IL IL - Mary Ann Switalski, 16, Chicago, 15 July 1963

[lostwithoutyou]

Mary Ann Switalski

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: July 15, 1963 from Chicago, Illinois
Classification: Endangered Runaway
Age: 16 years old
Height and Weight: 5'2, 102 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, hazel eyes.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A black sleeveless blouse, white shorts and straw sandals.





Details of Disappearance
Switalski was last seen in Chicago, Illinois on July 15, 1963. She attended a carnival at St.Priscilla's Catholic Church that day. She has never been seen again. Her parents received a letter from her two days after her disappearance, however; Switalski wrote that she was fine and would be sending them some money soon. She never got in touch with them again. It has been established that Switalski joined an organization that sold magazines door-to-door. It was bound for California at the time. When questioned, the couple who ran the group admitted they had hired her, but gave conflicting statements as to what happened afterwards. The wife said Switalski had left the group sometime before; the husband claimed she had never left Chicago at all. Switalski's disappearance remains unsolved. Few details are available in her case.



Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Chicago Police Department
312-746-6000

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/switalski_mary.html

 

[lostwithoutyou]

Is she really thought to be a runaway? Or could she have been sold into some sort of child sex ring? Or were those even around back then?

 

[forthelost]

http://www.forthelost.org/calikids/MSwitalski.doc

 

[meggilyweggily]

Child sex rings have ALWAYS been around. That said, there's a good chance Mary just never got in touch with her family and is alive somewhere and probably a grandma or great grandma.

 

[Richard]

Mary Ann Switalski
Missing since July 15, 1963 from Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics


Age at Time of Disappearance: 16 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'2"; 102 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde hair; hazel eyes.
Clothing: Black sleeveless blouse, white shorts and straw sandals.

Circumstances of Disappearance

Mary Ann attended a carnival at St. Priscilla's Catholic Church on July 15, 1963.

Two days after her disappearance her parents received a short letter postmarked from Oak Park, IL. In the letter, Mary Ann stated that she was fine and that she was going to earn some money to take care of them. No further contact was ever made.

It is believed that Mary Ann may have joined a magazine door-to-door sales group that was headed to California.

The husband and wife owners of the sales organization gave conflicting statements. The wife stated that Mary Ann left with the sales group and the husband stated that Mary Ann never left Chicago.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Chicago Police Department
312-746-6000


Source Information:

Chicago Tribune
Doe Network

LINK:

http://doenetwork.org/

 

[iconoclast]

Unfortunately for Mary Ann, no sinister sex ring is necessary for her to vanish. I've read a little on the traveling magazine sales groups and how they exploit their young workers:

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21414/door-magazine-sales-cult

Often when a worker doesn't perform, these groups will just abandon that person, and I don't doubt some of them have done more than that. Perhaps Mary Ann started complaining about the working conditions and lack of pay, thereby becoming an "inconvenience" to the boss?

 

[Shamrocker99]

Mary Ann's poster just came through from NCMEC- does anyone know if why it took so long for her to be added??

 

[Chicago Detective]

I am a Chicago Police Department Detective. I was contacted by NCMEC regarding the dissapearance of Mary Ann Switalski.

Anyone having any information can please contact me at mark.czworniak@chicagopolice.org

 

[Robin Hood]

Another link http://illinoismissing.blogspot.com/2007/07/summer-in-city-where-is-mary-ann.html
Mary Anns 2nd cousin talks about her in the comments below the article.

 

[Cubby]

A better photo than the black and white newspaper photo.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2277dfil.html

 

[Cubby]

Mary Ann's NCMEC poster/info:

http://www.missingkids.com/missingk...NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US

 

[Cubby]

Mary Ann's NamUs profile:

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/4642/0/

It's good to see dentals are on file and the intial dna inquiry is underway.

 

[Claudette]

Do we know anything about the married couple? Names or something?

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

As the man and woman who ran that magazine sales group couldn't get their stories straight about Mary Ann, immediate suspicion falls on them. They could have been a front for selling minors for various sorts of illegal activity. It's not clear who questioned them about Mary Ann. You wonder if she left or was taken out of the area by others or perhaps starting hitch-hiking and met some cruel fate along the road. If Mary Ann is still alive, you would think at some point, she would have attempted to contact someone from those days before he disappeared.

 

[reportertype]

I think CK is right on. The magazine couple are very suspicious. I think, at the very least, they abandoned her to her own devices if she left with them. Unless we find some reason why she would willingly leave her own family and never contact them again, I'm doubtful she's still alive.

 

[SeeMamaRun]

I saw Mary Ann's page on the Charley Project and I think she may be related to my husband who shares her surname. He doesn't remember any stories about a long lost cousin going missing but agrees that Mary Ann's age progression looks like she could be related to his aunt. I don't want to ask my father in law though so I'm trying to find Mary Ann on Ancestry.com and having trouble (I'm new over there). Does anyone know the names of her parents and sister?

TIA!

 

[SeeMamaRun]

Mary Ann aged to about 65 years old

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

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]

Finally there is Mary Ann Switalski who has been missing for 50 years.

The Chicago 16-year-old went to a carnival at her parish in July 1963 and her family never saw her again.

In Switalski's case, as with most disappearances, there were mysterious twists and turns.

Two days after she vanished her parents received a letter that seemed to be in her handwriting-stating she was going to make some money and be in touch. She never was.

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

 

[annegrete]

Maybe Mary Ann wanted to earn money for her parents prior to her disappearance and naively signed up for the door-to-door magazine sales company. Maybe she hadn't told them b/c she wanted to surprise them with money or maybe she was planning on telling them, but simply never got around to it.

My intuition says she was abducted by this husband/wife sales company. Maybe they saw her as naive kid whom they could exploit. She quickly saw through their ruse and they "got rid" of her.

 

[M86]

Facebook - Mary Ann Switalski

Above is a link to a Facebook page set up by the Chicago PD detective who posted previously here.