Nelson Danforth - White Mountain Apache and WWII vet missing December 1992

[AndreaOlmanson]

Nelson Danford, a White Mountain Apache and valiant veteran of World War II, who served in the Southwest Pacific in the Fifth Airforce Service Command and former corporal of the 386th Bombardment Group, disappeared in December of 1952, is not on the list of missing Native Americans that the BIA has on their website. I can't find him listed ANYWHERE as a missing person; it appears that he was treated the way that so many of the indigenous missing have been treated throughout our nation's history.

Here is the last article I could find (from January of 1953) about his disappearance, where an unknown corpse was ruled out as being him:

Here is a link to the article:
Missing World War II Hero Nelson Danford was never found I don't think

Here's a couple more articles about him:

Nelson Danford Air Force Good Conduct Medal

Nelson Danford disappeared and apparently the search ended. Never found

His mother had died at age 35 in 1933; the death certificate doesn't give a cause of death.

His father died of anemia in September 1952.

His toddler sister Ida Lee Danford died of pneumonia in 1929.

His sister Betty died in 2004

He had another sister Nora born in 1925 and I can't find out what happened to her; the last she shows up on Ancestry is the January 1937 Indian Census Rolls and there are no newspaper articles about her even with paid subscriptions

Nelson's first wife died in 1941 of sepsis a month after giving birth.

He had a daughter Linda born in 1941 and I can't find any info on what happened to her.

One of the missing persons articles says that at the time he disappeared he had a wife and three kids, so I assume that after WWII ended he remarried and had two more kids before he disappeared.

I don't know this man; I have just been combing through old news articles to find cases of missing and murdered Indigenous persons that have fallen through the cracks and maybe help unknown John and Jane Does get their names back eventually.

 

[Richard]

Correct missing date should read 1952, correct last name spelling is Danford. Could not find Nelson Danford in the Veterans Administration's National Gravesite Locator.

 

[HopeRains]

@AndreaOlmanson - here's a link to a site that may be able to help in getting his info onto website(s) -

Missing and Murdered Indigenous People | Indian Affairs

www.bia.gov

 

[sisterscythe]

Thank you for bringing this to our attention!

 

[Pennysmom1]

Nelson Danford (Danforth), Missing from Arizona since 1952.

A blog about the many missing, murdered, and unidentified Native/Indigenous/Aboriginal women of the United States and Canada. Say Their Names!

www.justicefornativepeople.com

Nelson was 32 years old when he disappeared from Forth Apache, Arizona on December 10th, 1952. His wife last knew him to be visiting friends. He was also known to be ill with Malaria at the time he vanished, and it is possible a passing motorist picked him up.

Nelson is a recipient of the Good Conduct Medal for his service in the Airforce and is considered a hero of World War II and was a Hopi code-talker. He leaves behind 3 children. Many of his family members died before or not long after he disappeared and so it is unclear what, if any, relatives are still looking for him. Nelson remains missing.

Tribal Information: Nelson is White Mountain Apache

 

[strangerthanfiction1200]

If he was ill with malaria, is it possible that he died while walking and his body was found, but maybe he did not have identification on him. He could be a John Doe. What is terrain like where he disappeared. Korea War was going on at this time, but if he was sick, in my opinion he would not reenlist. Can relatives pass off being white and not listed as Native American? Have you checked the 1950 census?