IL IL - Nancy O'Sullivan, 15, South Holland, 7 March 1974

Veidt said:

Do you know for a fact it's him? Smith and Brian are fairly common names. Either way, I have no idea if you should call. I hope a mod or one of the more experienced members can give you some advice about this. Maybe try asking in the general information section. I would say go for it but my biggest concern is that if you sound too suspicious, if he really is guilty he might try to cover it up even more.

I think it would be a good idea to let the other members here give suggestions for things you should ask -- details they really want to know about, etc. For my part, I agree with the questions you have in mind. It would help to have a more fleshed out scenario.

By the way, even in this case it's probably still a good idea to ask him first if he would be willing to talk to you. If he's not guilty or at least not directly, it could be traumatic for him and he might be sick of telling the same story over and over to LE.

I'm looking through that list and I think there could be a pattern there.

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I would say contact a Mod with this inquiry and see if they can help. The mods/admins have stronger connections with cases than us standard users and they would be able to better go through the proper protocol much better. From what I remember in the forum rules, it's a violation for a WS member to request personal information. The thing is, I don't know if a phone call contact inquiry would be classified as a request for personal information. However, the person whom you are trying to contact could respond negatively, or not at all, or even lie, depending on their involvement with the case. If they are even connected.

Satch

Ok, so everyone can agree that IF we find the right contact we should gather a list of questions. What would everyone like to ask?
After that step, We'll get a Mod in on this and see what we can fish out.

Satch said:

I would say contact a Mod with this inquiry and see if they can help. The mods/admins have stronger connections with cases than us standard users and they would be able to better go through the proper protocol much better. From what I remember in the forum rules, it's a violation for a WS member to request personal information. The thing is, I don't know if a phone call contact inquiry would be classified as a request for personal information. However, the person whom you are trying to contact could respond negatively, or not at all, or even lie, depending on their involvement with the case. If they are even connected.

Satch

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That's basically what I said, though... I think you meant to quote the post before mine. :waitasec:

Sarah said:

Been away for a few days so just catching up.



Hmmm . . . interesting. Although I don't think that the two versions are necessarily mutually exclusive.

I wonder if both could be true.
From what we know Nancy was a bit "wild" and had a history of running away and disappearing for a few days at a time - so I can't imagine her parents would have been too thrilled at her going off to visit two boys, one of whom was a drug addict and the other who had a history of violence.

I don't have to stretch my imagination too much to envisage her telling her parents that she was off to a restaurant, but grabbing a lift with her sister and sneaking off to see the boys instead.

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Would the sister be ok with this? This scenario could explain why the boys called the sister specifically (she was the closest to an adult and could go pick up the purse but knew where Nancy was) but I think that would require a lot of assumptions... the other information on this case makes it sound like her parents were aware that she was going to visit them (I may be mixing things up so :moo and it's also assuming that the sister would be alright with covering up for her knowing that there was a risk involved. I know I'd cover up for my younger siblings if they ever asked but only if it was something harmless - going out with friends I knew and in generally safe situations. Visiting someone who has a drug problem and someone with a history of violence is not one of those situations by any stretch of the imagination. Unless Nancy's sister didn't know the boys as much as she thought she did, or didn't believe them capable of harming her. It's possible that she was reckless but it just sounds like she was more the responsible older sister who watched over the younger kids.

Also, jenstar, the questions I'd like to see answered are the same ones you mentioned. Was the original plan that Nancy should hitch hike? Was there some kind of fight that made her hitch hike or any fight at all? Where were the boys that they could see the Cadillac but not the driver or other details? If that person's contact info gets forwarded to LE they might be able to ask him that without him hanging up.

Thanks for the reply Veidt - and sorry for taking so long to respond.
I've been working away a lot lately, so I'm only able to get on here intermittently.

