NE NE - Mary, 79, & Frank Oliva Sr, 76, Wilber, 28 July 1973

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]Frank Oliva Sr.[/h]

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Frank, circa 1973

• Missing Since 07/28/1973
• Missing From Wilber, Nebraska
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Age 76 years old
• Height and Weight 5'6 - 5'10, 150 - 170 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Dark hair. Frank is a native of Czechoslovakia.

[h=1]Mary Oliva[/h]

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• 

Mary, circa 1973

• Missing Since 07/28/1973
• Missing From Wilber, Nebraska
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Age 79 years old
• Height and Weight 5'5 - 5'8, 120 - 140 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A housecoat.
• Medical Conditions Mary suffered from heart problems, high blood pressure and memory problems at the time of her disappearance, and she was also reportedly depressed. She had dental surgery days before her disappearance. She requires medication for her heart condition and pain medication for the dental surgery, both of which she left behind.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Dark hair.

[h=3]Details of Disappearance[/h] Frank was last seen in Wilber, Nebraska on July 28, 1973. He disappeared with his wife of 52 years, Mary. Neighbors saw the couple come home between 8:00 and 9:00 that evening, just as it was getting dark. They left again a few minutes later, pulled out of their driveway, headed north, then turned east on the first cross street.

The Olivas have never been heard from again. Their daughter-in-law, Shirley, came by after she found out they hadn't been seen for a week and their newspapers and milk deliveries had been piling up. The front door was closed but unlocked, nothing appeared to be out of place at their house, and Mary had left behind two bottles of medicine and her black purse, which she always carried with her. Only their beige 1958 Chevrolet 210 with the license plate number 225-910 was missing.

Frank moved to the United States at the age of seventeen and became a mason, carpenter and farmer. Mary is a Nebraska native. The Olivas moved to Wilber in 1957; many Czech immigrants lived in the town and they held a Czech Festival very year. After his retirement Frank continued to take odd jobs in the area. Mary appeared to be happy in Wilber and she enjoyed working in her garden and playing bingo on weekends.

Mary's son by her first marriage died in 1959, and in 1960 the couple's daughter died of polio. Only one child, their son Frank Jr., remained. Mary's health was declining by 1973 and Shirley, Frank Jr.'s wife, came over frequently to help out around the house.

Shortly before his disappearance, Frank told his son he didn't think he would travel anymore. He and Mary rarely left the county, although he frequently took her for drives in the local area. When they left home they usually traveled south into Wilber or to Frank's farm near Western, Nebraska, which Frank Jr. managed. However, two weeks before the disappearances, Frank Sr. purchased a Kansas-Nebraska road map at a local gas station.

Authorities and Frank Jr. believe the Olivas committed suicide together. The theory is that Frank Sr. drove their car into a water-filled sandpit because he felt he was unable to take care of Mary any longer. He was depressed over Mary's health and had said repeatedly that he would not put his wife in a nursing home. Investigators searched nearby sandpits, but didn't come up with any evidence. The Olivas were declared legally dead seven years after the were last seen. They have never been located and their cases remain unsolved.

http://charleyproject.org/case/frank-oliva-sr

http://charleyproject.org/case/mary-oliva

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/21273/

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/21274/

 

[glamourkitty1922]

She went out for a drive wearing only a housecoat. The neighbors found that odd. Still missing

 

[CastlesBurning]

Bumping for Frank and Mary, as today is the 47th anniversary of their disappearance.

 

[Atombudd]

Frank and Mary's son Frank Oliva Jr. passed away in 2013.
Obituary for Frank Oliva at Kuncl Funeral Home ~ Crete

 

[Diane Redfern]

To sum up, they didn't locate the car, but based on what they know, they believe the car and the Olivas are buried in an old sandpit.

 

[ProductiveOne]

Frank Oliva's case, and an unidentified male's case submitted to NamUs, and both investigating agencies. More details here (Warning: mild post-mortem photo):

OH - OH - Chagrin Falls, WhtMale 55-65, UP15998, clothes, Oct'72

 

[renaebri]

To sum up, they didn't locate the car, but based on what they know, they believe the car and the Olivas are buried in an old sandpit.

With the part about him buying a Kansas-Nebraska road map at a local gas station, I wonder if there's a chance he went to a body of water on the map? I don't think he'd need it to find those sand pits.

I tried looking at road maps of that time, they only seem to show larger lakes. I was looking at Bluestem Lake and Olive Creek Lake but they don't appear on the ones i've found. Tuttle Creek Lake and Lovewell Reservoir show up, and the Missouri River ofc, but those are all around close to 70 miles. It's said Frank didn't like driving at night though and they left at dusk so I don't know how likely they are.

Hoping they can still be found..