A photo of a photo of Shirley Ann “Tippy” McBride holding a girl she once babysat not long before she disappeared on July 13, 1984.
CONCORD, NH — Thirty-nine years ago today, Shirley Ann "Tippy" McBride, 15, vanished, never to be seen again.
The case, officially a missing persons case according to the New Hampshire Department of Justice’s Cold Case Unit, is one of the most extensively investigated incidents in the state’s capital city during the past four decades. The official release of information about the case has also been limited, giving her disappearance a shroud of mystery.
“Although this case has not been ruled a homicide, the circumstances surrounding her disappearance would suggest foul play was involved,” according to the state’s website.
Officially, McBride left her half-sister’s apartment not far from White Park on July 13, 1984. It was a Friday night. She planned to pick up her babysitting money from the family she worked for on Washington Street and then visit her boyfriend at his job on Old Turnpike Road. He worked at Concord Litho. She was never seen or heard from again.
Officials said she wore light summer clothing and left money and belongings behind.
While originally pegged as a runaway, the family never believed that scenario. McBride, nicknamed Tippy for her odd walk because of one foot turning inward a bit, had run away before but always returned. The family frantically searched for the girl but could not find her and was dismayed by the lack of progress with the case.
The mysterious disappearance of Shirley Ann "Tippy" McBride on July 13, 1984, is still unsolved. But the case is gaining national attention.
patch.com