MA MA - Simone Ridinger, 17, Sherborn, 2 Sept 1977

[carbuff]

Yeah, I have always believed the old guy. And the part of his narrative that disturbs me the most is why she was in the cop's car in the first place, with no record of it. Maybe he just saw her hitching and was running her in for it, but there should be a record of that. And the possibility someone connected to LE saw her after that.

It kind of smells like LE covering up for LE, y'know?

 

[Beekarina]

Yeah, I have always believed the old guy. And the part of his narrative that disturbs me the most is why she was in the cop's car in the first place, with no record of it. Maybe he just saw her hitching and was running her in for it, but there should be a record of that. And the possibility someone connected to LE saw her after that.

It kind of smells like LE covering up for LE, y'know?

It does.

Or maybe he was the father of the girl who gave her the ride later in September? It seems Simone was very friendly, and knew a lot of people. I wonder if she was an informant? Or maybe it is something really innocent like the police officer saw her hitching, and knew her from the restaurant so picked her up thinking he could give her a ride part of the way, and help find her another ride and that's actually what happened? It has been years since I have known any officers personally, so I have no idea how likely this theory is. It seems pretty iffy on one hand, but also possible. I mean, I know they're human, and they do things "off the record" now sometimes too. A young hitchhiker, especially if he knew Simone, and an older guy who seemed non-assuming? Not recording either of those and getting on with his shift? I can see it.

 

[Beekarina]

And in any scenario, it is possible the police officer's daughter gave Simone a ride on a different date entirely. It seems a lot was lost here....

Edite: Or for that point, the older gentleman could have given Simone a ride ona. different day. The jeans outfit and grey bag isn't that unusual. I wear the same casual outfit over and over again. Maybe that was a travel outfit for Simone? It sounds practical if you were going to hitchhike vs the boots and skirts, etc she is pictured/mentioned wearing.

 

[carbuff]

Both good points. Framingham and Natick aren't small towns, but they're not big cities either and people tend to know the other regulars at places they go. It's entirely possible that there's nothing sinister going on. Lots of things that seem odd aren't.

I live just north of Framingham; people do still talk about her. It's good that she's not forgotten.

 

[Alleykins]

Memories fade and become distorted over time. They lose their sharpness and accuracy. And a lot of time had passed between when Simone went missing and the old man came forward. I don't doubt he gave a young woman a ride, but it may not have been Simone, and it might not have been even the same year as she went missing.

 

[Alleykins]

Both good points. Framingham and Natick aren't small towns, but they're not big cities either and people tend to know the other regulars at places they go. It's entirely possible that there's nothing sinister going on. Lots of things that seem odd aren't.

I live just north of Framingham; people do still talk about her. It's good that she's not forgotten.

That's good to know, Carbuff, that folks are still thinking of her. Thank you for sharing.

 

[carbuff]

That's good to know, Carbuff, that folks are still thinking of her. Thank you for sharing.

One old guy who used to go to the restaurant she worked at says that no man with hormones would have forgotten her, she was that beautiful and charming.

I sometimes get teary-eyed thinking of what she might have been and what the world has lost by not having her in it.

 

[Alleykins]

One old guy who used to go to the restaurant she worked at says that no man with hormones would have forgotten her, she was that beautiful and charming.

I sometimes get teary-eyed thinking of what she might have been and what the world has lost by not having her in it.

This breaks my heart. ; (

 

[Beekarina]

Both good points. Framingham and Natick aren't small towns, but they're not big cities either and people tend to know the other regulars at places they go. It's entirely possible that there's nothing sinister going on. Lots of things that seem odd aren't.

I live just north of Framingham; people do still talk about her. It's good that she's not forgotten.

I lived in Cambridge for close to 20 years, and have friends in the Framingham area. Websleuths has never come up in my "real life" though, so I don't know if they're aware of her case. It is good to know she isn't forgotten. Although that makes me really lean more towards her having left the area, or someone not local having harmed her. It seems someone would have come forward with information by now?

Worcester is so close to Framingham, and so is Springfield. I wonder if she may have headed to either of those initially, and not to the Cape? I keep returning to the comment in the linked article about how friendly Simone was, and now carbuff's mention of the older restaurant patron who said she was "so beautiful and charming, no man would have forgotten her."

It seems possible to me Simone may have had a secret life, even if it wasn't something extremely dark or troubled. She was artistic, she was musically talented, she was attractive. At least one strange guy had taken pictures of her. She hitchhiked. She had left high school. Maybe she had dreams and aspirations beyond waitressing and hanging out in the suburbs?

She was a good waitress, from what carbuff is saying. At least, she was skilled with people, pretty and socially intelligent. If she did take off on her own, I think she easily would have been able to find work waiting tables. (This is why I could see her as any of the UIDs found years later.) Maybe she headed out to California?

 

[carbuff]

I brought her case up a few times when I was chatting with people, early on after I got involved with Websleuths. I don't know whether they would have remembered her on their own.

We moved to New England in 1980, as the computer industry was just taking off. There were good places, and things were starting to look up, but many parts of Massachusetts were just strings of decaying mill towns with what seemed to be no future, and the young people who lived there mainly just wanted out. So I can totally see California being her destination.

And I can totally see her being persuaded by a wrong person, somebody who flattered her beauty and talent and said here, let me take you to Hollywood.

