WA WA - Marcia Joyce, 28, Bellingham, 30 Aug 1978

[Kat]

The Doe Network:
Case File 1490DFWA

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1490dfwa.html

Marcia Lynn Joyce
Missing since August 30, 1978 from Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington.
Classification: Endangered Missing



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Vital Statistics
•Date Of Birth: June 27, 1950
•Age at Time of Disappearance: 28 years old
•Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'4"; 110 lbs.
•Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blue eyes; blonde to light brown hair.
•Nickname: Marci
•Dentals: Available



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Circumstances of Disappearance
Marcia Joyce was last seen on the morning of August 30, 1978 at her home on Everson Goshen Road in Bellingham, Washington.
She was home with her two children and was last seen hanging laundry in the back yard of her home. When her son went outside to find her, she was gone and was never seen again.

Joyce's husband drove into Bellingham that morning to make a withdrawal from the family's bank account, leaving his wife to tend to their two young children. In Bellingham, the husband received some alarming news when he went to make his withdrawal at the Northwestern Commercial Bank. Someone had cleaned out the account. The withdrawal was likely made a couple days before Joyce disappeared.

Joyce's husband called the Sheriff's Office to report his wife's disappearance after returning home. He was told to call back 24 hours later and make a missing persons report.

Deputies combed the area in search of any trace of Joyce but found nothing.
Joyce's disappearance is considered a potential unsolved homicide, due to the unusual nature of her disappearance. Someone also could have abducted her or she could have abandoned the family.



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Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office
Detective Mark Joseph
360-676-6650
Email

Agency Case Number:
78A04719

Source Information:
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office
Washington State Missing Persons
Unsolved in the News

http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/sheriff/helpus/missing/marcia.jsp

http://www.waspc.org/mp/missing.php?wac=92M0025780

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/j/joyce_marcia.html

Marcia L. Joyce 28, Msg 08/30/1978, Bellingham WA - Help Find The Missing
This thread has articles with information that I could not find archived.

I don't find Marci listed in NamUs at this time.

Marci has been missing almost 32 years. Come home soon.

 

[Kimster]

:rose: Marcia is our featured cold case from 2/3/2014 to 2/10/2014 :rose:

 

[IvanaBeverlyPotts]

What an odd disappearance.. :/ has there been any theories regarding how it went down?

 

[Mouse]

The Help Find the Missing link doesn't seem to be working any more, but I found this thread that has a couple of articles with more information:

http://missing87975.yuku.com/topic/4098/WA-COLD-CASE-1978-MARCIA-LYNN-JOYCE#.UvD3A_ldV5h

Also, here's a thread from an extended family member (cousin) of Marci's:

http://community.babycenter.com/post/a8977295/had_to_share_my_amazing_story.

The second paragraph of her post is pretty interesting--

ETA: Make sure you read the discussion thread in the second link I've posted. A claim is made that Marci Joyce's husband had the marriage annulled and then remarried after her disappearance (although it doesn't say how soon after). Also, sadly, it seems like things were pretty bad for Marci's son, and that the disappearance tore the family apart in more ways than one.

 

[Mouse]

"Justice for the Missing and Murdered of Whatcom and Skagit County" FB page lists maiden name as "Cox," and that she graduated from Bellingham High School in 1968. (If that helps any in searching for info.)

Seems like it's mostly Marci's side of the family, and her son Tony, who have been prodding LE to keep the search alive, and that this has estranged them from Marci's husband and daughter.

ETA: Also, there is a "Marcia Lynn Joyce Missing" FB page, although it has only a couple of pictures and posts, with the last posting in 2011. Whatever the protocol is, maybe someone official wants to pop over and invite the page owner to WS?

 

[Kimster]

"Justice for the Missing and Murdered of Whatcom and Skagit County" FB page lists maiden name as "Cox," and that she graduated from Bellingham High School in 1968. (If that helps any in searching for info.)

Seems like it's mostly Marci's side of the family, and her son Tony, who have been prodding LE to keep the search alive, and that this has estranged them from Marci's husband and daughter.

