MO MO - Nancy Brannon, 34, Shrewsbury, 26 Nov 1986

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]Nancy Leah Brannon[/h]

• 

Brannon, circa 1986

• Missing Since 11/26/1986
• Missing From St. Louis, Missouri
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Date of Birth 09/29/1952 (65)
• Age 34 years old
• Height and Weight 5'4, 120 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A tan jacket, a sweatshirt, blue jeans and a gold necklace with a heart or cross pendant.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Light brown hair, brown eyes. Brannon's shoulders are freckled. Her upper left front tooth is chipped. She wear clear contact lenses.

[h=3]Details of Disappearance[/h] Brannon was last seen at approximatley 12:00 a.m. on November 26, 1986 at a business in the vicinity of Grand and Delor in St. Louis, Missoui. She has never been heard from again. Her tan two-door 1983 Dodge Charger was found the next day at her apartment complex in the 7500 block of Watson Road in Shrewsbury, Missouri. There was no sign of Brannon at the scene. Few details are available in her case.

http://charleyproject.org/case/nancy-leah-brannon

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/228/

 

[CastlesBurning]

Bumping for Nancy as we approach the 35th anniversary...

http://www.mshp.dps.mo.gov/MSHPWeb/...cuments/ProjectRestChainofRocksFOUND11-08.pdf

 

[StarrChance]

A little more information

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

Anniversary of disappearance.

 

[Betty P]

It seems possible someone followed her home from the bar and accosted her as she got out of her car. I wonder which bar she had visited? The south side of St.Louis back then had a lot of small neighborhood bars where people knew each other. I hope investigators interviewed patrons there.

Shrewsbury wasn't a high crime area back then. Stalkers and sex crimes can happen anywhere, though.

 

[spartanx]

It seems possible someone followed her home from the bar and accosted her as she got out of her car. I wonder which bar she had visited? The south side of St.Louis back then had a lot of small neighborhood bars where people knew each other. I hope investigators interviewed patrons there.

Shrewsbury wasn't a high crime area back then. Stalkers and sex crimes can happen anywhere, though.

exactly friend anywhere there are bad people wanting to kill because if
I hope she has not suffered so much

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

Anniversary of disappearance.

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

There's so many people missing in Missouri from ages ago. They are buried in the woods and will never be found until mushroom hunters find their remains. The Missouri River also holds a lot of missing persons. Never stop looking. The families deserve closure.

 

[spartanx]

There's so many people missing in Missouri from ages ago. They are buried in the woods and will never be found until mushroom hunters find their remains. The Missouri River also holds a lot of missing persons. Never stop looking. The families deserve closure.

I always have the hope that so be the families deserve the truth

 

[dotr]

Snippets of lengthy article.

Niece dedicated to solving the 37-year-old cold case of her aunt, Nancy Brannon’s St. Louis disappearance

Nancy vanished in the early morning hours of November 25, 1986, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her car and purse were found in the parking lot of her apartment complex in Shrewsbury.

www.nbcnews.com

Nov. 26, 2023, By Veronica Fulton
''Melissa’s aunt, 34-year-old Nancy Brannon, disappeared in St. Louis, Missouri, at the end of November in 1986. “It happened right around Thanksgiving,” Melissa said. “So for many years, we did not celebrate Thanksgiving, even Christmas.”

''Melissa told Dateline she remembers Nancy was her “cool aunt.” She wasn’t married and didn’t have children of her own. “She lived in a condo that had a pool. So she was, like, our cool aunt,” Melissa said.''

“She was athletic. She was a very social person,” Melissa said, noting that Nancy participated in adult sport leagues in her free time.

Nancy worked at a hospital, which, at the time, was called The St. Louis Eye Hospital. “She was a very successful, independent woman,” Melissa said. “She kind of dove into her career. And at the time of her disappearance, she had a pretty high-profile position, and she was also taking business courses at the community college nearby.”

''According to Nancy’s niece Melissa, the people who were with Nancy on that last day provided a description of what she was wearing. “She had blue jeans on, she had a white button-up shirt, she had a gold chain with a gold cross on it,” Melissa said.

