointment in Auburn, Washington that day. She never returned home and has never been heard from again. After her disappearance, her car was found abandoned in a municipal parking lot at 1st Street northeast and B Street in Auburn.
Authorities believe Gesler was murdered by her ex-husband, Glenn Allan Bagley. Photos of Bagley are posted with this summary. It was his car Gesler was driving on the day of her disappearance, and phone records prove he called her a few days before.
Investigators believe he was responsible for the 1973 disappearances of Althea Blankinship and her son Jeffrey as well; they lived in a small rented apartment inside Bagley's home in Port Townsend, Washington, and he was the last person to see them.
Bagley moved to the Philippines shortly after Gesler disappeared and worked as a civil engineer in the capital city of Manila for many years. He never spoke to Washington police again, although over the years they tried to build a against him for murder.
He maintained his innocence in all three s and claimed he was building a cat house in his garage on the day Gesler went missing. His then-girlfriend supported his story, but in 2004 she recanted and told the police Bagley had threatened her life. He supposedly said if she ever revealed anything he'd told her, she would "end up in the same culvert in Quilcene as Esther."
Bagley died of cancer in the Philippines in February 2016. Gesler's remains unsolved and foul play is suspected. Kent police are investigating her disappearance.
Investigating Agency
Kent Police Department
253-856-5800
Other
The Doe Network
KIRO TV Seattle
The Port Townsend Leader

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