AZ AZ - Maria Ruthling, 49, Scottsdale, 23 Sept 1965

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Here's a link for those of us who don't use Facebook...

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/ruthling_maria.html

Maria was divorced. Was it known if she and her ex were on fairly friendly terms?

Did she have any enemies? She was alone at work until 10 p.m. Was that typical of her? If it was, someone might have known her schedule and waited for that opportunity to attack. As her cash register and purse were intact, it doesn't seem robbery was the motive, but rather Maria herself.
 
CastlesBurning said:
Here's a link for those of us who don't use Facebook...

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/r/ruthling_maria.html

Maria was divorced. Was it known if she and her ex were on fairly friendly terms?

Did she have any enemies? She was alone at work until 10 p.m. Was that typical of her? If it was, someone might have known her schedule and waited for that opportunity to attack. As her cash register and purse were intact, it doesn't seem robbery was the motive, but rather Maria herself.
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Maria was married (and divorced from) Paul D R Ruthling, a fairly well known naturalist with a particular expertise in snakes. I don't know if they were on good terms but certainly Mr Ruthling had the knowledge of the wild to be able to make a body disappear if he was involved. Having said that he had been previously married and divorced without too much fuss and does not seem to have a reputation which would draw suspicion. He also seems to have been on good terms with Maria in 1963 judging by the announcement of the wedding plans for their daughter Carmen. They seem to have been married since the late 30s. He died in 1972 age 74 so was 18 years older than Maria.
 
Actually, I did an FBI search on her husband found files on him. He was possibly a communist spy. One of the files he is in is with the Rosenbergs. He was also a WWI enemy prisoner of war who escaped and when they found him he was with a very high ranking German military person.
 
Nancy_Drew said:
Actually, I did an FBI search on her husband found files on him. He was possibly a communist spy. One of the files he is in is with the Rosenbergs. He was also a WWI enemy prisoner of war who escaped and when they found him he was with a very high ranking German military person.
Click to expand...

I had seen his name in the Rosenberg file (I assume you are referring to https://vault.fbi.gov/rosenberg-case/rosenberg-referrals/rosenberg-referrals-part-89-of). I regarded it as utterly irrelevant. I have seen nothing to suggest he was more than a possible party member (rather than a spy) and I fail to see the relevance of any of his political beliefs, especially since this case took place long after the Communist Party declined in the USA and the end of the 'red scare'. The document itself is an oddity, being one of those used to link civil rights activism with communism. I have known lots of activists of left and right, and in no case would I have felt other than safe in their presence (however much I disagreed with them).

I was interested in your comment about WW1. As far as I know Ruthling was in Mexico from 1917 until he moved to New Mexico circa 1930, and was in Los Angeles from 1913 to 1917. What makes you believe he was a PoW? I wondered if you thought he went to Mexico to avoid internment as an enemy alien, but since he was born in New York and continued to work with the American Museum of Natural History after going to Mexico this seems unlikely.
 
Maria is in NAMUS: https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/30754/

On 9/23/65 Maria Ruthling went to work at the Aztec Studio Shop and called home to say she was on her way home. She never returned home. Her vehicle was found abandoned after her disappearance with her purse and keys inside.

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Missing Person / NamUs #MP30754
Maria Theresa Aurelio Ruthling
FCE6D0FD-BBAC-4248-926F-253772275AB5.jpeg 9C05CAD4-403C-4151-AC86-3A4A98EF390F.jpeg AAEDA7A6-26F1-4FD2-8DF9-60A843B297B2.jpeg 8082A379-DC07-4A5B-8E67-D5C575E106B4.jpeg B4734BCC-7D88-43C6-BA93-D6F9712A194A.jpeg 95758C72-8897-4729-AB8A-305402A8E5A4.jpeg ​

Date of Last Contact: September 23, 1965
Missing From: Scottsdale, Maricopa County, Arizona
Sex, Race/Ethnicity: Female, White / Caucasian
Missing Age: 51 Years
Height: 5' 5" (65 Inches)
Weight: 125 lbs
Hair Color: Brown; long and often worn in a bun
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Characteristics: Maria is of Italian descent and has pierced ears

Circumstances of Disappearance
Ruthling was last seen in Scottsdale, Arizona on September 23, 1965. She went to work at the Aztec Studio Shop, the business she operated in the 20 block of east Main Street, that day. At 10:00 p.m. she called her adult daughter to say she was coming home.

She never arrived home and her vehicle was found abandoned a day later in a shopping center parking lot in the 20 block of south Old Scottsdale Road. The car keys and Ruthling's purse were inside it. Her shop was locked with money in the cash register and no sign of a robbery.

Ruthling was divorced at the time of her disappearance and has two daughters. She lived with her younger daughter at in the 800 block of east Elm Street; her ex-husband lived elsewhere in the city. Her disappearance is completely out of character and foul play is suspected in her case, but few details are available.

Scottsdale Police Department
John Heinzelman, Detective (480) 312-5000
Agency Case Number: 65-4170
Phoenix Police Department
Stuart Somershoe, Police Detective (602) 262-6151
Agency Case Number: DR 2015-10000015016
Regional Program Specialist
Dustin Driscoll (817) 240-4160

Dentals: Not Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available

3 Unidentified Person Exclusions:
UP7228 10/25/1965 Pima AZ
UP6796 11/18/1985 Alleghany VA
UP5556 05/30/1976 Virginia Beach VA

Sources
The Charley Project
NamUs
The Doe Network
CRIMESQUID
Scottsdale Progress
 
I don't know why, but I find Maria very interesting... She looks like a very confident and strong woman, someone who attracts attention. May that play a role in her disappearance? Did she reject someone recently and that person was unable to take a no for an answer?
Did she have a dispute over her business? Did someone in the neighbourhood where the car was located have criminal records? She may have witnessed something, I don't know...
I read that her ex husband had sued her over a property in Santa Fe, but if he planned to kill her, I think he wouldn't have sued her...
 
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