ETA: Also, there is a "Marcia Lynn Joyce Missing" FB page, although it has only a couple of pictures and posts, with the last posting in 2011. Whatever the protocol is, maybe someone official wants to pop over and invite the page owner to WS?

We don't usually condone inviting family via FB, but with a case this cold, I'll look the other way.

Many of the cold cases come as requests. This time I felt led to find a case that was ice cold on WS and let the family know that all missing persons cases are important to us. :grouphug:

 

[grateful1]

Not a lot but a little more details here:

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/new-efforts-to-unlock-womans-disappearance-30-year/nKbb2/

 

[BeRational]

I get the impression that there was never an actual investigation performed initially, is this correct? I only see that there was a report made and the husband made a statement.
So many questions....
*I wonder if there was a timeline established as far as what time the husband left the house, arrived at the bank, and returned home.
*Is the son able to recall if his mother went out to hang the laundry (last time he saw her) before or after his father left to run errands?
*How close to Bellingham Bay and Lake Whatcom is the home?
*Could this have been a "murder for hire"? (to explain the bank withdrawal)

Does anyone know of a way to determine if any Jane Doe's have been ruled out in this case?

 

[LotsaLatte]

Not a lot but a little more details here:

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/new-efforts-to-unlock-womans-disappearance-30-year/nKbb2/

From the article above:

Tom Joyce now plays with a professional gospel group near Knoxville, Tenn.
He said he used to have records to prove she had taken their money with her, but over the course of 30 years has thrown them away.

 

[LotsaLatte]

I am not sure if an annulment would have been possible as it appears the couple had been married for a while and had children? I think it would have to have been an actual divorce. I am not sure if that is correct so if someone is more familiar with the law back then, please feel free to correct me

 

[~n/t~]

Gosh in the first picture she looks so much like the missing woman from the cruise ship in Nova Scotia. There is a 6 year age gap though but maybe she got a new identity????

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/nb/news-nouvelles/releases-communiques/12-10-10-113629-eng.htm

 

[~n/t~]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/american-woman-missing-from-cruise-ship-1.1235007

 

[~n/t~]

I wonder if CarlK can do an age progression sketch.

 

[G&AMom]

I am not sure if an annulment would have been possible as it appears the couple had been married for a while and had children? I think it would have to have been an actual divorce. I am not sure if that is correct so if someone is more familiar with the law back then, please feel free to correct me

If he was Catholic, I believe yes, he could get an annulment. I had a friend who was married for seven years and got an annulment. One of the Kennedys (can't remember which one) was in the news a few years ago for wanting an annulment of his marriage and there were kids involved. I know that in both the case of my friend and the Kennedy, they got a civil divorce as well. The wording of the article is pretty odd.

 

[LotsaLatte]

From the article above:

Tom Joyce now plays with a professional gospel group near Knoxville, Tenn.
He said he used to have records to prove she had taken their money with her, but over the course of 30 years has thrown them away.

If he had records to prove she had taken the money, wouldn't he want to turn those over to LE. Even just for them to close the case?

 

[MicciStella]

Poor wonderful woman....

Goodness gracious what kind of attitude is that from LE so many years ago not to really investigate because of two other big cases...

In my opinion it was the husband.. Just weird ....

 

[kline]

Im wondering if her disappearece was promted so suddenly by the fact the Husband was going to the bank?
Perhaps it was either bail then or be there at Ground Zero when he came home with alot of questions?

 

[Canadian4]

Did she have a way to get to the bank to withdraw the money? Did a teller remember the transaction? If she had taken the money from the account and knew her husband was on his way to the bank she would have to act fast and maybe just left.

 

[~n/t~]

Not a lot but a little more details here:

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/new-efforts-to-unlock-womans-disappearance-30-year/nKbb2/

From your link

He said no sign of foul play was ever found at the home, and that his father, Tom Joyce, always maintained his mom had skipped out. Tony said he never believed it.



Tony was 9 years old at the time. Quite telling that he doesn't believe his dad.

 

[liz b.]

If he had records to prove she had taken the money, wouldn't he want to turn those over to LE. Even just for them to close the case?

And wouldn't those records have been immediately available to LE. ?