GA GA - Mary Shotwell Little, 25, Atlanta, 14 Oct 1965

[ms-t]

I wonder why her married name was omitted in her sister's obit.

I thought that was interesting too. Maybe some bad feelings about Mary's husband related to their marriage or the way he dealt with her disappearance? BTW I her husband is still alive and living in Florida now.

 

[Markybug]

randomly reading a solved cold case, the person convicted was apparently mentioned as a suspect in Mary's case ?


"In a strange story on Sept. 9, 1966, 23 yr old Larry Stargel of Gainesville, GA pens a letter to police from Reidsville State Prison requesting an interview with local LE and the FBI regarding C&S Bank employee Mary Shotwell Little's disappearance in Atlanta on October 14 1965. Stargel names Gerald Mason as one of the two men responsible for the kidnapping & murder of Mary Shotwell Little. He stated that Mason had told him that they were hired for $5000 each by the husband Roy Little to kidnap & murder his wife. Later Larry Stargel refused to sign his statement to the FBI after mulling it over but did initial the statement. Just 18 months later, Mary Shotwell Little's replacement at C&S Bank, 20 yr old Diane Shields was murdered. Neither Roy Little or Gerald Mason were ever charged with the Mary Shotwell Little or Diane Shields murders. Both have remained unsolved for nearly 60 years."

Gerald Mason - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[branmuffin]

randomly reading a solved cold case, the person convicted was apparently mentioned as a suspect in Mary's case ?


"In a strange story on Sept. 9, 1966, 23 yr old Larry Stargel of Gainesville, GA pens a letter to police from Reidsville State Prison requesting an interview with local LE and the FBI regarding C&S Bank employee Mary Shotwell Little's disappearance in Atlanta on October 14 1965. Stargel names Gerald Mason as one of the two men responsible for the kidnapping & murder of Mary Shotwell Little. He stated that Mason had told him that they were hired for $5000 each by the husband Roy Little to kidnap & murder his wife. Later Larry Stargel refused to sign his statement to the FBI after mulling it over but did initial the statement. Just 18 months later, Mary Shotwell Little's replacement at C&S Bank, 20 yr old Diane Shields was murdered. Neither Roy Little or Gerald Mason were ever charged with the Mary Shotwell Little or Diane Shields murders. Both have remained unsolved for nearly 60 years."

Gerald Mason - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

How could that be the same Gerald Mason? The Wiki page says after the murders of the two police officers he lived a quiet life, was well off and a well-liked member of the community for 45 years. Forty five years is from 1957 to 2003 which means he couldn't have been in prison in 1966. Wouldn't they have a record of his incarceration even if it was in another state. We don't know how old his children are but to have grandchildren in 2003 when he was arrested it would mean his daughter was probably alive in 1966.

 

[Woodberry]

How could that be the same Gerald Mason? The Wiki page says after the murders of the two police officers he lived a quiet life, was well off and a well-liked member of the community for 45 years. Forty five years is from 1957 to 2003 which means he couldn't have been in prison in 1966. Wouldn't they have a record of his incarceration even if it was in another state. We don't know how old his children are but to have grandchildren in 2003 when he was arrested it would mean his daughter was probably alive in 1966.

Did Larry Stargel state that the conversation he had with Gerald Mason was while they were both in jail? Maybe it happened outside of jail, but from what the wiki page suggests, Gerald Mason kept his nose clean and his head down and was a law abiding citizen after the murders. Gerald would have been 31 and Larry Stargel would have been 22 in 1965 when Mary was killed. It seems unlikely he would have taken a chance on messing up the life he was living to make that confession.

 

[branmuffin]

Did Larry Stargel state that the conversation he had with Gerald Mason was while they were both in jail? Maybe it happened outside of jail, but from what the wiki page suggests, Gerald Mason kept his nose clean and his head down and was a law abiding citizen after the murders. Gerald would have been 31 and Larry Stargel would have been 22 in 1965 when Mary was killed. It seems unlikely he would have taken a chance on messing up the life he was living to make that confession.

