Since her son wasn't born until after her divorce and Robert Rehwinkle didn't claim paternity, then it's highly likely her son has a different father. I wonder if maybe this man had anything to do with her disappearence, or if she had another man (or men) in her life by then.
As for the family reunion mentioned above, it could have happened because of the circumstances around her disappearence, or it could be because of the circumstances of her son's birth, or it could be both, with possibly other things as well. In the early 1950s, having a child out of wedlock as it was phrased in those days, whether the father was known or not, wasn't seen the way it is today. Even years later, among an older generation in particular, I can see that leading to things like what happened at the family reunion. It could also have been because she may have had a few? different boyfriends (or just one) she didn't marry at a time when that wasn't regarded the way it is today. She may have had a bad reputation in the family for things like that.
The fact it was a different time in many ways definitely contributed to how her disappearence was handled. It doesn't seem at all likely Robert Rehwinkle had anything to do with her disappearence, although sometimes, both then and now, divorced couples do get back together, officially, and unofficially. I'm not sure when he remarried, maybe it is mentioned earlier in this thread.