Melissa described her aunt as 5’2” or 5’3” with dark, curly hair and an athletic build. Nancy did not have any tattoos or distinguishing marks, but she did have crowns on a couple of her teeth.''

''Melissa told Dateline that she only recently became more involved with her aunt’s case. “Back in 2019, at Thanksgiving, when my aunt handed me the case files, she made the comment, she said, ‘This case is solvable. It’s going to be solved in your lifetime, and I need to give it to you now,’” she said. “And I said, ‘Why do you feel like this is solvable?’ She goes, ‘Because she was actually having an affair with a married man.’”

“And when you read the case file, what’s crazy is, they list his name, and they don’t list his last name. It just says: dot, dot, dot,” Melissa told Dateline. She said she never found out that man’s identity. ''

 

[summergirl1]

I get the idea of innocent until proven guilty, but when the police report doesn't mention the guy's last name? It wasn't even redacted when the family requested it, it just wasn't there to begun with it appears..hmm. I assume they looked into whether he had access to or drove a Ford, specifically one from around 1974. Even if not, he could have borrowed a friend's car or something and they may or may not have known what he planned to do with it.

Phone records could have given some idea if he knew what she would be doing that night, even work phone records if he called her at work. Obviously, he knew that she went out at night so he could have just guessed she might be going out too, especially if he was desperate to get rid of her.

Apparently, there wasn't enough evidence to even consider him a suspect, or at least to officially regard him as such. It could have been somebody else, but he seems pretty suspicious and why not mention his name in the police report? Was he being protected for some reason?

 

[Betty P]

Snippets of lengthy article.

Niece dedicated to solving the 37-year-old cold case of her aunt, Nancy Brannon’s St. Louis disappearance

Nancy vanished in the early morning hours of November 25, 1986, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her car and purse were found in the parking lot of her apartment complex in Shrewsbury.

www.nbcnews.com

Nov. 26, 2023, By Veronica Fulton
''Melissa’s aunt, 34-year-old Nancy Brannon, disappeared in St. Louis, Missouri, at the end of November in 1986. “It happened right around Thanksgiving,” Melissa said. “So for many years, we did not celebrate Thanksgiving, even Christmas.”

''Melissa told Dateline she remembers Nancy was her “cool aunt.” She wasn’t married and didn’t have children of her own. “She lived in a condo that had a pool. So she was, like, our cool aunt,” Melissa said.''

“She was athletic. She was a very social person,” Melissa said, noting that Nancy participated in adult sport leagues in her free time.

Nancy worked at a hospital, which, at the time, was called The St. Louis Eye Hospital. “She was a very successful, independent woman,” Melissa said. “She kind of dove into her career. And at the time of her disappearance, she had a pretty high-profile position, and she was also taking business courses at the community college nearby.”

''According to Nancy’s niece Melissa, the people who were with Nancy on that last day provided a description of what she was wearing. “She had blue jeans on, she had a white button-up shirt, she had a gold chain with a gold cross on it,” Melissa said.

Melissa described her aunt as 5’2” or 5’3” with dark, curly hair and an athletic build. Nancy did not have any tattoos or distinguishing marks, but she did have crowns on a couple of her teeth.''

''Melissa told Dateline that she only recently became more involved with her aunt’s case. “Back in 2019, at Thanksgiving, when my aunt handed me the case files, she made the comment, she said, ‘This case is solvable. It’s going to be solved in your lifetime, and I need to give it to you now,’” she said. “And I said, ‘Why do you feel like this is solvable?’ She goes, ‘Because she was actually having an affair with a married man.’”

“And when you read the case file, what’s crazy is, they list his name, and they don’t list his last name. It just says: dot, dot, dot,” Melissa told Dateline. She said she never found out that man’s identity. ''

Quote from the article

Melissa told Dateline she wishes the coverage included what one witness saw the night Nancy vanished. “Right next door to her apartment complex was a restaurant,” Melissa explained. “They interviewed the owners and things like that, and I think it was a bartender that was on duty that night said she didn’t hear anything.” But, according to Melissa, the bartender reported that she did see something. “She even gave a very good description of a car. There was a car parked back then, running, lights on. It was a Ford. She thinks, I don’t know why, it gave the year 1974 -- that just seems so random to me. But she said it was sitting there in the parking lot of the apartment complex, like it was waiting for someone, and that was it.”

