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

Lora Ann Gabbert

Gabbert, date, approximate 1997
Date Missing 12/01/1997
Missing From
Pecos, Texas
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 08/07/1968 (54)
Age 29 years old
Height and Weight 5'6, 125 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Red hair, blue eyes. Gabbert has a raised red-colored scar on her right arm. She has a scar on her right eyebrow and a long horizontal scar on the left side of her body. Gabbert has a small birthmark on her inner left arm. She has a tattoo of a cluster of roses on the left side of her chest, a tattoo of a single rose above her right buttock and unidentified tattoos on both of her ankles. Gabbert has several body piercings and she wears eyeglasses. She may be using the last names Brooks and/or Bigham. Her maiden name is Bridges.
Details of Disappearance Gabbert's boyfriend, Chris Bigham, told authorities that she planned to travel to Dallas, Texas from their residence in Pecos, Texas on December 1, 1997. Bigham said that Gabbert wanted to visit a friend in Dallas and purchased a Greyhound bus ticket for the trip. Gabbert has never been heard from again. An employee at the Pecos Greyhound station told investigators that Gabbert never purchased any tickets at the location.
Her boyfriend, Chris Bigham, moved to Washington shortly after her disappearance. He returned Gabbert's two youngest children to their fathers, but continued to reside with Gabbert's thirteen-year-old daughter.
Investigators stated that Bigham confessed to Gabbert's murder in December 1998. Authorities said that he claimed she pointed a gun at his back on the day of her 1997 disappearance and he shot her in self-defense.
Bigham said that he initially buried Gabbert in the Pecos area, but he exhumed her body shortly afterwards and burned her remains inside of a barrel. He claimed that he submerged the container in the Pecos River below the bridge above Farm Road 3398.
Divers discovered a barrel similar to the object described by Bigham in August 1998. Investigators said that Bigham described a three-inch hole near the bottom of the container that allowed fuel and oxygen to enter inside. Bigham also allegedly told authorities about a pipe inside the barrel. The container was located near the area Bigham stated that he disposed of Gabbert's remains. Analysts announced that material scraped from the sides of the barrel were later identified as parts of human toes.
Bigham was charged with Gabbert's murder shortly after his reported confession. Her daughter eventually told authorities that Bigham said Gabbert committed suicide and he disposed of her body. She claimed to have observed her mother's remains inside the barrel afterwards. Bigham was convicted of murder in 1999.
Gabbert was employed as a dancer in various Texas clubs in 1997. She and Bigham resided in a mobile home on 20 acres of land he purchased near the Pecos River in October of 1997. Gabbert's body has never been located, but foul play is suspected in her due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
Texas Department of Public Safety
800-346-3243
Other
Texas Department of Public Safety
The Pecos Enterprise
The "No Body" Blog

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