AZ AZ - Rochelle Ihm, 20, Phoenix, 13 July 1986

Rochelle Maria Ihm
Missing since July 13, 1986 from Phoenix, Arizona
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

* Date Of Birth: March 1, 1966
* Age at Time of Disappearance: 20 years old
* Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'3"; 98 lbs.
* Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde hair; blue eyes.
* Marks, Scars: A round brown birthmark on her leg.
* Jewelry: Oval shaped sapphire ring with eight small diamonds surrounding the sapphire.
* Medical: Diabetic
* AKA: Rocky

Circumstances of Disappearance
On July 13, 1986 at approximately 11:00 A.M., Rochelle Ihm was last seen in the area of 6th Street and Washington Street in Phoenix, Arizona. Ihm, a San Diego resident who was a trained paralegal, had grown up in Phoenix but followed her parents to California, and had made a spur-of-the-moment trip to the Valley on July 12 to socialize with friends.
Robert Yama, formerly the Ihm family gardener, paid for her one-way ticket and picked her up at the airport. That night, she partied with other friends. Some of the friends later told police she was using illegal drugs. Ihm, a diabetic who needs regular injections of insulin, may have been at risk of an adverse reaction to illegal drugs, police feared.
However, she appeared to be fine the next day, mutual acquaintances said. Yama said he dropped Ihm off at the Greyhound bus station downtown about noon that Sunday. He said she planned to travel by bus back to California. She was never seen again.
Rochelle's mother said Rochelle was going to start a new job on July 14, 1986, but she failed to show up. Foul play is suspected in Rochelle's disappearance.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1587dfaz.html


I wonder if the gardener was ever considered a suspect in Rochelle's disappearance since he was the last person to see her.

Three and a half months later, another woman supposedly disappeared from the same Greyhound bus station in Phoenix. This disappearance is probably not related to Rochelle's disappearance, but I still wanted to post it:


Julie Ann Grubaugh
Missing since November 2, 1986 from Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

* Date Of Birth: May 7, 1961
* Age at Time of Disappearance: 25 years old
* Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'4"; 130 lbs.
* Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown long hair; brown eyes. Fair complexion.
* Marks, Scars: Scar on stomach.

Circumstances of Disappearance
On November 2, 1986 at 15.00 Julie Grubaugh was supposedly dropped off at the Greyhound Bus Station, 550 E Washington Street, by her Ex-Husband.
Prior to going missing Julie resided with her husband at a wrecking yard 4000 s 51st avenue and worked at J’s Coffee Shop, 6066 S. Central Avenue.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Phoenix Police Department
602-534-2121

Agency Case Number: 0000-86157972

Source Information:
Phoenix Police Department

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2733dfaz.html


By the way, Greyhound bus stations seem to be pretty dangerous ... :waitasec:

What about Dana Point Jane Doe for Brandy? Dana Point is not too far from San Diego. I wonder if Rochelle had been pregnant at any point in time?

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1587dfaz.html


O/T I agree about Greyhound buses. Back in the 80's I took a bus from Philadelphia to Georgia to visit my grandparents. I fell asleep and woke to find a OLD man (70's +) rubbing his hand on my knee and trying to snuggle up to me. I was young and stupid and did not think to tell the bus driver, but I did go to a Catholic college and had a big ol cross around my neck. I pushed the guys hand away and told him to stop because I was a nun. Not only did he stop, but he moved, LOL! Dirty old man!

That could be a possibility! They definitely resemble each other. The age range matches. Dana Point Jane Doe is heavier, but since there is one year between Rochelle's disappearance and the suicide of Jane Doe, that isn't a problem.
I couldn't find more information about Rochelle's disappearance. As you said, it would be helpful to know if she ever was pregnant or if she was depressed or suicidal.

I think it would be helpful to post Rochelle's case in the "Dana Point Jane Doe" thread and see what people say. I will do that right now.

I searched Intelius.com and found a Rochelle M. Ihm, aged 43 and living in Phoenix, Arizona.

http://www.intelius.com/search-summary-out.php?ReportType=1&

I'm not sure what to think about it? Do you think it could be her? :waitasec:

I posted this case in the missing/located forum, but it didn't receive much attention there. So, I decided to post it here. Perhaps it fits better in the cold case section.

Here is the old thread:
AZ AZ - Rochelle Maria Ihm, Missing Since 1986 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

That is the case:

Case File 1587DFAZ


Left: Ihm, circa 1986 Right: Age Progression by NCMEC to age 42 (2008)

Rochelle Maria Ihm
Missing since July 13, 1986 from Phoenix, Arizona
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

* Date Of Birth: March 1, 1966
* Age at Time of Disappearance: 20 years old
* Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'3"; 98 lbs.
* Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde hair; blue eyes.
* Marks, Scars: A round brown birthmark on her leg.
* Jewelry: Oval shaped sapphire ring with eight small diamonds surrounding the sapphire.
* Medical: Diabetic
* AKA: Rocky

