AZ AZ- Ann Caldwell, 18, Tucson, Pima County, March 13, 1956

[SimsGuy67]

I found a new photo of Ann. This photo was with some of her friends but for privacy sake, they have been cropped out. Also, yes I do know this is Ann as she is the only one with blonde hair.

 

[SimsGuy67]

Ann makes no appearance in the University of Arizona yearbooks from the 50s. This just confirms that she was missing until at least 1960.

 

[SimsGuy67]

Massive thanks to @sonz82 for this new photo of Ann. This was found in the 1953 Radford yearbook.

There is one more photo of Ann in the yearbook but I don't know which one is her as she is with a group of friends in the photo. Let's hope the 1955 yearbook becomes available online so we can get those photos.

 

[Spiritecho]

She was seen with this other girl around March 14, the day after her disappearance on. I believe this is when they separated as I don't believe Ann was with the other girl when she flagged down this truck driver. I think it was in the west Las Cruces, NM area. I didn't find a "Highway 70-80" in the area.

I'm not sure where the Highway 70-80 came in. US 70 it starts in Arizona and goes to the east coast(in a not straight line). One leaves Las Cruces to the NE towards Alamogordo on 70, it goes through Ruidoso and Roswell. This same EXACT road becomes US 380 outside of Hondo, NM (in between Ruidoso and Roswell). Before Roswell, NM you can head north/north east on 70 towards Portales, Clovis(Amarillo is to the East of Clovis). If you go through Roswell and head East you are on 380.

What I'm grasping is it is believed she made it to Las Cruces and no one knows if she went to El Paso or Amarillo? She was never heard from again? Is it known if she made the sorority meeting? Where was that meeting? And from there she thumbed a ride on a semi and went to Cruces? Lot of desert.

 

[SimsGuy67]

I'm not sure where the Highway 70-80 came in. US 70 it starts in Arizona and goes to the east coast(in a not straight line). One leaves Las Cruces to the NE towards Alamogordo on 70, it goes through Ruidoso and Roswell. This same EXACT road becomes US 380 outside of Hondo, NM (in between Ruidoso and Roswell). Before Roswell, NM you can head north/north east on 70 towards Portales, Clovis(Amarillo is to the East of Clovis). If you go through Roswell and head East you are on 380.

What I'm grasping is it is believed she made it to Las Cruces and no one knows if she went to El Paso or Amarillo? She was never heard from again? Is it known if she made the sorority meeting? Where was that meeting? And from there she thumbed a ride on a semi and went to Cruces? Lot of desert.

I don't believe she made it to the sorority meeting. If she ran away, it could possibly have been a cover story but I'm not sure about that yet. There were records of her buying a bus ticket to El Paso, TX or Albuquerque, NM. We are not sure as there are conflicting reports but I believe it was El Paso so yes we believe she was in Texas at some point. Ann was never heard from again after this.

 

[Quoththeraven]

This article states she appeared mentally disturbed from two different sources. And her story at the truck terminal didn't jive with her appearance.

 

[sonz82]

Thank you @SimsGuy67
ive made a post about ann on my missing persons page, also, another person that I don't think ive seen on doenet or namus

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Thinking of Ann Caldwell.

 

[confetticake]

If nobody has reached out to Tucson PD, I'm willing to give it a shot in a few days. What info should I be asking for, other than confirmation she is still missing?

 

[SimsGuy67]

If nobody has reached out to Tucson PD, I'm willing to give it a shot in a few days. What info should I be asking for, other than confirmation she is still missing?

Firstly, thank you so much!

If they confirm she is still missing then here is the info you should ask for.

1. Has anything changed since the 50s/60s?
2. Who is the lead investigator on her case? (Who has it been assigned to?)
3. Basic info like circumstances and such just in case the newspapers were slightly misleading as I have seen conflicting reports.

I'd say they would have a record of her being found at least. I wonder if she has any living family members. If some people could spread the word on more noticeable places then maybe a family member can see.

