TX TX - Pinkie Davis Herron, 22, Austin, 1 Jan 1979

[MadMcGoo]

• NamUs MP8810
• Pinkie Mae Davis-Herron – The Charley Project

7 Unidentified Person Exclusions
UP8056 10/31/1979 Williamson TX
UP8579 01/25/1981 Hanover VA
UP2632 08/12/1985 Harris TX
UP6661 02/03/1991 Stafford VA
UP8419 01/16/2001 Isle of Wight VA
UP6665 05/14/2007 Petersburg VA
UP12683 06/06/2014 Newport News VA

 

[sloane7777]

• NamUs MP8810
• Pinkie Mae Davis-Herron – The Charley Project

7 Unidentified Person Exclusions
UP8056 10/31/1979 Williamson TX
UP8579 01/25/1981 Hanover VA
UP2632 08/12/1985 Harris TX
UP6661 02/03/1991 Stafford VA
UP8419 01/16/2001 Isle of Wight VA
UP6665 05/14/2007 Petersburg VA
UP12683 06/06/2014 Newport News VA

yes looks like someone is working hard on this one ( that was total sarcasm, sorry it gets to me sometimes )

 

[Bit of hope]

Looking into another case I came across this interesting remark about Pinkie, posted by CarlK90245 (July 19 2010, #18)
NJ - NJ - Sussex Co., Wht/HispFem 252UFNJ, 18-20, dismembered, Jun'80

I made a follow-up call to Cassandra Cistone of TX-DPS regarding my submission of Pinkie Herron as a possible match to High Point Jane Doe. She said that there is no news with regard to this submission.
However, she told me that just recently, a female jailhouse informant who is trying to work a deal for a lighter sentence, has told authorities that her ex-boyfriend murdered Pinkie and buried her body underneath his home in Travis County TX.

Authorities are doing a little investigating to determine whether her information is credible. She also said that LE is going to have a little chat with the alleged perp. Hopefully, they will have enough probable cause to get a search warrant to excavate the property.

I wonder what became of this.....maybe the informant was just lying...who knows....

 

[Bit of hope]

I may have missed it - but was her car found?

I'm not sure how I missed it earlier on but in this link is this about the car
Pinkie Mae Davis Herron

Pinkie’s daughter confirmed that her car was indeed found at the Tex Golden Nugget, and it appeared to have recently been cleaned. Pinkie normally had a bunch of stuff in her car, and her family felt it was uncharacteristic of Pinkie to have the car so clean.

 

[Bit of hope]

Let's get over this case again and the information we collected:

From ccreecy21 post up thread
James Toliver is the name of the owner of the Texas Golden Nugget. There has been some speculation over the years that something may have happened to her on the grounds of the Texas Golden Nugget on FM 973 where she worked, however, this information hasn't been confirmed and to my knowledge, no there has been no evidence that backs up the speculation.

From MsATX post up thread
According to My Heritage, Pinkie was born Pinkie Mae Davis; married Toliver (had one child) & married Herron (had one child).

From an old post from CarlK, taken over here by me.
However, she told me that just recently, a female jailhouse informant who is trying to work a deal for a lighter sentence, has told authorities that her ex-boyfriend murdered Pinkie and buried her body underneath his home in Travis County TX. I really wonder who this ex-boyfriend is.

From my own post, source Pinkie Mae Davis Herron
Pinkie’s daughter confirmed that her car was indeed found at the Tex Golden Nugget, and it appeared to have recently been cleaned. Pinkie normally had a bunch of stuff in her car, and her family felt it was uncharacteristic of Pinkie to have the car so clean.

Thoughts?

 

[MadMcGoo]

The cleaning of her car is curious to me. Not sure why though.

Also, you think it’s pure coincidence that her former husband and the owner of the Golden Nugget has the same surname? I’m really not sure how to even find out.

I too am curious about the boyfriend the jailhouse informant mentioned. It’d be interesting to know more about what they said and if anything ever came of it. I’d think surely it wouldn’t be be too difficult to check into this guy’s house she was supposedly buried under.

 

[AngeMaye]

If any of you are still assisting with the search for Pinkie please let me know. I'm sure I can be of assistance.
I'm her daughter.
Blessings, Angela

 

[MadMcGoo]

If any of you are still assisting with the search for Pinkie please let me know. I'm sure I can be of assistance.
I'm her daughter.
Blessings, Angela

Hello Angela! Thank you for joining your mother’s thread here on WS. I’m sure any and all of us are still very interested in helping find out what happened to Pinkie. I imagine you have plenty to offer the thread. Please consider becoming a verified insider on your mother’s case/thread. And feel free to reach out to me privately if you have questions about the process.

 

[AngeMaye]

YEs, I am interested in becoming a verified insider on my mother’s case.