Of course, we have no idea whether her sister would cover for her or not. Although, based on a lot of families I grew up with, I don't personally find it as much of a stretch as you do.
However, what really rang bells for me with your post was this bit :

This scenario could explain why the boys called the sister specifically (she was the closest to an adult and could go pick up the purse but knew where Nancy was) but I think that would require a lot of assumptions

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There were no mobile phones back then, so they must have called on the house phone . . . did Kathy just happen to be the one who answered (definitely possible, but too much of a coincidence in a house with 2 parents and 10 other kids???) or did they specifically ask to speak with her?
From the way things are phrased and reported, I lean toward the latter as I think you do and the bit of reasoning you've outlined above has a real ring of truth to it for me.

But yes, a lot of assumptions and speculation going on with that.
Grrrrrrrrr . . . so many questions and so little information currently available :banghead:

You know, it's really the sister that I'd love to speak to rather than the remaining Smith boy.
I think Kathy could shed a lot of light on the family dynamic, Nancy's relationship with the boys, what the two of them talked about on the trip over to the Smith neighbourhood, what the boys said to her when she went to collect Nancy's purse and what their demeanour was like. . . just little morsels that might help build a richer picture.

I also wonder if she spoke to the boys again herself after it became clear that Nancy was missing.

I also think that we should raise some questions to the sister. Can anyone contact a MOD at this point to see if they can contact her?

Sarah said:

There were no mobile phones back then, so they must have called on the house phone . . . did Kathy just happen to be the one who answered (definitely possible, but too much of a coincidence in a house with 2 parents and 10 other kids???) or did they specifically ask to speak with her?
From the way things are phrased and reported, I lean toward the latter as I think you do and the bit of reasoning you've outlined above has a real ring of truth to it for me.

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Snipped. I was assuming it was a house phone too. I don't think it may have been too much of a coincidence that she could have been the one picking up the phone, if she was babysitting again or generally near the phone (or even had an extension in her room). In some households younger kids aren't allowed to pick up the phone if they're home with an older sibling, I know that I was always the one tasked with picking up when my parents weren't home.

I agree, Kathy is the one that I would like to talk to as well.

jenstar, I think you can just PM a mod. I think they wouldn't mind replying to your message.

I contacted a Mod to see if we can get this ball re-rolling.

I-Team: Several Illinois children missing for more than 35 years

There are currently 25 cases of Illinois children who have been missing for a decade or more like three girls who were recently found in Cleveland.

[snip]

Nancy Marie O'Sullivan was 15-years-old when she went missing 38 years ago in South Holland. O'Sullivan was last seen hitching a ride near a friend's house.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/iteam&id=9093935

Did anyone notice that this young lady has kind of the same story as my sister April?how about their appearances. South Holland was not that far away from Frankfort.both of Irish decent,both around the same height and weight,both around the same age,both disappeared in early spring.i wonder why no one else realized this?funny thing is home wood,is where we had relatives.still not too far from our home.

Look at this story.read april rose zane's story.a lot of similarities. As for the jane doe found in new lenox,il,my dad himself took april's dental records to be compared to the jane does to no avail.where are these girls?

This whole thing is suspect, suspect, suspect. No girl, ESPECIALLY a teenager one, is going to leave her purse anywhere, esp around 3 boys. I have a lot of questions. Number one, did old girl know these boys well at all? Did Kathy know them? Did the families socialize? I am not sure the boys came from an affluent family, but did they have relatives on the local police force or in local politics? I believe those boys were involved or knew something. Did their dad have a shady rep? What was his profession? Also, the fact that 2 of those boys died so soon...well, some might call it karma. Their deaths are worth looking into. That man in Wales-I think he's a red herring.

O'Sullivan, circa 1974


Age-progressed to 52 years old (circa 2011)

I am new to websleuths. Spent last week reading various posts. One of my interests is helping figure out what happened to teen runaways.

This said, the Doe Network describes the purpose of her trip as to visit "former friends and neighbors." It is "former friends" that bugs me. Who visits a former friend. I'm sure it's just word choice, but ugh, it makes her whole trip seem sketchy from the start.

