Sept 11, 2020 article
ATCHISON — Billie "Bob" and Mary Black, an elderly couple with severe health issues, walked out the front door of their Atchison home on Sept. 11, 2009, got into their blue 1990 Honda Civic and vanis…
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ATCHISON — Billie "Bob" and Mary Black, an elderly couple with severe health issues, walked out the front door of their Atchison home on Sept. 11, 2009, got into their blue 1990 Honda Civic and vanished.
A year later, this northeast Kansas town is left with a lot of unanswered questions, and family members are without closure.
"We have done tons of searches," Atchison County Undersheriff Larry Myer said. "That case has puzzled me for a long time. I want to find them."
There is no evidence of foul play, and Myer said it as if the Blacks disappeared off the face of the Earth.
Bob Black's brother, Buddy Black, of Lexington, Mo., thinks he knows what happened. Others echo his thoughts.
"They're in the river," Buddy Black said. "Where else would they be? We've gone through a year. I want to think it was an accident. But in the forefront of my mind, I think it was deliberate."
Early romance
Mary Lou Black, who was 72 at the time of her disappearance, and Bob Black, who was 74, were high school sweethearts, Buddy Black said.
They grew up in Orrick, Mo., and graduated from the town's high school.
Bob Black's father worked at an automobile plant near Kansas City, Mo., and his mother worked at a box plant.
After graduation, the two married. Mary attended the University of Central Missouri to become a teacher. Bob headed to an engineering school in Kansas City.
Bob joined the Air Force, and the two traveled. She taught school in Maryland, and he enjoyed race cars.
Bob Black received a job offer to become a plant manager at an aluminum factory in Atchison, and the couple settled in this community along the Missouri River.
Building a life
The Blacks had one son, Kurt. In 1971, Bob Black built a ranch-style, brick house for his wife at 2411 Pacific St. on the outskirts of Atchison, Buddy Black said.
Mary Black took a job with John Van Dy ke Insurance Co. in July 1983, longtime friend and co-worker Barb Windsor said.
"We worked together for 20 years," Windsor said. "Mary and I were friends. I was the one who told John she was job hunting."
Windsor and Black became friends at a social function because they shared a love for dogs.
"We chatted, and because of the dogs, we got to be good friends," Windsor said. "She was always doing a lot of tricks with them and training them. Mary was a very nice person and very friendly. With people, she was very compassionate."
Black's boss, John Van Dy ke, still operates his business out of the same white building where Black and Windsor worked. He vividly remembers Mary Black.
"Mary was a really sweet gal," Van Dy ke said. "She was a faithful employee. Bob was highly intelligent, too."
His mother also was a close friend of Mary Black, and Bob Black did odd jobs for the Van Dy ke family.
Windsor and Mary Black worked together until 2002, when Mary retired. Their friendship continued, and Windsor had visited the Black household just a few months before the couple disappeared. Windsor had given her friend a puppy named Murphy, a dog who became a constant companion.
Windsor said she called Mary in the summer of 2009 and asked if she could visit her and introduce her new rescued Maltese.
"She didn't know who I was," Windsor said.
By the time Windsor showed up on the Blacks' doorstep, Mary Black had regained her memory and chatted with Windsor about the new dog.
"She was a really good, honest person," Windsor said. "In all of the years I knew Mary and worked with her, she never said a bad word about Bob."
Van Dy ke said Mary "worshipped the ground Bob walked on."
Windsor and Van Dy ke were worried when they learned the Blacks were missing. When the couple hadn't been found several days later, people began to speculate that Bob Black drove their car into the Missouri River.
"When I first heard it, I didn't really think Bob would do such a thing," Windsor said. "But then it was only a couple of days after they were missing that they started dragging the river."
Tough times
Neighbors described the Blacks as quiet and reclusive.
"We had a mutual respect for one another," neighbor Jack Bishop said.
But Bob Black could be surly at times, and some Atchison residents called him eccentric.
"He was quite an individual. He was a collector of things," Bishop said. "And Mary was in the later stage of Alzheimer's. She left stuff in our driveway, and I had to take it back to her."
Bishop and another neighbor, Ron Kurtz, often saw Mary Black wandering up and down the road outside her house. At times, Bishop would walk Mary home or call Bob to come and get her.
Bob Black knew what his wife was facing. He watched his mother and mother-in-law suffer from the disease, and he was upset about his own health, Buddy Black said. Bob had a severe case of diabetes, was missing some toes, took insulin daily, had difficulty walking and didn't see well.
"He was fed up," Buddy Black said. "He knew there was no going back (for Mary). It wasn't going to get better."
Buddy Black recalled a conversation Kurt had with his father when they were driving to look into a nursing home for Mary. Bob told his son it would be better for him if his parents weren't around.
The end?
Kurt Black, who lives in Merriam and is listed as the contact for his parent's property, didn't return a telephone call. Buddy Black said it was his concerned nephew who notified the Atchison County Sheriff's Office about the Blacks.
Kurt Black had tried to contact his parents several times. He became worried and drove to their house Sept. 11, Buddy Black said. When he arrived, he found the lights on, their drivers' licenses, a checkbook and cash.
The most critical thing he found was that his father's insulin was left inside the refrigerator. At 7 p.m. Sept. 12, Kurt Black contacted the sheriff's office.
The Blacks became the first subjects of a Silver Alert, a program in Kansas modeled after Amber Alerts issued for abducted children. The Silver Alert is issued when a person 65 years or older or someone suffering from dementia is reported missing.
In the search for the Blacks, law enforcement officials conducted air searches, dragged area lakes and rivers, and even had a countywide search. Buddy Black, along with other family members, traveled to Atchison to hand out fliers there and in surrounding communities.
There were sightings at casinos, in Kansas City, Mo., and in several towns across Kansas, Undersheriff Myer said. But the leads didn't turn up anything. Some witnesses said they saw the couple driving along the Missouri River.
"There were sightings everywhere," Myer said. "Nothing turned up. There were no signs of foul play. The case remains open. It will remain open."
Meanwhile neighbors tend to their own homes, and Kurt Black maintains his parent's house. There are signs of life all around the house. The lawn is mowed, flowers grow and Bob Black's love for The University of Kansas is evident by a sign that hangs near the front door: "Jayhawks fanatic. Enter at your own risk."
There also is evidence that Bob Black was a collector. Vehicles are scattered around the house, tires are stacked in several areas, and the front porch is piled high with various items.
Relatives are trying to go about their lives.
"I feel guilty," Buddy Black said. "I don't think about them every day any more. You wish you knew what happened. How long do you wait to have a memorial service? Do you even have a memorial service? I don't know if they will ever be found. I don't think it's very likely."
Ann Marie Bush can be reached at (785) 295-1207 or ann.bush@cjonline.com.