 

[Quoththeraven]

I don't believe she made it to the sorority meeting. If she ran away, it could possibly have been a cover story but I'm not sure about that yet. There were records of her buying a bus ticket to El Paso, TX or Albuquerque, NM. We are not sure as there are conflicting reports but I believe it was El Paso so yes we believe she was in Texas at some point. Ann was never heard from again after this.

You may be right that she didn't make it to the sorority party. I don't think it was ever established that she was actually at a sorority party on campus and I scanned numerous articles about her disappearance.

(It's a 275 mile/4 hour trip from the university to Las Cruces and a 46 mile/49 minute trip from Las Cruces to El Paso)

A truck driver said she waved him down on US 70-80 in western Las Cruces, picked her up, drove her to a bus station and walked into a bus station with her. He said she told him she was going to El Paso. He left her shortly after 6 am. (Arizona Daily Star, 20 Mar 1956, Tue · Page 22)

(US 80 was eventually replaced by Interstate 10 leading to the complete removal of US 80 in New Mexico.)

Las Cruces to The University of Arizona

goo.gl

An article in the Arizona Daily Star, 30 Mar 1957, Sat · Page 2, stated she was located in Plainview, Texas. "Frank Miller, a warrant officer with the Plainview Police Department, said, "We belive that we have information on the girl's whereabouts and we don't want to say anything until we have talked to Miss Caldwell's parents." Miller would not disclose where the police believe Miss Caldwell was. "I can't say anything until we get the entire thing cleared up," he said. "We are just interested in letting her folks know where she is." Miss Caldwell's parents were unavailable for comment when the information was received from Texas.​

(Plainview, Tx is 371 miles/6 hours west of Las Cruces, NM)

There was no follow up on the above 30 Mar 1957 article in the newspapers that I could find. IMO, this tells me she was found and didn't want to go back home to her parents.

 

[Quoththeraven]

Her mother's obit doesn't mention Ann at all. 'Preceded in death by' nor 'survived by'. It does mention her brother, Donald, though.

Edith Elizabeth Speaks Caldwell (1911-2003) -...

Published: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 12:00 AM CST in the Arizona Range News, Willcox, Arizona. Edith Elizabeth Caldwell 1911-2003 Edith Elizabeth Caldwell of Charlotte, N.C. died Monday Feb. 3, 2003 at the age of 91. She is survived by her son Donald (Irene) Caldwell of Charlotte, N.C...

www.findagrave.com

Her father's obit also doesn't mention Ann nor does her brother Donald's obit.

James “Jim” Caldwell (1902-1993) - Find a Grave...

Born in 1902 and died in 1993 Tucson, Arizona James “Jim” Caldwell

www.findagrave.com

Donald Jim “Don” Caldwell (1943-2015) - Find a...

Donald Jim Caldwell was born May 12, 1943, in Pima County, Arizona. He graduated from Catalina High School in Tucson in 1961. He then earned an Associate of Arts from Eastern Arizona College and completed a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1966 from University of Arizona. After graduation...

www.findagrave.com

She is shown in an online family tree on Ancestry with her father, mother, brother and two siblings who died in infancy and is on the 1940 census. She is listed as deceased on the family tree with no death date nor does it list the source.

Just for the fact that she's not mentioned in any of her family's obits, IMO, tells me she left home, didn't want to come back and was possibly disowned? That's my opinion. The above article in the Arizona Daily Star, 30 Mar 1957, Sat · Page 2, kind of leans toward that. Hush hush and no follow up. Does anyone see that, too?

 

[Quoththeraven]

I'm not sure where the Highway 70-80 came in. US 70 it starts in Arizona and goes to the east coast(in a not straight line). One leaves Las Cruces to the NE towards Alamogordo on 70, it goes through Ruidoso and Roswell. This same EXACT road becomes US 380 outside of Hondo, NM (in between Ruidoso and Roswell). Before Roswell, NM you can head north/north east on 70 towards Portales, Clovis(Amarillo is to the East of Clovis). If you go through Roswell and head East you are on 380.

What I'm grasping is it is believed she made it to Las Cruces and no one knows if she went to El Paso or Amarillo? She was never heard from again? Is it known if she made the sorority meeting? Where was that meeting? And from there she thumbed a ride on a semi and went to Cruces? Lot of desert.

