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

Norma Mae Maynard

Maynard, date, approximate 1979
Date Missing 02/03/1979
Missing From
Boone, Iowa
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 09/02/1917 (105)
Age 61 years old
Height and Weight 5'3, 175 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Gray hair, blue eyes.
Details of Disappearance Maynard was last seen in Boone, Iowa on February 3, 1979. This was just a few weeks after her husband of 30 years died of a stroke. At the time of her disappearance, Maynard lived with her adult son. He stated she packed a few clothing items and her purse, and left a note behind saying she was going away and would be in touch, and not to look for her.
There were no indications of a break-in and nothing appeared to be missing. Maynard's house was fully paid for and she had valuable antiques inside it, and she left behind her checkbook and jewelry. She had savings in the bank and relied on her husband's pension to live.
Her husband's funeral bill was paid for by a check dated four days after her disappearance and signed "Mrs. Carl Maynard." The signature appeared to match Maynard's handwriting, and her son said she had signed a blank check and left it with him to fill in and pay the bill.
An employee at the local Greyhound bus station said he saw a woman matching Maynard's description board a bus bound for Los Angeles, California; however, police described the sighting as "shaky" and said Maynard didn't normally travel by bus and had no family or friends in Los Angeles.
She has never been heard from again, and since her disappearance she hasn't accessed her bank account. Prior to her disappearance, she habitually kept large sums of cash in her purse.
Maynard is described as a shy woman who didn't drive and spent most of her time at home; she had a very regular routine. She was very close to her mother, who was in poor health in 1979; her mother has since died.
According to her brothers, she dropped out of high school in the tenth grade and worked as a waitress and at a munitions plant until her marriage. Her brothers stated she had no employable skills and had never been more than a few miles from her hometown. Some members of Maynard's family have accused her son of being involved in her disappearance, but he maintains his innocence and police have not named him as a suspect. He has since moved out of state.
The circumstances of Maynard's disappearance are unclear, but foul play is possible in her disappearance; she may have been taken against her will. She was declared ly dead in 1986. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Boone Police Department
515-432-3456
Other
Iowa Missing Person Information Clearinghouse
Iowa Cold s
The Des Moines Register

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