FL FL - Gail Joiner, 13, Thonotosassa, 22 Sept 1972

[Richard]

Gail Lorraine Joiner

• 
• 

Gail, circa 1972; Gerald Stano in 1981

• Missing Since 09/22/1972
• Missing From Thonotosassa, Florida
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 07/22/1959 (60)
• Age 13 years old
• Height and Weight 5'0, 100 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description No shoes.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde/brown hair, brown eyes. Gail has a scar on her cheek. She has facial freckles.

Details of Disappearance
Gail was last seen in her hometown of Thonotosassa, Florida on September 22, 1972. She came home from school, ate a sandwich, then left home to walk her pet raccoon, Bandit, on a leash. Witnesses saw her standing near a white car parked on the edge of a wooded area, but nobody saw her get in the vehicle.

Gail has never been heard from again. Bandit never returned to the house either. Gail's parents thought they count identify the raccoon by a burn on his foot and a scrape on his nose; the police brought them 17 raccoon carcasses, but they didn't recognize any of them.

Gail's parents stated they did not believe their daughter had left of her own free will, because she was close to her older brother and wasn't having trouble at home. They theorized she had been abducted, and stated someone could have gained her trust by taking an interest in Bandit, whom she enjoyed showing to people.

Three people have confessed to Gail's murder but none of the accounts have been verified. The serial killer Gerald Stano was one of the those who claimed to have caused her death; he confessed to the murders of 41 women, including Susan Basile, whose body was never found. A photograph of Stano is posted with this case summary. He was executed in 1998.

Gail moved to Florida from Romulus, Michigan a few months before her disappearance, and enrolled in Greco Junior High School three weeks before she vanished. She has six siblings. Her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency

• Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office 813-247-8000

Source Information

• Florida Department of Law Enforcement
• Porchlight International for the Missing and Unidentified
• The Philadelphia Inquirer
• The Crime Library
• Florida Today
• charleyproject.org/case/gail-lorraine-joiner
  

 

[Bit of hope]

The date of birth must be incorrect as she would not be a teen if born in 1968 or 1969. Perhaps 1959. Came here to learn about case. Saw possible match of teen found in 1974con a facebook group which I believe poster will be sending to Namus.

According to The Charley Project Gail's DOB is 07/22/1959 (60).

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping.

 

[JC2016]

This case makes me think of this unidentified girl on NamUs from 1979 but I doubt there is much of a connection. So many of these unsolved cases are out there, especially from 70's and 80's. I hope with modern and future technology, we can solve more of them.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping.

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping for Gail, today is her birthday.

 

[theshadow45]

Gail has been missing for 48 years today.

 

[Richard]

Gail Lorraine Joiner
Missing since September 22, 1972 from Thonotosassa, Hillsborough County, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

• • Date Of Birth: July 22, 1959
  • Age at Time of Disappearance: 13 years old
  • Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5' 0"; 100 lbs.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde/brown hair; brown eyes.
  • Marks, Scars: She has a scar on her cheek and facial freckles.
  • Clothing: jeans. No shoes.
  • Dentals/DNA: Available.

Circumstances of Disappearance

Joiner was last seen in Thonotosassa, Florida on September 22, 1972.

It has been reported that she came home from school, ate a sandwich, then left home to walk her pet raccoon, Bandit, on a leash. Witnesses saw Joiner standing near a white car parked on the edge of a work area, but nobody saw her get in the vehicle. She has never been heard from again.

Joiner moved to Florida from Michigan a few months before her disappearance. She has six siblings.

A suspect confessed to her murder and described the location of the remains, but a search could not locate her. The suspect recanted the confession but knew details only the killer would know.

Investigators

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

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
813-247-8000

Agency Case Number: 72M00001
NCMEC Case Number: NCMC775400

Source Information:
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
NamUs MP #4632
The Doe Network: Case File 2190DFFL

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping for Gail, today is her birthday.

 

[theshadow45]

Gail has been missing for 49 years today.

 

[Richard]

Gail Lorraine Joiner
Missing since September 22, 1972

 

[Beekarina]

I wish there was more attention to this case. Gail seems like she was such a sweet girl.

 

[chaddylex]

Here is Gail's NamUs case. It hasn't been modified since 7/15/20 The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
She currently has 15 rule outs on her page.
UP61522 01/01/1991 Hillsborough FL
UP16314 06/16/1974 Palm Beach FL
UP6279 12/18/1996 Fairfax VA
UP8419 01/16/2001 Isle of Wight VA
UP4790 04/24/1981 Miami OH
UP12683 06/06/2014 Newport News VA
UP6279 12/18/1996 Fairfax VA
UP6583 11/10/1979 Livingston NY
UP6661 02/03/1991 Stafford VA
UP6796 11/18/1985 Alleghany VA
UP1341 08/22/1973 Seminole FL
UP6249 11/14/1980 Rockingham VA
UP8493 12/06/1993 Fairfax VA
UP9938 01/11/1987 San Mateo CA
UP6259 04/22/1981 Lawrence OH

 

[chaddylex]

Trace Evidence Podcast just released an episode about Gail's Disappearance. Trace Evidence

n the first day of Fall in 1972, thirteen year old Gail Joiner rushed home from school to her parents house in Thonotosassa, Florida. An hour later, the teen attached a leash to her beloved pet racoon's collar and strode out of the house to take him on his daily walk. She never returned.

Despite exhaustive searches involving more than 200 people, not a trace of Gail was ever found. Within a month of her disappearance the case had grown cold and the investigation was scaled back. For the next decade, her case lingered in the limbo of joining other cold case files.

Then in October of 1982, a confessed serial killer took credit for Gail's murder. After allegedly leading police to where he had disposed of her body, Gerald Stano retracted his confession and Gail's remains were never found. Had Stano been responsible, or was this another case of a murderer taking credit for crimes he didn't commit?

 

[Diane Redfern]

Here is Gail's NamUs case. It hasn't been modified since 7/15/20 The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
She currently has 15 rule outs on her page.
UP61522 01/01/1991 Hillsborough FL
UP16314 06/16/1974 Palm Beach FL
UP6279 12/18/1996 Fairfax VA
UP8419 01/16/2001 Isle of Wight VA
UP4790 04/24/1981 Miami OH
UP12683 06/06/2014 Newport News VA
UP6279 12/18/1996 Fairfax VA
UP6583 11/10/1979 Livingston NY
UP6661 02/03/1991 Stafford VA
UP6796 11/18/1985 Alleghany VA
UP1341 08/22/1973 Seminole FL
UP6249 11/14/1980 Rockingham VA
UP8493 12/06/1993 Fairfax VA
UP9938 01/11/1987 San Mateo CA
UP6259 04/22/1981 Lawrence OH

I was convinced she was Singer Island Jane Doe... I would like to know if they ruled her out via DNA test or not.

 

[chaddylex]

I was convinced she was Singer Island Jane Doe... I would like to know if they ruled her out via DNA test or not.

Yes, so many people I have seen on social media have been convinced she was Singer Island Jane Doe, myself included. I would like to know too how she was ruled out.

 

[Richrd]

.

Google™ Supplements & Updates:

Joiner, 13 - Missing FL 1972 - Google Search

.

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping, today is Gail’s birthday.

 

[theshadow45]

Gail has been missing for 50 years today.

 

[Deenie1963]

Excellent podcast/video on YouTube about Gail Joiner. From 2022. Narrator goes through all of the suspects extensively too. Here’s the link.