 

[giatocj]

I grew up in Natick and am just a few months older than Simone. I knew the Rainbow Restaurant very well (it was in Natick, BTW, not Sherborn). Since she disappeared literally from down the street from my house...we could walk to the Rainbow...this story has always been "near and dear" to me and was used, rightly or wrongly, as a deterrent by a lot of local parents to keep their kids, especially teenage daughters, from hitchhiking. It's good to see that people still remember her and are actively trying to find her.

 

[Sweetluv]

Giatocj...welcome!
Did you know Simone and were any (rumors) circulating, at the time, as to what happened to her?

 

[giatocj]

Giatocj...welcome!
Did you know Simone and were any (rumors) circulating, at the time, as to what happened to her?

Thank you for the welcome!

I did not know Simone as a friend but knew her from the Rainbow. That was kind of a "townie" place and we were there often. I was in shock when I heard about her going missing, but seem to remember it wasn't for some months afterwards. I also don't recall any rumors, but MA and New England did have it's fair share of serial killers back in the day when it was so easy to get away with.

Someone mentioned a rumor about a rogue statie or local cop but honestly, I never heard that until I read it here last week. I always thought it was more of a crime of opportunity...like a trucker or just someone looking for a victim. Hitchhiking females were always such easy prey.

 

[giatocj]

I lived in Cambridge for close to 20 years, and have friends in the Framingham area. Websleuths has never come up in my "real life" though, so I don't know if they're aware of her case. It is good to know she isn't forgotten. Although that makes me really lean more towards her having left the area, or someone not local having harmed her. It seems someone would have come forward with information by now?

Worcester is so close to Framingham, and so is Springfield. I wonder if she may have headed to either of those initially, and not to the Cape? I keep returning to the comment in the linked article about how friendly Simone was, and now carbuff's mention of the older restaurant patron who said she was "so beautiful and charming, no man would have forgotten her."

It seems possible to me Simone may have had a secret life, even if it wasn't something extremely dark or troubled. She was artistic, she was musically talented, she was attractive. At least one strange guy had taken pictures of her. She hitchhiked. She had left high school. Maybe she had dreams and aspirations beyond waitressing and hanging out in the suburbs?

She was a good waitress, from what carbuff is saying. At least, she was skilled with people, pretty and socially intelligent. If she did take off on her own, I think she easily would have been able to find work waiting tables. (This is why I could see her as any of the UIDs found years later.) Maybe she headed out to California?

Worcester and Springfield are not that close to Framingham...one is 30 miles the other is 70 miles...about the same distance as Hyannis is (give or take). I don't see her headed that way, but what you say about a double life could definitely hold some water, although I also hitchhiked and left high school but lived a fairly normal, if somewhat slightly risky, lifestyle. But back then, we all kind of did if you think back on it.

I'm just glad that people still remember her and are talking about her case.

 

[Beekarina]

They're close in terms of. "jumping off" point. Framingham/Worcester commuter rail? Bus to Springfield? Springfield popped into my mind because I thought of NYC.

You're absolutely right about those times being different. I'm a decade younger so hitching wasn't as popular when I was a teen, but definitely similar risk tolerance, and we were all *way* more adult as teens than kids are now.

 

[carbuff]

Thank you for the welcome!

I did not know Simone as a friend but knew her from the Rainbow. That was kind of a "townie" place and we were there often. I was in shock when I heard about her going missing, but seem to remember it wasn't for some months afterwards. I also don't recall any rumors, but MA and New England did have it's fair share of serial killers back in the day when it was so easy to get away with.

Someone mentioned a rumor about a rogue statie or local cop but honestly, I never heard that until I read it here last week. I always thought it was more of a crime of opportunity...like a trucker or just someone looking for a victim. Hitchhiking females were always such easy prey.

That was me. We moved to Nashua NH in 1980 and every time we needed to go into MA, somebody would remind me to be careful because there was a rogue cop, etc. And Simone's name would be mentioned in a string of names of missing women and girls. Later we moved down here to a couple of towns over from Natick, and some of the neighbors here had also heard the bad cop rumors.

I agree that Simone's case seems to be more likely to be a crime of opportunity.

 

[Beekarina]

Hmm....This discussion of rogue cops, etc. I wonder if she could have been mixed up with crime families somehow? Was the Rainbow that kind of "townie" place? Just thinking how she had the boyfriend in jail etc. Wondering if maybe she saw something, knew of something, was no longer useful, that kind of thing.....

 

[Sweetluv]

Since Simone was known to hitchhike and it was a busy labor day weekend, I think she got into the wrong car with the wrong person.
I tossed around the idea of her being a free spirit and leaving on her own free will. From what I read, she had a relationship with her family, so its difficult to think, after all this time, she wouldnt have reached out to say she was alive and ok.

 

[Alleykins]

Since Simone was known to hitchhike and it was a busy labor day weekend, I think she got into the wrong car with the wrong person.
I tossed around the idea of her being a free spirit and leaving on her own free will. From what I read, she had a relationship with her family, so its difficult to think, after all this time, she wouldnt have reached out to say she was alive and ok.

I agree chances are slim she left to make a new life for herself, never to contact her family and friends again, but stranger things have happened, for sure.

 

[Beekarina]

I agree chances are slim she left to make a new life for herself, never to contact her family and friends again, but stranger things have happened, for sure.

I still feel she may have left the area on her own, or with someone else, initially. It's just the artistic/free spirit/adventurous kind of vibe I'm getting from the information we have about Simone. Agree what we know doesn't fit with her voluntarily dropping off the face of the Earth and cutting contact *permanently.*