I believe the boys did something to Nancy. Either they are responsible for her murder OR they set it up with the car ride. Maybe they offered Nancy in exchange for some drugs or to pay off their drug dealers .

Sharonrose Zane said:

Did anyone notice that this young lady has kind of the same story as my sister April?how about their appearances. South Holland was not that far away from Frankfort.both of Irish decent,both around the same height and weight,both around the same age,both disappeared in early spring.i wonder why no one else realized this?funny thing is home wood,is where we had relatives.still not too far from our home.

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This is eerie, does anyone have any more links to April's case? Someone with a knowledge of the area should try to check lists of missing persons for more people around their age and with similar characteristics and see if they spiked at one point or were seasonal.

annegrete said:

I am new to websleuths. Spent last week reading various posts. One of my interests is helping figure out what happened to teen runaways.

This said, the Doe Network describes the purpose of her trip as to visit "former friends and neighbors." It is "former friends" that bugs me. Who visits a former friend. I'm sure it's just word choice, but ugh, it makes her whole trip seem sketchy from the start.

I believe the boys did something to Nancy. Either they are responsible for her murder OR they set it up with the car ride. Maybe they offered Nancy in exchange for some drugs or to pay off their drug dealers .

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I believe the boys know more than what the told LE but that's just IMO. Visiting former friends isn't so weird to me, I don't know. I know I still socialise with people who used to be my friends but no longer are because we've moved or drifted away, but when one of us is in town we'll grab some coffee. Next week I may go to a nearby town to stay with some friends I haven't seen in a few years, we're not close at all now but they're fun to hang out with so why not.

It may be just in the sense of them not being friends who saw each other every single day anymore. Or if there was a row before she left and their friendship seemed at an end before she left their house.

Nancy has been missing for 40 years now...

Drugs 40 years ago? I dunno...

Yes, drugs 40 years ago. I was a teen in the early to mid 70s.

Bumping up with her Charley Project page:
[h=1]Nancy Marie O’Sullivan[/h]

• 
• 

Nancy, circa 1974; Age-progression to age 52 (circa 2011)

• Missing Since 03/07/1974
• Missing From South Holland, Illinois
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Date of Birth 01/28/1959 (59)
• Age 15 years old
• Height and Weight 5'4, 115 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes.

[h=3]Details of Disappearance[/h] Nancy was last seen in South Holland, Illinois on March 7, 1974. She had previously lived in that city, but moved with her parents and ten siblings to Homewood, Illinois in 1972. On the day of her disappearance, she visited a family in South Holland; they lived in the 1300 block of 168th Place, next door to her former home.

One of her friends stated Nancy walked to the end of his driveway and hitched a ride with a blue Cadillac. She had a history of running away from her family's residence. She was always located or returned voluntarily to her home within a few days, but after her March 1974 disappearance, Nancy has never been seen again. She may have tried to go to Texas after her 1974 disappearance.

Nancy left her purse and makeup behind, which her loved ones say is uncharacteristic of her. One of the people she went to visit the day she vanished had a drug addiction and another had a reputation for being violent. Two of the boys Nancy visited on the day of her disappearance have since died, as have their parents; the third son in the family was only a small child at the time of her disappearance and doesn't remember anything helpful.

For over thirty years after she went missing, Nancy was classified as a runaway. Investigators now believe she may have met with foul play, as it's unlikely she would have gone so long without contacting any of her loved ones. Few details are available in her case.

http://charleyproject.org/case/nancy-marie-osullivan

Hi, I was researching for a unidentified and came across nancy on charley project, then this page. Anyone follow up with any of this? I think i found greg but not neil. Greg died in 2001 at the age of 40. Brian is listed as a possible relative. I can't find neil. I assume Neil is the car accident from a while ago and Greg was the more recent death.
Greg Robert Smith current public records

Bumping for Nancy, today is her birthday.