 

[Bit of hope]

If any of you are still assisting with the search for Pinkie please let me know. I'm sure I can be of assistance.
I'm her daughter.
Blessings, Angela

Hi Angela, welcome. Good to see you here. I hope you become a verified insider so we can talk about your mother more. If I can (I'm on the other side of the Ocean) I will be glad to help you. I'm sure there are other members on WS who feel the same.

 

[AngeMaye]

Thank you all so much!
Love and Blessings

 

[Bit of hope]

Bumping for Pinkie. @AngeMaye We haven't seen you around since March. Are you alright? Just curious; did you try to become a verified insider or did you get cold feet after all? Love and Blessings back.

 

[Friday Fan]

The Texas Gold Nugget bar/motel backs up to the Colorado River. It's pretty rural. I wonder if there was any searching done? Wonder if the owner also the owned the river bank property too?
3001 FM973 · 3001 FM973, Del Valle, TX 78617

Hmm....https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/third-court-of-appeals/1996/908.html. Motel was mentioned in a murder case.
The owner of the bar died in 2022. June 21, 1936 - January 18, 2022


His obituary states he had a child with Pinkie. It does not mention a marriage.

 

[Pennysmom1]

Pinkie Mae Davis-Herron – The Charley Project

• 
• 
• 

Davis-Herron, circa 1979; Age-progression to age 25 (circa 1981)

• Missing Since 09/01/1976
• Missing From Del Valle, Texas
• Classification Missing
• Sex Female
• Race Biracial, Black, Hispanic
• Date of Birth 01/31/1956 (67)
• Age 20 years old
• Height and Weight 5'3, 120 - 130 pounds
• 
  
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A ring on the third finger of her right hand.
• 
  
• Distinguishing Characteristics Biracial (African-American/Hispanic) female. Brown hair, hazel/brown eyes. Davis-Herron may use her last names together or separately.

Details of Disappearance​

Davis-Herron was last seen in Del Valle, Texas in September 1973, sometime around Labor Day, which was on September 6.


She was on her way to Tex Golden Nugget, a neighborhood motel and bar were she worked. Some friends saw her driving in that direction and she blew her horn at them and waved. She has never been seen again.


Davis-Herron married in 1970, when she was fourteen years old. She had two children, and she and her husband got divorced in 1975. Few details are available in her case.

Investigating Agency​

• Travis County Sheriff's Department 512-854-3234

Source Information​

• The Doe Network
• Texas Department of Public Safety
• Whereabouts Still Unknown
• The Vivid Faces of the Vanished

Updated 5 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated October 5, 2022; date of disappearance corrected.

 

[cenazoic]

Weird. First there were questions about whether she went missing in 1976 or 1979, but Charley says “Davis-Herron was last seen in Del Valle, Texas in September 1973..”.

That has to be a typo, I assume.

Namus and Texas Missing and Unidentified Clearinghouse say 1976.

 

[Pennysmom1]

Weird. First there were questions about whether she went missing in 1976 or 1979, but Charley says “Davis-Herron was last seen in Del Valle, Texas in September 1973..”.

That has to be a typo, I assume.

Namus and Texas Missing and Unidentified Clearinghouse say 1976.

I know! I was confused too because at the very bottom of what I posted from Charley, it says "Last updated October 5, 2022; date of disappearance corrected."

 

[Bit of hope]

Pinkie Mae Davis-Herron – The Charley Project

• 
• 
• 

Davis-Herron, circa 1979; Age-progression to age 25 (circa 1981)

• Missing Since 09/01/1976
• Missing From Del Valle, Texas
• Classification Missing
• Sex Female
• Race Biracial, Black, Hispanic
• Date of Birth 01/31/1956 (67)
• Age 20 years old
• Height and Weight 5'3, 120 - 130 pounds
• 
  
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A ring on the third finger of her right hand.
• 
  
• Distinguishing Characteristics Biracial (African-American/Hispanic) female. Brown hair, hazel/brown eyes. Davis-Herron may use her last names together or separately.

Details of Disappearance​

Davis-Herron was last seen in Del Valle, Texas in September 1973, sometime around Labor Day, which was on September 6.


She was on her way to Tex Golden Nugget, a neighborhood motel and bar were she worked. Some friends saw her driving in that direction and she blew her horn at them and waved. She has never been seen again.


Davis-Herron married in 1970, when she was fourteen years old. She had two children, and she and her husband got divorced in 1975. Few details are available in her case.

Investigating Agency​

• Travis County Sheriff's Department 512-854-3234

Source Information​

• The Doe Network
• Texas Department of Public Safety
• <modsnip - not approved sources>

Updated 5 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated October 5, 2022; date of disappearance corrected.

Labor day in 1973 was on Monday, September 3th, (also in 1979 BTW) so this must be a typo. Labor day in 1976 was on Monday, September 6. Would the Golden Nugget have been open on Labor day?

