Virginia teen disappeared in 1957 and has not been seen since.
Around 11 pm on May 20, 1957, West Point, Virginia police officer Billy Haigler saw a young girl on the street carrying two suitcases.
Three days later, Harry Wisten Roane reported his 16-year-old daughter, Elsie Mae Roane missing to police. Haigler reported the sighting to his supervisor once he learned of Elsie Mae’s disappearance.
Police put out a description of the girl: 5’9″, 115 lbs, blue eyes, short brown hair.
A male friend of Elsie Mae’s told police he talked to her the night she disappeared, but said Elsie Mae was on her way to spend the night with a friend, not running away. The friend told police Elsie Mae never arrived at her house.
Elsie Mae Roane was a sophomore at West Point High School and her principal at the time, H.A. Humphreys, described her as an “above average” student. She may have been pregnant when she disappeared.
In 2015, police announced they had a male suspect who was around the age of Elsie Mae when she disappeared. They did not release his name but said he was alive in 2015.
Her mother, Alfaretta Roane passed away in 1955. It is unclear when her father died.
True Crime Diva’s Thoughts
What about a city curfew? Haigler sees a young girl carrying two suitcases at 11 pm on a school night and thinks nothing of it? Why didn’t he assist her and offer a ride?
Why did her father wait three days to report her missing? Who is the friend who last talked to her? If Elsie was pregnant, was he the father? I’m guessing it’s the friend who talked to her before she vanished. It sounds like Elsie Mae might have been pregnant. If this is true, she may have left on her own, or the father of her baby (maybe this guy?) killed her.
Sources
- “16-year-old West Point Girl Missing”. Daily Press, May 28, 1975.
- Robertson, Marcella. “Police Have Suspect in 58-Year-Old Missing Persons Case”. Herald Times Reporter, July 21, 2015. https://www.htrnews.com/story/news/local/virginia/2015/07/21/suspect-in-58-year-old-missing-person/30493425/