WA WA - Judith Taylor, 28, Anacortes, Dec 11, 1985

[Murkywaters]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Judith Taylor vanished without trace from her downtown apartment in Anacortes, Washington on December 11, 1985.

- Recent addition to NamUs, please help find a photo and info on Judith

 

[Murkywaters]

Demographics
Missing Age: 28 Years
Current Age: 63 Years
First Name Judith
Last Name: Taylor
Sex: Female
Height: 4' 10" (58 Inches)
Weight: 93 lbs
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian

Circumstances
Date of Last Contact: December 11, 1985
NamUs Case Created: November 3, 2020
Last Known Location Map
Location: Anacortes, Washington 98221
County: Skagit County
Missing From Tribal Land: No
Primary Residence on Tribal Land--
Circumstances of Disappearance: Judith Taylor vanished without trace from her downtown apartment in Anacortes, Washington on December 11, 1985.

Physical Description
Hair Color: Brown
Left Eye Color: Green
Right Eye Color: Green

Distinctive Physical Features
No Information Entered

Clothing and Accessories
No Information Entered

Transportation
No Information Entered

Investigating Agencies
Anacortes Police Department (360) 293-4684
Agency Case Number:85-2172
No Investigator Entered

 

[MadMcGoo]

I did a quick search of Ancestry and Newspapers and found nothing that stood out to me. There was a Judy Taylor (27) who went missing from Ohio is December 1982, but no matches in or around 1985. ETA: 1982 Judy was found alive.

 

[folieadeuxnola]

Anacortes: The City Of Unsolved Murders -- As Its Combative Chief Steps Down, The City's Police Force Hopes To Restore Credibility And Trust With The Community | The Seattle Times

In December 1985, there was another apparent killing. Judith Taylor, an unemployed woman, vanished without trace from her downtown apartment. Despite suspicious noises heard in a nearby apartment, no body was found

 

[Adie]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Judith Taylor vanished without trace from her downtown apartment in Anacortes, Washington on December 11, 1985.

- Recent addition to NamUs, please help find a photo and info on Judith

According to local papers her parents surname was Fournier - and she is also listed as "Judith Fournier Taylor" there is a senior Anacortes yearbook from 1975 with a senior "Judith Fournier". Dates, names, and locations align - so this might be her?

 

[AlexFromnic]

According to local papers her parents surname was Fournier - and she is also listed as "Judith Fournier Taylor" there is a senior Anacortes yearbook from 1975 with a senior "Judith Fournier". Dates, names, and locations align - so this might be her?

Looks like her to me. I think it's interesting she had an apartment. But was listed as unemployed. Is she possible a street worker? If so I wonder if Gary Ridgeway was involved here. I know he was active in the area at the time.

 

[CptCari]

Looks like her to me. I think it's interesting she had an apartment. But was listed as unemployed. Is she possible a street worker? If so I wonder if Gary Ridgeway was involved here. I know he was active in the area at the time.

He wasn't active in Anacortes, that is waaaay outside his "zone."

Unfortunately, Anacortes is a popular area for tourism and also a small town that has had its fair share of undesirables. Could be related to almost anything out there.

 

[Odyssey]

I've been trying to look more into this and have ended up super confused. I'm not sure if there were two Judith Fourniers in the area around the same age, or if the missing Judith is alive.

First of all, I found this listing of camp members in the Bellingham Herald from July 31, 1968. It specifies that "K___ and Judith Fournier" are from Anacortes. This leads me to believe that the camper Judith has a sister named K____.

There is also an article in the Bellingham Herald dated January 8, 1968 which mentions Judith Fournier as a ten year old Anacortes girl who was injured in a bus accident. Her age matches up to the missing Judith.

Images attached, and see next post.

 

[Odyssey]

I can't post articles regarding K____ Fournier due to TOS but they're pretty easy to find and there is one who describes a difficult childhood.

However, I can post this obituary of a Mary Fournier, who has a daughter K____ and also a daughter Judy, with a husband listed whose surname isn't Taylor.

Reading the obituary, and the history of Mary's residences, I initially thought this must be a completely different family because it appears in the obituary that this family didn't come to Washington until the 1990s.

However, there is another daughter, D____ Fournier, mentioned in the obituary, and I've found this article which suggests D____ was in Washington in the 1970's.

Attached are the obituary of Mary and the June 1, 1973 article mentioning D_____.

Are all these same names a coincidence? I can't find anything on the Judy mentioned in the obituary, maybe someone else would have more luck? I don't currently have an Ancestry subscription. I appreciate it!

 

[Pennysmom1]

Judith Taylor

Judith Gail Fournier Taylor, age 28, disappeared from Anacortes, Washington on December 11, 1985. Judith was last seen by a neighbor at her apartment near Fourth and Commercial St. at approximately…

whereaboutsstillunknown.wordpress.com

 

[Pennysmom1]

Feb 11, 2025

Families of missing persons call for changes

New organization says regional task force, more immediate response is needed.

salish-current.org

<<Judith Gail Taylor of Anacortes was reported missing in 1985. Thirty-five years later, a former neighbor told a hospital nurse and police that he had suffocated her and dropped her body off Deception Pass Bridge. The former neighbor was among those interviewed in the initial investigation into Taylor’s disappearance, the case file shows.

In 2021, the man was terminally ill. He told police he felt bad about what he had done and wanted to get right with God. But Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Rosemary Kaholokula determined she could not prove murder beyond a reasonable doubt based solely on his confession — she noted some discrepancies — and no charges were filed. The man died, and Taylor is still listed as a missing person.>>

 

[CptCari]

Feb 11, 2025

Families of missing persons call for changes

New organization says regional task force, more immediate response is needed.

salish-current.org

<<Judith Gail Taylor of Anacortes was reported missing in 1985. Thirty-five years later, a former neighbor told a hospital nurse and police that he had suffocated her and dropped her body off Deception Pass Bridge. The former neighbor was among those interviewed in the initial investigation into Taylor’s disappearance, the case file shows.

In 2021, the man was terminally ill. He told police he felt bad about what he had done and wanted to get right with God. But Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Rosemary Kaholokula determined she could not prove murder beyond a reasonable doubt based solely on his confession — she noted some discrepancies — and no charges were filed. The man died, and Taylor is still listed as a missing person.>>

I can't believe I didnt hear about this revelation! What are the odds that a former neighbor would be the one to confess? It was 35 years ago, I am not surprised there were discrepancies. And that's a very...effective way to disappear someone.