Here's a close up of the current Highway 70-10 Junction just west of Las Cruces. Highway 10 used to be Highway 80. I believe Caldwell was picked up by a trucker on Highway 80 (now 10) going west and who was continuing on Highway 70. She was dropped off at the intersection and she waved down another trucker who was going west on Highway 80 into Las Cruces. He's the one who accompanied her into the bus station.

The fact she was dropped off at the intersection of 70-80, instead of continuing on 70 with the first trucker tells me she had somewhere specific in mind to go to from the bus station in Las Cruces. There are currently several bus stations in Las Cruces and the article doesn't state the location of the one where the trucker dropped her off at. They could have changed locations since the 1950's.

I also noticed that Highway 70 does runs through Plainview, TX. The trail ends in Las Cruces, NM, at the bus station, unless the Plainview, TX sighting pans out.

 

[SimsGuy67]

You may be right that she didn't make it to the sorority party. I don't think it was ever established that she was actually at a sorority party on campus and I scanned numerous articles about her disappearance.

(It's a 275 mile/4 hour trip from the university to Las Cruces and a 46 mile/49 minute trip from Las Cruces to El Paso)

A truck driver said she waved him down on US 70-80 in western Las Cruces, picked her up, drove her to a bus station and walked into a bus station with her. He said she told him she was going to El Paso. He left her shortly after 6 am. (Arizona Daily Star, 20 Mar 1956, Tue · Page 22)

(US 80 was eventually replaced by Interstate 10 leading to the complete removal of US 80 in New Mexico.)

Las Cruces to The University of Arizona

goo.gl

An article in the Arizona Daily Star, 30 Mar 1957, Sat · Page 2, stated she was located in Plainview, Texas. "Frank Miller, a warrant officer with the Plainview Police Department, said, "We belive that we have information on the girl's whereabouts and we don't want to say anything until we have talked to Miss Caldwell's parents." Miller would not disclose where the police believe Miss Caldwell was. "I can't say anything until we get the entire thing cleared up," he said. "We are just interested in letting her folks know where she is." Miss Caldwell's parents were unavailable for comment when the information was received from Texas.​

(Plainview, Tx is 371 miles/6 hours west of Las Cruces, NM)

There was no follow up on the above 30 Mar 1957 article in the newspapers that I could find. IMO, this tells me she was found and didn't want to go back home to her parents.

View attachment 391249

I really don't think she was found in 1957. Why would they compare her to a dead body found in 1960? It makes no sense if they knew she was alive.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/430108558

 

[Quoththeraven]

I really don't think she was found in 1957. Why would they compare her to a dead body found in 1960? It makes no sense if they knew she was alive.
El Paso Times 20 Jan 1960, page 8 - Newspapers.com

It could be that the Plainview, TX sighting didn't pan out. It would have been nice if the newspaper followed up on the sighting.

 

[SimsGuy67]

It could be that the Plainview, TX sighting didn't pan out. It would have been nice if the newspaper followed up on the sighting.

I do think that maybe it was like the truck sightings where Ann was gone before they could find her or that the girl just wasn't Ann. Maybe they did follow up on it but the article is lost but considering the amazing amount of records it seems unlikely.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

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[SimsGuy67]

Did you make this account? I actually used this to find some old not in NamUs MP reports without knowing who made it! If you did, thank you for spreading awareness to a place her friends could find it in, like facebook.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Did you make this account? I actually used this to find some old not in NamUs MP reports without knowing who made it! If you did, thank you for spreading awareness to a place her friends could find it in, like facebook.

No, I didn't make the account, I just saw that they made a post about Ann and I wanted to share it here.

In that Facebook account, cases of disappearances from the 50s are shown, I wonder if some of those cases were ever solved or not.

 

[SimsGuy67]

No, I didn't make the account, I just saw that they made a post about Ann and I wanted to share it here.

In that Facebook account, cases of disappearances from the 50s are shown, I wonder if some of those cases were ever solved or not.

If they have this photo then they have probably been seeing our progress as it was only recently discovered. Well they also have the thread so they have.