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

Violet Bobbie Matory


Violet, date, approximate 1977; Age-progression to age 44 (date, approximate 2011)
Date Missing 07/21/1977
Missing From
Compton, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Black
Date of Birth 09/22/1967 (55)
Age 9 years old
Height and Weight 5'0, 115 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A white t-shirt with writing on the front, blue jeans and multicolored thong shoes.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes.
Details of Disappearance In 1977, Violet lived in Compton, California with her mother, Earlene Williams; her sister, Ivy Matory, and her half-sister, Yolanda Williams. On July 20, 1977, a boy named Sir-Kristopher Marshall was spending the night in the Williams/Matory home. in the 300 block of east 131st Street.
At 4:30 a.m., the house caught fire and burned to the ground. Earlene's body was found inside near the front door; she had been strangled. The children were not in the residence, though.
There was a trail of blood leading from the house down an alley, where it stopped. The bleeding person apparently got into a car there. Authorities determined the fire erupted in the room where all the children slept.
Earlene was estranged from her husband, James Williams, at the time of her death. He is Yolanda's father. They separated after James was charged with child molestation and rape in connection with a 1976 attack on Ivy. He was questioned and released the day after the fire, but arrested for murder the next day when the autopsy results proved Earlene had been a homicide victim.
James was allegedly seen with Yolanda, Marshall, Ivy and Violet at a Denny's restaurant in Grapevine, California at 5:30 a.m. on July 21, the day after their house burned down. He was picked up by friends in Riverside, California later that day, without the children.
When first questioned, James said he'd been driving to Bakersfield, California at the time of the fire, but his car broke down and he had to spend the night in it. One of his hands had a bad cut at the time of his arrest; he said he'd injured it trying to repair his car.
In August 1977, James was additionally charged with murdering the four missing children. Authorities stated the three girls were supposed to testify against him in the sexual abuse , which was scheduled to go to court on July 21, the day before they disappeared.
James was tried twice for murder, but the jury deadlocked both times, and in July 1979, before a third trial could take place, the five murder charges against him were dismissed. He is now deceased.
Ivy's skeletal remains were found in Corona, California, about an hour's drive east of Compton, in 2014. The other children have never been located.
Investigating Agency
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
562-465-7816
Other
California Attorney General's Office
For the Lost
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The Long Beach Independent
NamUs
The Los Angeles Times

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