Presumed Located IA - Lillian Demaris, 31, Mason City, 1952

The old photos in these cases always haunt me for some reason.
Her profile leaves so many so many questions. Did she have a job? Was she married? Children?

It did state that she was classified as disabled, but that could mean so many things (physically, mentally?) The answer to that question would really help with finding out what could have happened. Did she leave intentionally to start a new life like so many seemed to due in those days? Did someone take advantage of her vulnerability due to a disability?

She must have family still alive today who wonders where she could be. It sounds as if there wasn't an intensive search, as I could not find much on her.

I'm not much of a researcher. I can only go as far a the typical Google search. I'm always so impressed with the amazing research that many of the members here are able to do. I hope someone is able to uncover some of the many questions to this case.
 
I can't even find a birth record for her or a 1930's census entry. Anyone find any record of her at all? TIA
 
If someone else is curious to try to find this woman I did find an interesting entry (user entry) on a genealogy board.

http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.huff/1579/mb.ashx

More surnames to work with:

Requesting any assistance for the location or information on Lillian E. Huff. Lillian has been missing since 1952 from Mason City, IA. She left behind 3 daughters ages 6, 4 and 2. Lillian married several times, Patrick OBrien, Shorty Thompson, Charles "Chuck" Jackson, Tom Demaris. Her last husband died in a construction accident in MN. Lillian lived in Killeen, TX for a while in the 1950's. She worked with a traveling carnival as a food vendor. Lillian would be 83 yrs old, as of 2004. It is believed that she is still living and living in a nursing home. Her daughters are still searching for her. Lillian's parents were Lee Ollie Huff and Lillian E. Stewart. She was born in Nebraska and then moved to Mason City, IA when she was a child. She married and lived in Mason City, IA where she had her 3 daughters. ANY information about her would be greatly appreciated.

Just FYI.

(Note: there are some indications that she may have gone by the name Eileen. Her mother being also named Lillian she is Id'ed in a census form as Eileen).
 
If someone else is curious to try to find this woman I did find an interesting entry (user entry) on a genealogy board.

http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.huff/1579/mb.ashx

More surnames to work with:



Just FYI.

(Note: there are some indications that she may have gone by the name Eileen. Her mother being also named Lillian she is Id'ed in a census form as Eileen).

Good find Kat

Sounds like she possibly left on her own accord? If so I wonder why? As a mother it seems impossible to leave 3 young children, there must have been a good reason if she did leave on her own. Possibly the disability mentioned on the Charley page.

Was she thought to be working with the traveling carnival as a food vendor after the disappearance or before?

The Ancestry post was dated 2004, I wonder if anyone ever answered? Possibly a nursing home employee? I wonder if anyone can get ahold of one of the children she left behind. Maybe they can give clues to her state of mind before she disappeared.
 
momtolil, I wonder where it is she disappeared from after reading that old entry on ancestry.

I wonder if she was in (Killeen) Texas as the last place known and was reported missing to Iowa authorities? Wish we could confirm that.

It is very possible she did leave of her own accord. We might be able to track her then. She may already be deceased given her advanced age.
 
All of that helping with the investigation of my grandmother's dissapearance Thank You to caring so much abut a stranger. I don't have much information, but what I do have I will gladly share.


your right she was Eileen, at least to family. The reason that she wasn't reported missing in 1952 was because her mother didn't want the girls taken away from her.
The day Eileen went missing she promised my Oldest Aunt that the two of them would go out for dinner to celebrate her sixth birthday. She never came home, her car was found abandoned outside the carnival where she was working in Mason City Iowa.
 
If you would like more information about Lillian Eileen DeMaris just contact me and I will see what else my mother ( her youngest) remembers from Eileen's siblings.

If you are comfortable doing so, please post any information you uncover here. There are many brilliant minds here who could use what you are willing to share in order to locate your grandmother.
 
Lillian Eileen was born in 1921 in Nebraska, she was the second born child of Lee Ollie Huff ( deceased 1940 Mason City) and Lillian Edith Stewart Huff ( deceased 1982 ? Mason city) her obit said at the time that Eileen was in Orlando Florida. There was a woman there at the time going by Lillian Eileen Huff but when my aunts and my mother called her she said she married into the name. My mother and her sisters tried to track her through her social security number but no luck, they are still under the impression that she was using her mothers s.s. number and that great grandma knew where she was. If you look at the comments on Iowa cold case files there seems to be an opinion that maybe it was a sexual predator active at the time.
 
I have got a little more information on Grandma Eileen. Her last known husband was not "Tom" DeMaris. Somewhere along the line the information got confused. Her last known husband was Allen DeMaris, he was decapitated in an accident along with his son in Missouri ( where they were living) not Killeen Texas. Evidently she couldn't believe he was gone until she saw his body.
The authorities believe she couldn't deal with Allen's death so she left.
 
Is there a reason, other than the husband's death, that LE thought she left of her own accord? It is odd to me that her car was abandoned by the carnival.

I think anything is possible at this point, but we have other cases of people disappearing from carnivals and in many of them, people suspect carnival workers because it is a very transient job - meaning, they can get away with crime easy because they're only there a few days.
 
Could of Alan did something to her? I mean the car was last seen at carnival. It really doesn't mean she was with the carnival per say. It could be that the family was at the carnival that night. And its possible that she changed her birth date. Alot of people do that.

The only person I know that would leave her kids was a cousin of mine, she was severely abused by her husband for years, she left when she was into 18 years into the marriage and left the kids with him. 3 of the kids now resent her since leaving when they were very small.

I found this:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dispatch/obituary.aspx?pid=173068871
 
Ok I'm putting together something that will be very interested read. I will get back at you all on this
 
Boomeroreo, in the information being discussed on this site it states that Allen is deceased. According to the family she was working for a carnival operating in Mason City, Iowa on the day of her disappearance August 14, 1952
 
Could of Alan did something to her? I mean the car was last seen at carnival. It really doesn't mean she was with the carnival per say. It could be that the family was at the carnival that night. And its possible that she changed her birth date. Alot of people do that.

The only person I know that would leave her kids was a cousin of mine, she was severely abused by her husband for years, she left when she was into 18 years into the marriage and left the kids with him. 3 of the kids now resent her since leaving when they were very small.

I found this:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dispatch/obituary.aspx?pid=173068871

I looked at the obituary that you found. Grandma Eileen's maiden name was Huff. I appreciate the help but that isn't her.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
189
Guests online
1,634
Total visitors
1,823

Forum statistics

Threads
589,952
Messages
17,928,178
Members
228,015
Latest member
Amberraff
Back
Top