NV NV - Donnis Redman, 14, & Michael Griffin, 18, Las Vegas, 1 March 1958

[nerosleuth]

As much as there was talk of marriage, I don't think that happened, I don't know where the two were headed but it seems a trip to the Grand Caynon played a part. Got to wonder where these two kids slept, a tent maybe? In the car? Someplace they met up with evil and it got them. It's up to us now to find them. I have not given up my AZ search and plan to be in AZ this summer for digging into records.

Thank you for you search.

You have a good point here. I don't know what the legal age of consent was for a young person to get married back then.

My best guess is that you had to show a proof of age. I'm also guessing that a parent would have to give permission in person if one of the persons wanting to get married appeared to look young for their age.

The Grand Canyon was along U.S. Route 66 back then. U.S Route 66 was a well known highway that went from Chicago to Los Angeles before the interstate freeway system was established in the United States.

It was reported in Namus that Michael's car had Virginia tags. The question here is whether or not the tags and the car was registered in Michael's name or if it belonged to someone else.

Could they have decided to take a cross country trip if either one of them had family that lived on the east coast?

 

[scriptgirl]

talelights, why can't you share your personal info on here? the info you have could help others pitch in and solve this

 

[talelights]

talelights, why can't you share your personal info on here? the info you have could help others pitch in and solve this

scriptgirl,

The personal information I have is from a family member, I don't have permission to put it here. The information pertains to Pinky's mother.

I hold a card or two as I want to make sure any person who writes to me is truly who they say they are and not playing me and has information.

Anyone who wants to jump in can, this case could be connected to the Little Miss X case from Flagstaff, AZ but until we locate the remains of LMX, that were exhumed for possible identification for the Connie Smith case in 1961, and try to match to Donnis, or Connie or a host of others from that time, we are in a holding pattern. Another thing someone can do is go through the death records of AZ to see if there is any UI that might match the dates when Michael and Donnis were last seen, or maybe search old newspaper reports for abandon car that matches Michaels to see if it was located someplace near the Grand Canyon or Williams, AZ and auctioned off.

 

[Ambercat]

The Arizona Daily Sun recently had an article about a teenage male skeleton found at a mortuary in Flagstaff and Donnis and Michael are discussed. I am a bit confused because I thought that Donnis was still missing yet the article said --

Then, an old county case on a missing California man, Michael Griffin, piqued the interest that the skeleton could belong to Griffin, who went missing with his girlfriend, Donis “Pinky” Redman in the late 1950s. Redman’s body had been found. She had been murdered.

http://azdailysun.com/cold-case-close-up----file-skeletal-remains/article_fe60f6dc-40e8-11e3-8ae0-0019bb2963f4.html

Did I miss something?

The DNA of the skeleton did not match Michael Griffin.

 

[talelights]

I am just as confused, I have no idea if she was "found" or where or for that matter anything more. I think I need to check around. Sorry I could not explain it ant better.

A couple of weeks ago, they did a story about Little Miss X and included a sketch, no idea where that came from either as I am sure LE told me there was no sketch available.

 

[Ambercat]

I am just as confused, I have no idea if she was "found" or where or for that matter anything more. I think I need to check around. Sorry I could not explain it ant better.

A couple of weeks ago, they did a story about Little Miss X and included a sketch, no idea where that came from either as I am sure LE told me there was no sketch available.

I saw the sketch for Little Miss X, too, recently. It is on the Coconino County Sheriff's Office Cold Case and Missing Persons page on Facebook and there is a link to the Arizona Sun article that you mentioned.

https://www.facebook.com/CCSO.ColdCases.MissingPersons

http://azdailysun.com/blogs/criminal-justice-beat/cold-case-close-up----file-little-miss/article_1abf60ae-3133-11e3-b651-0019bb2963f4.html

 

[dogperson]

This truly is confusing! Donnis was found murdered? This doesn't seem right.

 

[deca]

My guess is that the reporter goofed? Can someone contact him/her and ask for clarification?

 

[dogperson]

It HAS to be a goof because she is still listed as missing on all the missing persons websites. Maybe he confused her with someone else or with another story he has worked on?

 

[alllads]

It was a goof, it's been corrected now and says "Then, an old county case on a missing California man, Michael Griffin, piqued the interest that the skeleton could belong to Griffin, who went missing with his girlfriend, Donnis “Pinky” Redman in the late 1950s. Redman’s body has not been found."

 

[deca]

Honestly, how can someone get that wrong?? The reporter had to have done some research and (at least on the net) there is no question that she is still missing. Oh well. At least it has been corrected.

 

[dogperson]

I am happy to hear this has been corrected. Sadly, I fear the couple met with foul play somehow, since the car was found but not them. If car and all were missing then I would be thinking about an accident, like maybe down in a ravine or a body of water.

 

[Miss Pigeon]

My mother was acquainted with Pinky's mother and they discussed the case several times over the years. I'm afraid all I can recall is that they had planned to elope then disappeared without a trace. And I hadn't even realized the car was found. My question now is, who last saw them in Las Vegas on March 1, 1958? There is no marriage record, but did they stay in a motel?