No, he didn't. I see what you are saying but a man who robbed four teenagers, raped one of those teenagers, stole their watches and car then ended up murdering two police officers because he was afraid they'd find out what he had done earlier, may have been motivated to keep his nose clean after committing those opportunistic crimes. It also might mean it was in his best interests to remain law abiding in the future because the robbery and rape were not the first crimes he'd committed since being released from jail and his fingerprints would prove it. Conversely, you'd also think that a guy that committed those types of crime without any guilt would find it hard to transition to a squeaky clean life for the next 45 years. So let's suppose those 45 years of squeaky cleaning living was only because he was never been suspected in any other crimes; that he had committed other crimes and managed to stay under the radar. When he murdered the police officers he was 23 years old. He entered the military in the 1950s and was honorably discharged in the 1950s so I believe his tenure in the military was before the murders perhaps when he became of age to join. I haven't seen any records of his military service. In April 1956 he was sentenced to 3 years in prison but the sentence was reduced to a year and he got out after only 8 months in Dec 56 or Jan 57. Six months later he murdered 2 cops, robbed four teenagers and raped one of the girls. He got married two and half years later in 1960 and had two daughters. So that would mean in the 1960s while he was married with children and building a successful business of owning multiple car dealerships he was also involved in criminal activity in another state. I suppose it is possible for someone to hide in plain while committing crimes but being involved in an abduction and murder is difficult to hide, especially conspiracy to commit murder because others are complicit in the crime.

 

[Markybug]

It would be interesting to know how the guy in prison knew or knew of Mason, really stopped me in my tracks when i read it.

Edit, seems a poster mentioned Mason back in 2022

Post in thread 'GA - Mary Shotwell Little, 25, Atlanta, 14 Oct 1965'
GA - GA - Mary Shotwell Little, 25, Atlanta, 14 Oct 1965

 

[Valiant]

randomly reading a solved cold case, the person convicted was apparently mentioned as a suspect in Mary's case ?


"In a strange story on Sept. 9, 1966, 23 yr old Larry Stargel of Gainesville, GA pens a letter to police from Reidsville State Prison requesting an interview with local LE and the FBI regarding C&S Bank employee Mary Shotwell Little's disappearance in Atlanta on October 14 1965. Stargel names Gerald Mason as one of the two men responsible for the kidnapping & murder of Mary Shotwell Little. He stated that Mason had told him that they were hired for $5000 each by the husband Roy Little to kidnap & murder his wife. Later Larry Stargel refused to sign his statement to the FBI after mulling it over but did initial the statement. Just 18 months later, Mary Shotwell Little's replacement at C&S Bank, 20 yr old Diane Shields was murdered. Neither Roy Little or Gerald Mason were ever charged with the Mary Shotwell Little or Diane Shields murders. Both have remained unsolved for nearly 60 years."

Gerald Mason - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

That just sounds a bit extreme. $10,000 then would be like $100,0000 today. I don’t see how the husband would have had that kind of money or motive to be rid of her. That amount of money would leave a trail. The car she was driving, the 1965 Mercury Comet, only cost about $2500 new.

 

[Richard]

14 October will mark 59 years missing...

Mary Shotwell Little, age 25, Missing since 14 October 1965

LINK:

Mary Wallace Shotwell Little (1940-1965) - Find a...

Daughter of Nathan Randolph and Margaret Murrell Shotwell (nee Proctor). Wife of Roy Hardin Little Jr. Mary Shotwell Little, a secretary at the Citizens & Southern (C&S) Bank, disappeared on 14 October 1965. She was 5'6 tall and weighed 120 pounds. She had light brown hair and green-hazel eyes...

www.findagrave.com

 

[branmuffin]

It would be interesting to know how the guy in prison knew or knew of Mason, really stopped me in my tracks when i read it.

Edit, seems a poster mentioned Mason back in 2022

Post in thread 'GA - Mary Shotwell Little, 25, Atlanta, 14 Oct 1965'
GA - GA - Mary Shotwell Little, 25, Atlanta, 14 Oct 1965

How do we know they were the same Gerald Mason? If you look up the name Gerald Mason in obits, there are at least 60 that come up. And that's just in the last couple of years. There are currently 306 men called Gerald Mason in the US. There must be have been hundreds named Gerald Mason back in the 60s too, proven by the police officers who originally investigated the claim of the prison inmate. I have a pretty unique name and I thought maybe I was the only person in the world with my name but there are 2 other women in the UK with it, not the same middle initial, though. Can you imagine how many George Browns there are? I'll tell you:15808.

 

[Same Old Stella]

Divorce would've been cheaper so I too find it hard to believe that her husband would shell out that kind of money.

That just sounds a bit extreme. $10,000 then would be like $100,0000 today. I don’t see how the husband would have had that kind of money or motive to be rid of her. That amount of money would leave a trail. The car she was driving, the 1965 Mercury Comet, only cost about $2500 new.

 

[Proton]

Divorce would've been cheaper so I too find it hard to believe that her husband would shell out that kind of money.

I agree, it makes me wonder about life insurance. Although, he’d have to make sure her body was found.

 

[Caring1]

14 Unidentified Person Exclusions

 

[dotr]

556DFGA - Mary Shotwell Little

556DFGA​

Name: Mary Shotwell Little
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: October 14, 1965
Location Last Seen: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: January 14, 1940
Age: 25 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 120 lbs.
Hair Color: Light brown
Eye Color: Hazel-green
Nickname/Alias: Mary Wallace Shotwell
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Glasses; discoloration on left arm

Identifiers​

Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Unknown

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: White London Fog raincoat; olive green sheath dress printed with white flowers; flats
Jewelry: Platinum wedding ring; solitaire engagement ring; yellow gold "University of North Carolina" woman's class ring; scarab bracelet
Additional Personal Items: Set of keys; John Romain handbag; glasses

Circumstances of Disappearance​

Little was employed as a secretary at the C&S Bank and had been married to a bank examiner for six weeks at the time of her disappearance. Her husband was out of town on bank business, but he was due back the next day, and they planned to see friends the following evening.

Little purchased groceries and then shared dinner at the Piccadilly Cafeteria with a bank coworker; she was never seen again. The coworker who had dined with Little alerted their supervisor about Little's absence from work the following morning and recalled that Little had mentioned the area where she was parked. With that information, the boss phoned security at Lenox Square, asking them to look for a 1965 metallic pearl gray Mercury Comet . Security soon notified them that no such car could be found.

Little's husband was notified of her disappearance and he headed home. Her boss drove to Lenox Square for his own search of the parking lot. He located her car in the parking area. Police found a fine coat of red dust on the exterior of the car, as if it had been on a dirt road. They also found blood in several places. Also found in the car, carefully rolled together and placed between the seats, was a set of women's undergarments, a girdle, slip, and panties that had tiny drops of blood on them. On the floorboard lay a black bra and a section of stocking that had been cut neatly. Tests indicated the blood probably was Little's. The undergarments definitely were hers and had been worn recently. The car was also littered with dozens of other items, including Coke bottles, a package of Kent cigarettes (Little's brand) and four bags of groceries.

One of her friends told investigators that Little had expressed fear of being home alone and of being alone in her car several days before she disappeared. Authorities also learned that Little had received roses from an unidentified "secret admirer" shortly before she vanished. The flowers were traced to a florist near Little's home, but police were unable to identify the purchaser. Coworkers remembered that Little was disturbed by phone calls she received at work. She never discussed the conversations with anyone.

A key piece of evidence was discovered one month after Little's disappearance. Investigators learned that Little's gasoline credit card had been used in North Carolina. A gas station in Charlotte showed Little's card had been used in the early morning of October 15, just a few hours after she was last seen at Lenox Square. The card was used again several hours later in Raleigh with what appeared to be Little's signature.

The gas station attendant in Charlotte recalled a woman with a cut on her head, trying to hide her face, traveling in the company of a man who seemed to be giving her orders. In Raleigh, the attendant told of a "bloody woman," with blood even on her legs, traveling with two men. No further leads were found about her disappearance and Little has never been found.''

Mary Shotwell Little – The Charley Project

 

[ms-t]

Head's up that there is a new documentary about Mary Shotwell Little called The Vanishing. I saw the premiere today in Atlanta. It is fascinating! The film has a lot of footage of Atlanta in 1965, and discusses Diane Shield's murder as well as Mary Shotwell Little's disappearance. Afterwards there was a Q&A with the producers, who included an investigator who spent over 10 years working on the case ... very interesting. They are making a second film with more about their conclusions and investigation.

 

[dotr]

Sep 11, 2025
In 1965, newlywed Mary Shotwell Little vanished from Atlanta’s Lenox Square after a quiet dinner with a friend. By morning, her car was gone… then reappeared, smeared with blood and filled with unsettling clues. Days later, sightings placed her hundreds of miles away, and then, nothing. Nearly sixty years later, her disappearance remains one of Georgia’s most haunting cold cases. What really happened to Mary that night?

 

[JacksonFentry]

Mary Shotwell Little, 25, Missing 14 October 1965 from Atlanta, GA

Mary Shotwell Little
Missing since October 14, 1965 from Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia.
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: 1940
Age at Time of Disappearance: 25 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'6", 120 pounds.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Light brown hair; hazel-green eyes.
Clothing: A set of keys, a "John Romain" handbag, flats, a white London Fog raincoat and a olive-green sheath dress printed with white flowers.

Circumstances of Disapearance
Little was employed as a secretary at the C&S Bank who had been married to a bank examiner for six weeks at the time of her disappearance. She was close to her family and had no enemies, making her case a baffling one. Little was reportedly in good spirits the night of her 1965 disappearance. Her husband, Roy, was out of town on bank business, but he was due back the next day, and they planned to see friends the following evening.

Little purchased groceries and then shared dinner at the Piccadilly Cafeteria with a bank co-worker; she was never seen again. The co-worker who had dined with Little alerted their supervisor about Little's absence from work the following morning and recalled that Little had mentioned the area where she was parked. With that information, the boss phoned security at Lenox Square, asking them to look for a 1965 metallic pearl gray Mercury Comet. Security soon notified them that no such car could be found.

Little's husband was notified of her disappearance and he headed home. Her boss drove to Lenox Square for his own search of the parking lot. He located her car in the parking area. Police found a fine coat of red dust on the exterior of the car, as if it had been on a dirt road. They also found blood in several places. The blood was on the driver's door near the handle, on the inside window of the passenger's side and smeared over the vinyl of the front seats. A few grass clippings were stuck in dried blood where the passenger's head would have rested. Also found in the car, carefully rolled together and placed between the seats, was a set of women's undergarments, a girdle, slip, and panties that had tiny drops of blood on them. On the floorboard lay a black bra and a section of stocking that had been cut neatly. Tests indicated the blood probably was Little's. The undergarments definitely were hers and had been worn recently. The car was also littered with dozens of other items, including Coke bottles, a package of Kent cigarettes (Little's brand) and four bags of groceries.
One of her friends told investigators that Little had expressed fear of being home alone and of being alone in her car several days before she disappeared. Authorities also learned that Little had received roses from an unidentified "secret admirer" shortly before she vanished. The flowers were traced to a florist near Little's home, but police were unable to identify the purchaser. Co-workers remembered that Little was disturbed by phone calls she received at work. She never discussed the conversations with anyone.

A key piece of evidence was discovered one month after Little's disappearance. Investigators learned that Little's gasoline credit card had been used in North Carolina. A gas station in Charlotte showed Little's card had been used in the early morning of October 15, just a few hours after she was last seen at Lenox Square. The card was used again several hours later in Raleigh with what appeared to be Little's signature.

The gas station attendant in Charlotte recalled a woman with a cut on her head, trying to hide her face, traveling in the company of a man who seemed to be giving her orders. In Raleigh, the attendant told of a "bloody woman," with blood even on her legs, traveling with two men. No further leads were found about her disappearance and Little has never been found.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Atlanta Police Department 404-853-3434

Source Information:
Buckhead Enterprises
The Doe Network: Case File 556DFGA

Links:
556DFGA - Mary Shotwell Little

http://ads.cimedia.com/RICH/Cox_AdBanners_workaround.html

 

[JacksonFentry]

Yes! I can't get it out of my mind that the dinner companion was a part of the equation.

I found her obituary and she did, indeed, work in at the bank in the HR department. That speaks volumes to me. Also, the boss later worked on bank mergers ( within the next couple of decades) that included North Carolina which was a hot spot for banking also.

I feel very strongly that Mary may have gone to the dinner companion earlier at some point and said she had stumbled across information that was suspicious. I think the dinner companion asked her to meet for dinner to discuss so she could get all the information Mary had and see exactly what she knew. I find it HIGHLY suspect that this woman she met wasn't interviewed more and was a side note in the story.

I also feel very strongly that this wasn't just a bank fraud issue. I feel that some people in law enforcement were possibly in on it and that is why the red herrings took all the media attention. I feel very strongly that mary was never seen in North Carolina and those sightings were either false memories or memories planted by the folks investigating this( with or without intent). There is NO POSSIBLE way those two gas attendants remembered that much detail about that ONE transaction weeks later. They were both possibly shown pictures or had seen the media and their brain remembered the wrong stuff or the investigators suggested too many details they then made fact. Then the files were lost with all the information from the time. That is peculiar as well.

Those receipts were intentional...(.Isn't it interesting as a side note that back then you would sign your names as Mrs. Roy Little Jr and not just Mary Little? And that the card was in the name of Mrs Roy Little Jr. ? We've come a long way baby!) . They were done as a distraction to divert attention to North Carolina and plant a seed to look elsewhere for her and she was alive. I also think the mom calling to stop the investigation after 2 years is suspect.

The grocery shopping before dinner is absolutely ABSURD. Besides canned vegetables and maybe bread and some rice or potatoes...what else was she getting in ALL OF THOSE bags that didn't need to go home first to be properly refrigerated for a dinner the next night? people keep brushing this off but I think it is the key to it all.

In the end, I don't think she ever had dinner plans. I think she went to the grocery, planned to go straight home. I feel like she met the associate BEFORE she went to the store possibly( and that's where they had a conversation about what she suspected going on) and this happened on her way home.

For me, the chances this is random makes zero sense. It makes more sense in Diane's case b/c they just abandoned the car and body. Why would a random abductor bring the car back at all? That makes zero sense for random and 100% sense for her boss though.

This one keeps me up at night!

I question the timeline. Look at how they all seemed to be more of a narrative already agreed upon. That is if this all had gone according to plan. I am reconsidering something i had not paid enough attention to after reading your post by the way. Here is something to think about. We know the Comet turns back up at Lennox Square. We know there was no records of it being ticketed overnight by security according to their information. We know that when mall security was told to look for the vehicle in the parking lot that morning as was requested, it was not there. We know the bank administrator after learning each of these as Mary hadn't shown up for work, he then takes it upon himself to go look for himself to see if the car was at Lennox Square. But the big monkey wrench you can see that is thrown into this narrative is the question ; if her coworker saw Mary heading towards her car around 8 pm, and Mary's last replying " see you in the morning ", how or did the investigators just assume that Mary was going she straight home ?. Did they wonder according to her friends explaination about leaving those groceries that long in her automobile, and or might Mary have also needed to stop at another Grocery store because the colonial was already closed at Lennox Square by then I would think, and be going to go to another grocery to buy those other items such as a Roast, or some fresh Chicken, meats and milk etc.which were perishables, that being the reason why Mary didnt have to worry about them spoiling while she dined and even afterwards shopped with a friend ?. Could Mary have been to a lingerie shop or department store shopping with her friend ?. If so, Is that also where, when, and a big WHY it was there where Mary had actually purchased that black bra found in her car the next day ?. Because It doesnt match any of her other undergarments (which was of note by some accounts), but don't you think it is strange for such a sharply dressed business lady that she was reported to have been known for. And for the mid 1960's i just cant imagine her wearing that unless it was for something special or someone very special like her husband, who would be home the next evening. Having friends over for dinner and being nicely dressed ?.it is very likely she decided to just wear it out of the store after trying it own, and just purchased it at the lingerie checkout, rather than having to flash around a sexy piece of lingerie for anyone or everybody else standing around to see at the main checkout lines ?. Why would anyone oddly have assumed Mary's car was supposed to be at Lennox square where she had parked the night before and could there had been a reason?. Then upon learning it wasn't where it was supposed to be, did someone become overly inquisitive and go out to search for her or the car himself ?. This is eyebrow raising now looking back on it as some had thought even at the very moment he left to go look for Mary himself. But, is it then then someone is gets tipped off to bring it back, and now knowing it could have easily accounted for the extra miles it had on it of those 41 miles found to be unaccounted for on the odometer. Someone too close to this situation saw the best laid plans of mice and men going straight back to them if this car had not been returned to that parking lot. If y'all read all of this I give you a 100% for reading and patience. Just an old mans honest opinion.

 

[JacksonFentry]

Sep 11, 2025
In 1965, newlywed Mary Shotwell Little vanished from Atlanta’s Lenox Square after a quiet dinner with a friend. By morning, her car was gone… then reappeared, smeared with blood and filled with unsettling clues. Days later, sightings placed her hundreds of miles away, and then, nothing. Nearly sixty years later, her disappearance remains one of Georgia’s most haunting cold cases. What really happened to Mary that night?

Thanks for sharing !!. Fixing to watch this right now.

 

[JacksonFentry]

Ok, this is off track a little but am I the only one when seeing Mary Shotwell Little’s photo for the first time thought she was black?

I see what you might be getting at and you aren't doing it in a mean way at all. I know i thought that myself even as an eight year old. Might have been because as a white boy growing up in the early 60's, I took a great deal of teasing about my lips not being as small as most white boys. Still aren't at 68 years old. Once I actually had a customer in who used the n word right in front of one of my black employees i had hired who was the best associate and manager's I had ever known, and became a great friend to this day. My associate never paid it a bit of attention, but I told the customer I didn't appreciate him saying that. He just laughed and said he didn't think I'd care. I told the customer I did care because I too was black. Startled, the customer quietly gave me a good look and replied, hey man I never even paid your lips no attention but now I see you ain't lying. I am so sorry Mr.____. He almost cried. After he left, my associate said I have never given your lips a thought before you told that ignorant man you were black, but I can see it too and we laughed until we cried !!. It was a running joke between us till this day. No harm no foul. Besides Elvis had those features too. Mary was white as rice. Btw.

 

[dotr]

By Tim Darnell |Updated: Nov. 12, 2025

Documentary to highlight Atlanta’s most infamous missing persons case from 60 years ago

Mary Shotwell Little’s disappearance has vexed investigators for decades.

www.atlantanewsfirst.com

Chilling Tales: Mary Shotwell Little - DeKalb History Center

What happened to Mary Shotwell Little? This question has been circulating in the minds and hearts of Atlantans since her abrupt disappearance on October 14, 1965.

dekalbhistory.org

Mary Shotwell Little. From The Atlanta Constitution, November 8, 1965 via Newspapers.com.