None of the people in her apartment building or the restaurant next door heard anything, so Nancy's family believes it was someone Nancy knew who met her there.

It might help if police could interview some of Nancy's co-workers, boss, etc. Also people she was with that night, and possibly any people she knew from the school she was attending.

Ok, this was my suspicion that I didn't want to mention:

“Back in 2019, at Thanksgiving, when my aunt handed me the case files, she made the comment, she said, ‘This case is solvable. It’s going to be solved in your lifetime, and I need to give it to you now,’” she said. “And I said, ‘Why do you feel like this is solvable?’ She goes, ‘Because she was actually having an affair with a married man.’”

Ok, they should be able to figure this out w/o too much difficulty. The case file lists his first name, but not his last name. JMO, at least one of Nancy's friends knows who this is.

ETA: I have the same questions as @summergirl1, why wasn't his last name included in the report? His friends likely knew.

List of 1974 Fords. Probably similar to the list of Fords in 75 and 76, too - Thunderbird, Torino, LTD, Mustang, Maverick, Pinto.

1974 Ford Models

www.velocityjournal.com

 

[Betty P]

Articles from St. Louis Post Dispatch Dec 2

Nancy Lea Brannon disappeared Tuesday, November 25, 1986.Nancy had to have been "blitz" attacked

Clipping found in St. Louis Post-Dispatch published in St. Louis, Missouri on 12/2/1986. Nancy Lea Brannon disappeared Tuesday, November 25, 1986.Nancy had to have been "blitz" attacked: Nancy Leah Brannon, 34 years old , w/f, last seen November 25, 1986, leaving Halftime Tavern on Delore Street...

www.newspapers.com

• Her purse was found 10 feet from her car
• She had been at the Half - Time Bar in South St. Louis
• She lived at the Cortland Manor Apartments at 7954 Watson Rd, Shrewsbury
• She arrived at her apartment building about 12:30 am
• She was driving her 1984 gold Dodge Charger
• She never made it to her apartment because the clothes she was described as wearing that night were not found in her apartment

https://www.redfin.com/MO/St-Louis/7954-Watson-Rd-63119/apartment/188064182

 

[summergirl1]

It's interesting that the family hired private investigators at the time according to the news article from back then. Did the family ever know the name of the married man she was having the affair with? Maybe it's been so long the older members can't recall now. I'd be surprised if a private investigator or two couldn't find that info out back then.

I wonder what their opinion was on her vanishing, if they or one of them had opinions they gave the family. Also, I would be curious if the man she was having an affair with had access to any buildings or something under construction or family land, etc where it would be easy to hide remains. Besides that, I'd be curious if the eye witness who saw the car that night is still alive or able to remember anything.

 

[iusedtofloat]

None of the people in her apartment building or the restaurant next door heard anything, so Nancy's family believes it was someone Nancy knew who met her there.

It might help if police could interview some of Nancy's co-workers, boss, etc. Also people she was with that night, and possibly any people she knew from the school she was attending.

Ok, this was my suspicion that I didn't want to mention:

Ok, they should be able to figure this out w/o too much difficulty. The case file lists his first name, but not his last name. JMO, at least one of Nancy's friends knows who this is.

ETA: I have the same questions as @summergirl1, why wasn't his last name included in the report? His friends likely knew.

List of 1974 Fords. Probably similar to the list of Fords in 75 and 76, too - Thunderbird, Torino, LTD, Mustang, Maverick, Pinto.