It's so sad. They were just a couple of innocent kids.

 

[dogperson]

My mother was acquainted with Pinky's mother and they discussed the case several times over the years. I'm afraid all I can recall is that they had planned to elope then disappeared without a trace. And I hadn't even realized the car was found. My question now is, who last saw them in Las Vegas on March 1, 1958? There is no marriage record, but did they stay in a motel?

It's so sad. They were just a couple of innocent kids.

I keep thinking maybe somebody took advantage of them somehow, two young kids like that. Or maybe they gave a ride to somebody who killed them and then took the car and dumped it where it was abandoned.

I too wonder who actually saw them in Las Vegas and how we can be sure it was really them.

 

[scriptgirl]

where was the car found again?

 

[GriffinHull]

I am still hoping that this case is solved or at least Pinky (Donnis) or her remains are found. It feels empty to have buried her mom without her knowing what happened to her daughter. I had never heard any family members refer to her as anything but Pinky. I think her nickname preserved her innocence.

(my children are related to Pinky through her mother)

 

[Odyssey]

I really wish more was known about the car. Was it found in a parking lot, a ravine, on the side of a highway, on a desolate road? Were any of their belongings in the car? Were there fingerprints on it? I'm also curious why it was registered in Virginia, if Michael was supposed to be from California. Was it registered in Michael's name?

And like others have asked, who saw them in Las Vegas? Is it even known for sure that they were in Vegas, or is that just where her mother thought they were going?

I just went through the month of March 1958, in Nevada marriages, thinking maybe I could find them with misspelled names or partial names filled in with question marks as Ancestry tends to do when they can't read something. I found nothing.

It doesn't seem like they would have eloped under false names, since it's been said that her mother already knew what they were planning to do. (Maybe his family didn't, though?) I wonder if it was ever discussed what their living arrangements would be after their marriage - were they to live with her family, or his family, or did they have the means to get their own place? Would that place be back in their hometown, or were they expected not to come back after the wedding?

Was Donnis in school at the time? Did she have friends that she might have contacted, or that might have been in Las Vegas to be witnesses for the wedding? (Were witnesses required then?) I'm just kind of stuck on who knew that they were in Las Vegas on March 1. Although I doubt that most 14 year olds would be allowed to travel to Las Vegas to witness a wedding.

Does anyone know what their relationships with their families were like? If the UID found in the attic from 1965 is Michael, would it be logical that he was alive and well for the 7 years from 1958-1965 without contacting his family?

So many missing pieces...

 

[crystal72]

No Suzanne, the remains are still not been located. The Sheriff's office thinks they have found the cemetery but other UI are located there as well. To exhume all of them and test for DNA, comes down to money, I think.

It certainly could be Donnis Marie Redman, but we will not know unless they get found. Thanks for asking about Connie Smith and Donnis.

Has there been any update to this? I just think this is her and with the comb having PR on it and her nickname being pinky it would fit. Looking at her picture she looks the type to take care of her skin and the cold cream would fit as well as the clothes ( they could have faded in the weather or witnesses may have gotten the colors off remembering them ) There was also a male found somewhere around that area that also made me think of this couple but I have to find it again.

 

[crystal72]

Odyssey
I have wondered the same and haven't found a lot of info on this. Who was the last to see them, who reported them missing , where was the car ( more specific than the town) found and in what condition, did they actually end up getting married, were they planning on meeting anyone there? I know people married young in earlier times but 14 still seems so young even for then but that was before my time so I could be wrong on that. I wonder many of the same things

 

[crystal72]

Revising my opinion on Little Miss X somewhat after reading the descriptions on Namus. I still don't believe she is Donnis Redman as it states the remains had long light brown hair with what appeared to be an artificial wave in it (a perm?). We know Donnis was a blonde. Also her race is stated on Namus as Native American. What I have changed my mind about was her possible age because although Namus lists her as being between 11-14, she was wearing a size 34C bra which seems large for a girl that young with a petite build, so now I'm thinking she was at least at the upper age limit. Also the makeup found with the remains would indicate someone over the age of 11. These items also seem to make it very unlikely she was Connie Smith who was only 10.

The only things that would lead me to think of Donnis are the location of the remains and the clothing: Donnis was last seen wearing a yellow sweater with brown capris. The remains were clothed in a white sweater with brown plaid capris. The yellow sweater could have been a pale yellow which faded to a white/off-white color by the time she was found, but I just can't get past the brown hair and the Native American traits.

Just my opinion, but I think the clothing and accessories indicate we should be trying to match these remains with a missing girl who is probably in her early teens.

She could have colored or permed her hair or it could have appeared that way after being out in the weather too long but as for the native American traits I am native American/Mexican and Irish and by looking at me the only thing you could see native American is my cheekbones and that depends on if I have gained or lost weight and my nose but other than that I have blond hair, blue eyes and usually burn instead of tanning. I don't know what my actual skeleton would look like though but looking at me you wouldn't guess any native or Hispanic and could have been the same with the one found