Mysteries1974
Martha Jean Lambert - Missing since 1985
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2018
- Messages
- 2,380
- Reaction score
- 5,077
I have a habit of looking through old newspaper archives for possibly forgotten cold cases. Sometimes, I’ll find a case of someone who’s still missing and hasn’t been entered into any national missing persons database.
Recently, I came upon a news article regarding missing children from the state of Louisiana from the 1980s. Among the cases were various parental abductions, runaways, etc. But one stood out to me.
In February 1984, sixteen year old Sally Sanderson was reported missing from the Shreveport area. She was last seen leaving her principles office at school that day. She was never heard from again afterwards. Sally was discovered to only have the clothing she wore that day. She did not take any extra personal belongings with her, no identification, and had no money on her as well.
Note*: All photos shown have been clipped from Newspapers.com
The first mention of Sally is in this article from July 8th 1984 posted in The Shreveport Times:
link - Jul 08, 1984, page 65 - The Times at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com
The next time she’s mentioned is in a newspaper article from the Shreveport times on October 11th 1985:
Link: Oct 11, 1985, page 1 - The Times at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com
After this, there is no further mention of Sally anywhere. The newspapers that I were able to find only include very minimal information about her case. I could not find the exact date she disappeared in February 1984 or the name of the high school she was attending.
I searched through Classmates yearbooks and looked at all the High Schools in Shreveport, Louisiana. I could only find a Sally Sanders attending Southwood High School. No one else by the name Sally Sanders was attending any Shreveport area high school between 1981-1984, so i’m inclined to believe they are the same person.
Ancestry
Link: Join Ancestry®
Other than these three pieces of information I was able to find, I have been unable to find any evidence of her being alive after 1984 or anything to indicate she had been located.
I have tried to look into the Louisiana State Laws and guidelines for missing children cases from the 1980s. Many states had a protocol to close the child’s case once they reach age 18 and remove them from NCIC (national crime information center). This was done whether the child turned up or not. This has led to many missing children being swept under the rug and forgotten.
A notable one is Bambi Lynn Dick, a teenager who was reported missing from Davenport, Iowa in 1983 when she was seventeen. When she turned 18 on January 4, 1984 she was removed from her states missing persons registry. No one knew she was still missing (besides her family annd friends of course) until her brother filed a new missing persons report for her in 2009. Almost immediately after, Bambi was identified as a Jane Doe recovered from Texas a month after she disappeared.
I feel this happened to a number of cases back then and we don’t truly know how many kids are still missing from back then.
I don’t know if Sally Sanders is amongst that group of cases but the fact I can’t find much of anything to suggest she’s alive and still here today is concerning. If she’s still missing, she deserves to be entered into the databases.
Recently, I came upon a news article regarding missing children from the state of Louisiana from the 1980s. Among the cases were various parental abductions, runaways, etc. But one stood out to me.
In February 1984, sixteen year old Sally Sanderson was reported missing from the Shreveport area. She was last seen leaving her principles office at school that day. She was never heard from again afterwards. Sally was discovered to only have the clothing she wore that day. She did not take any extra personal belongings with her, no identification, and had no money on her as well.
Note*: All photos shown have been clipped from Newspapers.com
The first mention of Sally is in this article from July 8th 1984 posted in The Shreveport Times:
link - Jul 08, 1984, page 65 - The Times at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com
The next time she’s mentioned is in a newspaper article from the Shreveport times on October 11th 1985:
Link: Oct 11, 1985, page 1 - The Times at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com
After this, there is no further mention of Sally anywhere. The newspapers that I were able to find only include very minimal information about her case. I could not find the exact date she disappeared in February 1984 or the name of the high school she was attending.
I searched through Classmates yearbooks and looked at all the High Schools in Shreveport, Louisiana. I could only find a Sally Sanders attending Southwood High School. No one else by the name Sally Sanders was attending any Shreveport area high school between 1981-1984, so i’m inclined to believe they are the same person.
Ancestry
Link: Join Ancestry®
Other than these three pieces of information I was able to find, I have been unable to find any evidence of her being alive after 1984 or anything to indicate she had been located.
I have tried to look into the Louisiana State Laws and guidelines for missing children cases from the 1980s. Many states had a protocol to close the child’s case once they reach age 18 and remove them from NCIC (national crime information center). This was done whether the child turned up or not. This has led to many missing children being swept under the rug and forgotten.
A notable one is Bambi Lynn Dick, a teenager who was reported missing from Davenport, Iowa in 1983 when she was seventeen. When she turned 18 on January 4, 1984 she was removed from her states missing persons registry. No one knew she was still missing (besides her family annd friends of course) until her brother filed a new missing persons report for her in 2009. Almost immediately after, Bambi was identified as a Jane Doe recovered from Texas a month after she disappeared.
I feel this happened to a number of cases back then and we don’t truly know how many kids are still missing from back then.
I don’t know if Sally Sanders is amongst that group of cases but the fact I can’t find much of anything to suggest she’s alive and still here today is concerning. If she’s still missing, she deserves to be entered into the databases.
Last edited:
