KY Ky - Edward Hale Tidwell, 31, Marion, 14 Dec 1981

[Gardener1850]

Demographics
Missing Age 31 Years
Current Age 68 Years
First Name Edward
Middle Name Hale
Last Name Tidwell
Nickname/Alias Eddy

Gender Male
Race / Ethnicity White / Caucasian
Brown Hair
Blue Eyes
Height 5' 11" - 6' 1" (71 - 73 Inches)
Weight 160 - 165 lbs

right knee and right arm both have scars scar on upper left abdomen

tattoo from his service in the Army per the case, it is described as "13 1/2 / 12 jury" ; located on the left upper arm.

Clothing
Denim blue jeans (blue) 33/34 X 32/34

Footwear
Black steel toe 9-10 leather; lace up boot no hooks Socks cotton; white (green/red) tops

Jewelry
None - no rings or watches

Circumstances
Date of Last Contact December 14, 1981
NamUs Case Created March 16, 2011
Last Known Location Map
Location Marion, Kentucky
County Crittenden County
Circumstances of Disappearance --

Transportation
1974 Chevrolet Bel Air

Style--
ColorYellow
VIN--
State Kentucky
License Plate AKV 215
Expiration Year--
Comments Right windshield on front of vehicle is cracked. There are rusty spots on the vehicle. This is the vehicle he was last seen traveling in.

Missing Person Case

 

[rosesfromangels]

Demographics
Missing Age 31 Years
Current Age 68 Years
First Name Edward
Middle Name Hale
Last Name Tidwell
Nickname/Alias Eddy

Gender Male
Race / Ethnicity White / Caucasian
Brown Hair
Blue Eyes
Height 5' 11" - 6' 1" (71 - 73 Inches)
Weight 160 - 165 lbs

right knee and right arm both have scars scar on upper left abdomen

tattoo from his service in the Army per the case, it is described as "13 1/2 / 12 jury" ; located on the left upper arm.

Clothing
Denim blue jeans (blue) 33/34 X 32/34

Footwear
Black steel toe 9-10 leather; lace up boot no hooks Socks cotton; white (green/red) tops

Jewelry
None - no rings or watches

Circumstances
Date of Last Contact December 14, 1981
NamUs Case Created March 16, 2011
Last Known Location Map
Location Marion, Kentucky
County Crittenden County
Circumstances of Disappearance --

Transportation
1974 Chevrolet Bel Air

Style--
ColorYellow
VIN--
State Kentucky
License Plate AKV 215
Expiration Year--
Comments Right windshield on front of vehicle is cracked. There are rusty spots on the vehicle. This is the vehicle he was last seen traveling in.

Missing Person Case

He disappeared right by the county jail. Coincidence or connection?

 

[Gardener1850]

He disappeared right by the county jail. Coincidence or connection?

Where did you see that info? There is nothing under circumstances in the NAMUS link.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Where did you see that info? There is nothing under circumstances in the NAMUS link.

I looked at google maps.

 

[Gardener1850]

I looked at google maps.

Oh, the map location that copied over from NAMUS? I thought that was just mapping to the center of Marion, Kentucky.

 

[ShellC77]

I currently live in Marion Ky and was raised in Sturgis Ky. I'll give a little information about the area to give everyone some perspective. These are neighboring towns approximately 20 miles apart. Marion is in Crittenden County, while Sturgis is in Union County. They are very small, rural, everyone knows everyone types of towns. Which is why its mind blowing that this case has gone unsolved for so long.
Mr. Tidwell told his wife he was going to meet a man who lived in Sturgis about a job in the river industry. However,he didn't tell her the man's name. The company he was meeting the man about was in Southern Illinois. Sturgis has a few small communities that border the Ohio River with S. Illinois right on the other side. I don't believe it would've been difficult to locate the company and find out their employees who lived in Sturgis at that time.
Another issue that has been stated is that Mr Tidwell was possibly going to buy beer while in Sturgis. Sturgis is a dry town. He would've had to go to the next town over in Morganfield to legally purchase alcohol.
There are so many unknowns, but given the area and the people of these two towns it is shocking that no one has talked. This case gets very little to no publicity locally. I can't find much of anything about the initial investigation beyond the standard missing reports.
I was very glad to see Mr Tidwell's case here on websleuths. I hope with more eyes on his case, someone may remember something and come forward.

 

[4SAM]

Buying beer in a dry county is from bootleggers, I am from Hardin County and until recently we were a dry county. But my dad knew where to purchase beer from, and who was selling hard liquor so he wouldn't have to drive over to Boston/Lebanon Junction. Anyway, do you think he owed any debts to someone and they killed him and placed him in the Ohio River? Many years ago I was at the library in Louisville and there was a book that mentioned barrels coming down the river and when they pulled them out, there were dead bodies in them . Some had to bodies and some were even women. Just MOO

 

[Fede]

Here are more details on the case:
Edward Hale Tidwell – The Charley Project
The Doe Network: Case File 4417DMKY

It seems that they have not found the truck he was driving.

 

[4SAM]

Wonder what kind of searches they would have conducted in 1981 and for an adult? Would those type of records still be available?

 

[4SAM]

Here is a picture of a 1974 Chevrolet Bel Air

 

[Atombudd]

Edward Hale Tidwell b. 20 Mar 1950 McCracken Co., KY d. 14 Dec 1981 OR 1991 ?: GenealogyCenter
This states that he was declared deceased in 1991 and thought to have been killed in 1981

 

[Pennysmom2]

May 26, 2021

KSP looking for information on a 1981 cold case

The Kentucky State Police are looking for information that may help solve a 40-year-old cold case.

www.wbko.com

Police seek information in cold case involving missing man

MARION, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky State Police are seeking information on a 40-year-old cold case involving a missing man, officials said.

apnews.com

Jan 18, 2023

Dive team finds vehicles in Ohio River during search for missing people

Crews in Posey County were preparing to pull entire vehicles stuck deep under the surface of the Ohio River on Tuesday.

www.wevv.com

 

[SuperSleuth39]

Hello all,
I have a particular interest in this case as Eddy is my husband's grandfather, yet he never got to meet him. My husband's family members were also not publicized in this case as they are Eddy's love children... they were a result of an affair. So, they were not given the same information as his wife and their children were and I would love to crack this case! Anyhow, you all are right. It is odd not many have spoken on this. Usually in a small town like ours, everyone knows everything. And on this case, there has been silence. There have been rumors that he was murdered by a "mob", that he skipped town and got a sex change, and more. Obviously, people have speculated, yet the truth was never revealed. Does anyone have any new information on this case? I would love to find out what happened to him!! Thank you, websleuths!