1974 Ford Models

www.velocityjournal.com

Articles from St. Louis Post Dispatch Dec 2

Nancy Lea Brannon disappeared Tuesday, November 25, 1986.Nancy had to have been "blitz" attacked

Clipping found in St. Louis Post-Dispatch published in St. Louis, Missouri on 12/2/1986. Nancy Lea Brannon disappeared Tuesday, November 25, 1986.Nancy had to have been "blitz" attacked: Nancy Leah Brannon, 34 years old , w/f, last seen November 25, 1986, leaving Halftime Tavern on Delore Street...

www.newspapers.com

• Her purse was found 10 feet from her car
• She had been at the Half - Time Bar in South St. Louis
• She lived at the Cortland Manor Apartments at 7954 Watson Rd, Shrewsbury
• She arrived at her apartment building about 12:30 am
• She was driving her 1984 gold Dodge Charger
• She never made it to her apartment because the clothes she was described as wearing that night were not found in her apartment

https://www.redfin.com/MO/St-Louis/7954-Watson-Rd-63119/apartment/188064182

Her niece mentions it appears to have been thrown into a nearby bush.

It's interesting that the family hired private investigators at the time according to the news article from back then. Did the family ever know the name of the married man she was having the affair with? Maybe it's been so long the older members can't recall now. I'd be surprised if a private investigator or two couldn't find that info out back then.

I wonder what their opinion was on her vanishing, if they or one of them had opinions they gave the family. Also, I would be curious if the man she was having an affair with had access to any buildings or something under construction or family land, etc where it would be easy to hide remains. Besides that, I'd be curious if the eye witness who saw the car that night is still alive or able to remember anything.

She was described as athletic & did sports for fun as an adult... I think she would've fought like hell if she had a reason to be scared. Her charley project page was just updated with a rumor that she might've been pregnant?! So I feel like her friends either told the cops something or there was a diary. I'm wondering if this guy wasn't fully named by the cops because he was prominent in the community, donated a lot to the PD, maybe a doctor as she worked at the hospital, etc, just lots of wondering (all hypotheticals). Nancy was described as extremely charming, personable, outgoing. I am sure she had no issues attracting people!

Say he swings by and just flashes her a grin, she would likely just get in the vehicle. I feel like the purse thing might've been this person coming by later on to throw her purse into the bushes to make it appear as if a stranger did this, etc, but if they wanted that to be the appearance, they should've also robbed her to set the scene. This person's wife at the time should also be fully investigated. Melissa aunt / Nancy's sister is right - this is SO SOLVABLE! Cases like this... they make me so mad... it's easy to see how pieces connect and there's multiple lines of inquiry to look into that were not fully fleshed out in 1986... it's not like they needed med advancement that wasnt available at time of incidnet. This couldv'e been solved by boots on the ground, old fashioned detective work. I wish we could accurately test the empathy f others before putting them into SUCH important jobs like doctor or detective or surgeon, you name it.

I wonder if they kept her vehicle or purse and if DNA could be ascertained (Spelling??) from these things later on.

I am beside myself with this man not being fully named in her case file. I can think of no good reason for that besides negligence or corruption within this pd - that is my opinion I do not wish to offend anyone.

 

[Betty P]

Her niece mentions it appears to have been thrown into a nearby bush.

She was described as athletic & did sports for fun as an adult... I think she would've fought like hell if she had a reason to be scared. Her charley project page was just updated with a rumor that she might've been pregnant?! So I feel like her friends either told the cops something or there was a diary. I'm wondering if this guy wasn't fully named by the cops because he was prominent in the community, donated a lot to the PD, maybe a doctor as she worked at the hospital, etc, just lots of wondering (all hypotheticals). Nancy was described as extremely charming, personable, outgoing. I am sure she had no issues attracting people!

Say he swings by and just flashes her a grin, she would likely just get in the vehicle. I feel like the purse thing might've been this person coming by later on to throw her purse into the bushes to make it appear as if a stranger did this, etc, but if they wanted that to be the appearance, they should've also robbed her to set the scene. This person's wife at the time should also be fully investigated. Melissa aunt / Nancy's sister is right - this is SO SOLVABLE! Cases like this... they make me so mad... it's easy to see how pieces connect and there's multiple lines of inquiry to look into that were not fully fleshed out in 1986... it's not like they needed med advancement that wasnt available at time of incidnet. This couldv'e been solved by boots on the ground, old fashioned detective work. I wish we could accurately test the empathy f others before putting them into SUCH important jobs like doctor or detective or surgeon, you name it.

I wonder if they kept her vehicle or purse and if DNA could be ascertained (Spelling??) from these things later on.