 

[Friday Fan]

Labor day in 1973 was on Monday, September 3th, (also in 1979 BTW) so this must be a typo. Labor day in 1976 was on Monday, September 6. Would the Golden Nugget have been open on Labor day?

Likely
It's a bar.

The only thing closed on labor day is govt services. It's a party day for many people, so retail and bars are open.

 

[Friday Fan]

I went down a rabbit hole with this case.


I can't figure out whether she disappeared in 1976 or 1979.

No evidence of searching was done.
No newspaper articles indicating that she was missing.

(That doesn't mean she wasn't reported missing. It just means it didn't make the newspapers)
If there was searching there would have been a newspaper article.


The Golden Nugget bar burnt down in April 26, 1976, after the owner opened the door and a type of "explosion occurred". The owner was killed.


There was an arson investigation and there was finger pointing at the sheriff for not releasing the report. Apparently the explanation for the fire was poor, but in the end, the fire was determined to be caused by "sewer gas". (Which I found to be strange)

If Pinkie went missing in Sept 1976, there certainly was absolutely no mention of it in the investigation of the arson and a possible suspect in the potential arson arrested in December of 1976 on other charges. Certainly there should have been a mention of a young woman who disappeared only a few months after the place burnt down. The organized crime guy was known for threats and terror type attacks.

And would the place be reopened in Sept 1976?


There was quite an investigation into the fire that spanned into 1978. Arson investigation mentioned an organized crime figure who supposedly wanted to buy the property.


Was there finger pointing at the organized crime guy? Possibly. People often look for explanations after a tragedy.


If Pinkie disappeared in 1979, then the arson investigation was already closed. The organized crime figure was in prison at that time.

Article clipped from Austin American-Statesman

Clipping found in Austin American-Statesman published in Austin, Texas on 12/23/1978.

www.newspapers.com

Article clipped from Austin American-Statesman

Clipping found in Austin American-Statesman published in Austin, Texas on 12/29/1978.

www.newspapers.com

Article clipped from Austin American-Statesman

Clipping found in Austin American-Statesman published in Austin, Texas on 12/31/1977.

www.newspapers.com

 

[Bit of hope]

If Pinkie went missing in Sept 1976, there certainly was absolutely no mention of it in the investigation of the arson and a possible suspect in the potential arson arrested in December of 1976 on other charges. Certainly there should have been a mention of a young woman who disappeared only a few months after the place burnt down. The organized crime guy was known for threats and terror type attacks.

And would the place be reopened in Sept 1976?

This is very interesting and a real good question. Thank you for researching. I think you really opened the cesspool! IMO it has corruption written all over it and a total lack of due diligence. More and more I believe Pinkie, who worked a the Tex Golden Nugget (that as far I know was not affiliated with the Golden Nugget casino's and probably just piggybacking on the name), and had a (family) relation with the Tolivers knew things she wasn't supposed to have known. Also, although I don't know her, I see her going to seek redress from the authorities or others and doing that rubbed some people the wrong way.

If the Golden Nugget burned down, how much damage was done? If all of it was gone, Pinkie would have been out of work as of April 26, 1976.

Depending on when the Tex Golden Nugget reopened, this sentence in the narrative is now also questionable:
She was on her way to Tex Golden Nugget <this must come from someone who knew, how else can you know where somebody is going if you just see someone in a car?>, a neighborhood motel were she worked. Some friends saw her driving in that direction and she blew her horn at them and waved.

Is in America, a fragrance added to the butane gas (that has no smell of itself)? If so the buthane gas explanation makes no sense, because you would have smelled that. The methane gas explanation is very far fetched. Was there a swamp, a manure cellar or a landfill underneath the motel? No pressure explosions accured. It's obvious Mr. Crowe, the criminal investigator/deputy (so not a fire expert) had the need to cover up something or someone, with this baloney and it looks like the Sheriff went along.

Not sure if it's allowed to link this, but maybe we getting somewhere with this. Pinkie Mae Davis Herron

Pinkie Mae Davis-Herron went missing from Del Valle, TX in September 1976. Most sites list her disappearance as having occurred in 1979, a discrepancy that Pinkie’s daughter explained as follows:

When Pinkie disappeared, both of her daughters were very young. A friend of Pinkie’s attempted to report Pinkie missing, but law enforcement would not take a report. She wasn’t officially reported missing until her younger daughter was an adult, and she wasn’t sure of the year but guessed 1979. Over time, from talking to family and friends, her daughter determined that she vanished in September 1976.

As an aside: 1976 is the same year three other black women vanished from Austin, Texas.

Pinkie's daughter must have notified Charley's Project and the missing date was edited. (pictures of Pinkie are still saying 1979, though, I think C.P. overlooked)

@Odyssey Can you help us out with this?

The owner of the Tex Golden Nugget, who's death was caused by severe burns from the fire (Alfred R.T.), is the father of the man Pinkie had a relation with/had a child with (James A.T.)