TX TX - Grandmother Missing Since 1967, Birth Name: Dorothy Model (Or Modella) Goodson, Amarillo

[LRiley]

I'd love to get some advice from everyone on how to go about searching for my grandmother.

In 1968, my father, uncle and aunt went to school and when they came home, their mother was gone. Their father had abandoned them years before, so it was just mom and the kids.

She's never been seen again.

My aunt went to live with an uncle. My dad and uncle grew up in a boy's home.

I checked with the local police to see if a missing persons report was filed and it never was. There was no investigation. We have little to no details or information about my grandmother. We don't even have her social security number. Just her name, date of birth, and a few photos.

I see so many other cases with so much information but in a situation like this with no information, any suggestions on where to start? File a missing persons report now? Have her declared legally dead?

Any and all suggestions are very welcomed. Thank you so much.

 

[doublestop]

Can you share the name and date of birth? It would help in using records to track her down.

 

[LRiley]

Absolutely.


Birth Name: Dorothy Model (Or Modella) Goodson

Birthdate: Sept. 8, 1938

Place of Birth: Herpel, AR. Stone County.

Married: James Barron Riley on Sept. 11, 1954 in Letona, AR.

Based on my dad's memory he says she left sometime between August-October 1967, not 1968. That was a typo.

She was last seen in Amarillo, Texas.

 

[LRiley]

Can you share the name and date of birth? It would help in using records to track her down.

Absolutely.

Birth Name: Dorothy Model (Or Modella) Goodson

Birthdate: Sept. 8, 1938

Place of Birth: Herpel, AR. Stone County.

Married: James Barron Riley on Sept. 11, 1954 in Letona, AR.

Based on my dad's memory he says she left sometime between August-October 1967, not 1968. That was a typo.

 

[doublestop]

What town did she disappear from?

 

[sloane7777]

Wow that's my neck of the woods have you searched SSDI social security death index? it will show her ss# if shes no longer alive then from there , you will have that place to start. And I don't see why you cant file a report but I guess it would be in Amarillo, Texas. I bet you could do it online

 

[JrzyGirl70]

Could this be the right person?

Name: Dorothy M Goodson
Age: 1
Estimated birth year: abt 1939
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthplace: Arkansas
Marital status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Daughter
Home in 1940: Washington, Stone, Arkansas
Map of Home in 1940:
Leroy Goodson 36
Lottie Goodson
Leroy Goodson 19
Mary Goodson 18
Leona Goodson 16
Esther Goodson 14
Billy D Goodson 10
Martha Lee Goodson
Dorothy M Goodson 1

 

[JrzyGirl70]

@LRiley are you 100% positive on the date of birth?

 

[Laughing]

Jrzygirl70, that's plenty close for matching that census. You found her!

 

[Laughing]

What town did she disappear from?

What are the aunt's initials?

There are plenty of Dorothy Riley's in Arkansas according to FamilySearch, one living in Pine Bluff @ 2007.

 

[JrzyGirl70]

Could this be your Grandmother?

 

[JrzyGirl70]

Jrzygirl70, that's plenty close for matching that census. You found her!

I'm hoping..

 

[LRiley]

Apologies for the slow response. She disappeared from a Amarillo, TX. We’re not 100% on date on birth and yes, @JrzyGirl70, that is her.

We tried the death index but we don’t have her social security number so we weren’t able to verify accurately but based on what we found on there, it didn’t seem anyone matched. Which gave us hope that she is still alive.

 

[LRiley]

That is her. Nice work. We also found that in the census. But doesn’t give us much to help find her now or after 1967.

Are there publicly available documents that might help one find a social security number? With that we may be able to find her if she’s using a different name.

When she was married to my grandfather, she had the last name Riley.

Could this be the right person?

Name: Dorothy M Goodson
Age: 1
Estimated birth year: abt 1939
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthplace: Arkansas
Marital status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Daughter
Home in 1940: Washington, Stone, Arkansas
Map of Home in 1940:
Leroy Goodson 36
Lottie Goodson
Leroy Goodson 19
Mary Goodson 18
Leona Goodson 16
Esther Goodson 14
Billy D Goodson 10
Martha Lee Goodson
Dorothy M Goodson 1

 

[LRiley]

My aunt, Dorothy’s daughter, was Nancy Ann. The one in Pine Bluff is about 6 years too old. I wouldn’t Be surprised if she somehow ended up back there. My dad’s family is from there and he believes that they have hidden things from him. She was mentally ill. The belief is she went to live in a longer care facility. We’ve been trying to find facilities that may have been opened at the time in a Texas and Arkansas to request medical records. But we haven’t found one that has records that far back.

What are the aunt's initials?

There are plenty of Dorothy Riley's in Arkansas according to FamilySearch, one living in Pine Bluff @ 2007.

 

[JrzyGirl70]

@LRiley would she have reason to have ended up in Michigan by any chance?

I found her in someone's family tree, but I don't always trust the information to be correct. A lot of times people just add information they find on websites without actually confirming it is the right "Jane Smith"

 

[JrzyGirl70]

Also... I'm not sure what type of info is on a marriage license in Arkansas, but if you had your grandfathers info you might be able to obtain a copy of their marriage certificate and it could have more info on it.

I found a James Barron Riley - LKA was in Washington State??

 

[MadMcGoo]

Barron... this is also from my neck of the woods! I know the name and oddly enough have a close relative (who happens to be missing) that either dated and/or married a Barron. First initial “J”, but not James. I will speak to her mother and see if she remembers, and look around to see what I can find! I’m also familiar with several State Hospitals around here, from my previous work, if you need help tracking any down!!

•MMcG•

 

[LRiley]

No reason that I can think of to be in Michigan. They lived in Illinois for some time. Would you be able to share that info?

James Barron Riley was my grandfather. We didn’t find anything additional on the marriage certificate we couldn’t locate the divorce decree. We searched for that.

Thank you!

Also... I'm not sure what type of info is on a marriage license in Arkansas, but if you had your grandfathers info you might be able to obtain a copy of their marriage certificate and it could have more info on it.

I found a James Barron Riley - LKA was in Washington State??

 

[LRiley]

He is my grandfather but he died several years ago.

Barron... this is also from my neck of the woods! I know the name and oddly enough have a close relative (who happens to be missing) that either dated and/or married a Barron. First initial “J”, but not James. I will speak to her mother and see if she remembers, and look around to see what I can find! I’m also familiar with several State Hospitals around here, from my previous work, if you need help tracking any down!!

•MMcG•