I am beside myself with this man not being fully named in her case file. I can think of no good reason for that besides negligence or corruption within this pd - that is my opinion I do not wish to offend anyone.

JMO, it also seems important that her body was never found. Her killer may have planned this in advance and knew of a way to make her body disappear.

 

[summergirl1]

I wonder if that guy and his wife stayed together? It could be that he had someone else, known or unknown to Nancy make her disapear, a relative of his or friend. Maybe he paid the person. It never hurts to take a new look at cold cases even when there seem to be no clear (at least officially) leads, because time changes things sometimes as to who might be willing to talk or what evidence may be able to be found.

It's good her case was updated online to have more extensive or accurate info. There are many other cases that would benefit from that, but it sometimes never gets done and limited or inaccurate info gets repeated.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Nancy Leah Brannon – The Charley Project

 

[dotr]

Nancy Leah Brannon – The Charley Project

From link, thanks..rbbm.
'' Last updated December 27, 2023; medical conditions added, details of disappearance updated.

• Missing Since11/26/1986
• Missing FromSt. Louis, Missouri
• ClassificationEndangered Missing
• SexFemale
• RaceWhite
• Date of Birth09/29/1952 (71)
• Age34 years old
• Height and Weight5'4, 120 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionA tan jacket, a sweatshirt, a white button-down shirt, blue jeans and a gold chain necklace with a heart or cross pendant.

''Details of Disappearance​

Brannon was last seen at approximately 12:00 a.m. on November 26, 1986 at a business in the vicinity of Grand and Delor in St. Louis, Missoui. She had gone out that evening to have dinner and drinks with friends. She has never been heard from again.

Her tan two-door 1983 Dodge Charger was found locked and abandoned the next day at her apartment complex in the 7500 block of Watson Road in Shrewsbury, Missouri. There was no sign of Brannon at the scene. Her purse was under a bush about ten feet from the car, with everything still inside it, including a checkbook, credit cards, $27 in cash and a package of birth control pills. She'd filled the prescription the same day she disappeared. Inside her apartment, the bed had not been slept in.

At the time of her disappearance, Brannon was childless and unmarried. She worked in administration at the former St. Louis Eye Hospital and was taking business courses at the local community college. There were rumors that she was having an affair with a married coworker and that she was pregnant. Police interviewed the coworker; his alibi for the night of Brannon's disappearance was his wife.

Her family believes she was attacked by someone known to her. Her case remains unsolved.''

 

[Betty P]

From link, thanks..rbbm.
'' Last updated December 27, 2023; medical conditions added, details of disappearance updated.

• Missing Since11/26/1986
• Missing FromSt. Louis, Missouri
• ClassificationEndangered Missing
• SexFemale
• RaceWhite
• Date of Birth09/29/1952 (71)
• Age34 years old
• Height and Weight5'4, 120 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionA tan jacket, a sweatshirt, a white button-down shirt, blue jeans and a gold chain necklace with a heart or cross pendant.

''Details of Disappearance​

Brannon was last seen at approximately 12:00 a.m. on November 26, 1986 at a business in the vicinity of Grand and Delor in St. Louis, Missoui. She had gone out that evening to have dinner and drinks with friends. She has never been heard from again.

Her tan two-door 1983 Dodge Charger was found locked and abandoned the next day at her apartment complex in the 7500 block of Watson Road in Shrewsbury, Missouri. There was no sign of Brannon at the scene. Her purse was under a bush about ten feet from the car, with everything still inside it, including a checkbook, credit cards, $27 in cash and a package of birth control pills. She'd filled the prescription the same day she disappeared. Inside her apartment, the bed had not been slept in.

At the time of her disappearance, Brannon was childless and unmarried. She worked in administration at the former St. Louis Eye Hospital and was taking business courses at the local community college. There were rumors that she was having an affair with a married coworker and that she was pregnant. Police interviewed the coworker; his alibi for the night of Brannon's disappearance was his wife.

Her family believes she was attacked by someone known to her. Her case remains unsolved.''

Yes, that's quite a bit more detail that's relevant to her becoming a missing person.