NM NM - Walcie Rae Downing, 32, Gallup, 14 Dec 1956

  • #21
In revisiting this case I have come across one odd coincidence which makes me wonder if maybe she did just leave. There are various records on Ancestry relating to a couple in Nederland, Texas. Firstly there is a marriage record from 1959 of Malcolm Sedtal to Rae Alston. Clearly this could just be a coincidence of names. However, there are further US Public Records Index entries for Beaumont, Texas showing different variations of the wife's name (but all confirmed by the same DoB of 30/7/1925) including Rae Sedtal and Walcie Sedtal. A coincidence of Walcie, Rae and Alston is still possible but interesting. Obviously the DoB does not match that listed for Walcie Rae (18/7/1924), but changing DoB would be an obvious move if choosing to disappear. This Rae (or Walcie) died in 2017 and there is a brief obituary at Alston Rae Obituary (2017) - The Beaumont Enterprise.

I am not sure what to think.
Searched my name on websleuth and found this Malcolm was my great uncle. I tried to see if I could find Rae's picture but my ancestry sub has ran out and the Nederland yearbook where they could have gone is missing some of the archives. She could have gone to a number of schools in the area though. Identifying a picture and name in a yearbook could potentially help rule this out. Just one idea!
 
  • #22

''List of Native Americans Verified as Missing Throughout New Mexico and the Navajo Nation''​

The FBI, in an effort to improve the reporting of missing persons on Indian Country, is releasing a list of more than 180 Native Americans it has verified as missing throughout New Mexico and the Navajo Nation. The list was last updated on September 13, 2022.''

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Disappeared​

December 14, 1956

Missing for​

65 years

Location​

Gallup, New Mexico

Age​

32

Age now​

98

Race​

Native American

Sex​

Female

Height​

5'6

Weight​

130 pounds

Classification​

Suspected homicide
Walcie Rae Downing, who went by her middle name, was a woman who went missing from New Mexico in 1956.

According to her family, Downing was going through a difficult time at the time of her disappearance. She had a broken relationship and may have been having an affair with a police officer. Downing had five children and told one daughter, who was 14 when she last saw her mother, not to look for her. Despite these parting words, her children don't believe she would have abandoned them permanently.

This is her last confirmed contact. Even though it isn't confirmed, there is a possibility that she contacted her children by phone around 1959.

Downing drove a cream or tan 1952 or 1954 Ford. This vehicle hasn't been recovered.

One theory is that she was murdered in the area of Grants, New Mexico, or somewhere in the lava fields of El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico.

Characteristics​

  • Shoulder-length, curly black hair.
  • Brown eyes.
  • Moles on her back.
  • Pierced ears.

Clothing and accessories​

  • A white blouse.
  • Blue jeans.
  • An engagement ring.

Sources​


 
  • #23
Bump
 
  • #24

DOB: 07/18/1924
Description: Walcie was 5'6 and 130 pounds at the time of her disappearance. She had shoulder-length black curly hair and brown eyes. She has moles on her back. She may also go by the names Walcie Rae Alston (maiden) and Walcie Rae Pearce (1st married name). She was last known to be wearing a white blouse, blue jeans, and an engagement ring. Walcie owned a cream/tan Ford from either 1952 or 1954.

Tribal information: Walcie is described as American Indian but specific tribal information is unavailable.
 
  • #25
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