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ETTA H. RIEL
Missing From: Worcester, Massachusetts
Missing Since: November 22, 1934
Sex: Female
Race: White
Date of Birth: May 4, 1914
Age: 20 years
Circumstances:
In early 1934, Etta Riel was living with her family in Oxford, Massachusetts and attending nearby Worcester State Teachers College. In May she had filed a paternity suitagainst a local man, Henry Sawin, who she named as the father of her unborn baby. She and Sawin were dating at the time they graduated from Oxford High School in 1932. Sawin moved to Maine to attend Bates College, but he and Riel remained in contact. In September, Riel gave birth to a baby girl.
On the evening of November 21, Riel and Sawin spent several hours alone together. Early in the evening, Riel's hairdresser saw her talking with Sawin and, around midnight, an Oxford police officer observed Sawin's car parked in front of the Riel family home. Shortly after midnight, Riel informed her sister that she and Sawin had decided to marry. Stating that they were traveling to New York City that night, she packed a small travel bag and said she would return later in the week to retrieve her baby. She left in Sawin's car.
On November 22, the day of the scheduled paternity hearing, Riel's sister encountered Sawin, who denied making any marriage or travel plans with Riel and stated that he dropped her off at Worcester's Union Station hours before. When questioned by police, Sawin said that Riel had admitted to falsely accusing him of paternity and had expressed apprehension about the day's court proceedings. He said he was unaware of where she intended to travel that night and that she may have been suicidal. Sawin's claims seemed supported by letters Riel wrote to friends in October in which she expressed a desire to commit suicide.
Disappearance of Etta Riel - Wikipedia
Daughter Still Haunted by Mother's Disappearance Nearly 60 Years Ago : Mystery: She vanished in 1934 after telling relatives she was about to marry the man she had accused of fathering her 2-month-old child. Now her offspring searches for answers.
Conlon v. Sawin, 37 Mass. App. Ct. 545 | Casetext Search + Citator
7 Feb 1935, 7 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com
12 Feb 1935, 2 - Lancaster New Era at Newspapers.com
11 Feb 1935, 1 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com