Circumstances of Disappearance
On July 13, 1986 at approximately 11:00 A.M., Rochelle Ihm was last seen in the area of 6th Street and Washington Street in Phoenix, Arizona. Ihm, a San Diego resident who was a trained paralegal, had grown up in Phoenix but followed her parents to California, and had made a spur-of-the-moment trip to the Valley on July 12 to socialize with friends.
A froend of the family paid for her one-way ticket and picked her up at the airport. That night, she partied with other friends. According to the family friend he dropped Ihm off at the Greyhound bus station downtown about noon that Sunday. He said she planned to travel by bus back to California. She was never seen again.
Rochelle's mother said Rochelle was going to start a new job on July 14, 1986, but she failed to show up. Foul play is suspected in Rochelle's disappearance.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Phoenix Police Department
Missing Persons Unit
602-261-8042 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting**************602-261-8042******end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Agency Case Number: 86096662

NCMEC #: NCMA1094007

Source Information:
Phoenix Police Department
THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC
NCMEC

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1587dfaz.html

My suspicions always go to the last person who reports seeing the victim...Wonder how close a look law enforcement took at that family friend.
He paid for a one-way plane ticket, picked her up, spent time with her and other friends, then drops her off at the bus station?
Odd, to say the least.

I thought that, too.

Another scenario I could imagine is that she met the wrong person on the bus and was eventually murdered. This scenario reminds me of the murder of Jeannie Marie Melville in 1970. She was also last seen at a Greyhound bus station in August 1970. Her body was found in Ohio (her destination) two months later.

I searched the doenetwork for UIDs found in the Arizona-California area in the late 80s but didn't anyone who would fit Rochelle's description.

Although I'm sure that something terrible happened to her, I looked at intelius.com and found a Rochelle M. Ihm living in Phoenix, aged 43.
http://www.intelius.com/search-summ...&qmi=&qn=Ihm&qs=AZ&trackit=74&focusfirst=1&Re

It's probably not her, but anyway. I think the name 'Rochelle Ihm' doesn't occur that often.

Three and a half months later, another woman supposedly disappeared from the same Greyhound bus station in Phoenix. This disappearance is probably not related to Rochelle's disappearance, but one never knows:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2733dfaz.html


My humble thoughts

To find someone else with that same name defies the odds, in my opinion. Even down to the age and middle initial? We should be hearing the Twilight Zone theme in the background.....

Unless there were other witnesses, I'm personally doubting she ever made it to the bus station.

shadowangel said:

My suspicions always go to the last person who reports seeing the victim...Wonder how close a look law enforcement took at that family friend.
He paid for a one-way plane ticket, picked her up, spent time with her and other friends, then drops her off at the bus station?
Odd, to say the least.

Click to expand...

The following are the circumstances of Rochelle's disappearance given a couple of months ago (Sep 09) on her doenetwork page. In the meantime her profile was updated and details (highlighted) about the 'family friend' were deleted:

On July 13, 1986 at approximately 11:00 A.M., Rochelle Ihm was last seen in the area of 6th Street and Washington Street in Phoenix, Arizona. Ihm, a San Diego resident who was a trained paralegal, had grown up in Phoenix but followed her parents to California, and had made a spur-of-the-moment trip to the Valley on July 12 to socialize with friends.
Robert Yama, formerly the Ihm family gardener, paid for her one-way ticket and picked her up at the airport. That night, she partied with other friends. Some of the friends later told police she was using illegal drugs. Ihm, a diabetic who needs regular injections of insulin, may have been at risk of an adverse reaction to illegal drugs, police feared.
However, she appeared to be fine the next day, mutual acquaintances said. Yama said he dropped Ihm off at the Greyhound bus station downtown about noon that Sunday. He said she planned to travel by bus back to California. She was never seen again.
Rochelle's mother said Rochelle was going to start a new job on July 14, 1986, but she failed to show up. Foul play is suspected in Rochelle's disappearance.

I wonder if someone stole Rochelle's identity ? Or bought her identity ? And that is the Rochelle Ihm who is now living in Phoenix ? They would be about the same age, right ? Because that is one unusual name IMHO.

liz b. said:

I wonder if someone stole Rochelle's identity ? Or bought her identity ? And that is the Rochelle Ihm who is now living in Phoenix ? They would be about the same age, right ? Because that is one unusual name IMHO.

Click to expand...

Yes, everything fits: City, middle initial, age.

I thought too, that the name is not that common. So, it's really strange ....

I don't know how often identity thefts happen, but I think it could be possible.

The missing Rochelle was born March 1, 1966. Assuming that this Rochelle Ihm on intelius.com bought / stole the missing Rochelle's identity, then she will turn 44 on March 1. I'm curious to see if after March 1, the age changes.
I will keep that in view.

Lady S.
But, if someone either stole or bought Rochelle's identity, they'd be foolish to settle in Phoenix, where she had grown up.What if she ran into someone who saw her name, and went to school with the real Rochelle. ???
I think the Rochelle on Intellius is the real Rochelle who disappeared. The give away is that one way plane ticket. It's actually not cheaper to buy a one way ticket. I wonder if Rochelle stayed out of sight, and at some point just picked up her life in Phoenix again ? I'm guessing that she never liked California, and missed her crowd in Phoenix.Maybe her family would not have been happy about her going back to Arizona, for any number of reasons. JMO

Strange that the info about Yama has been deleted, unless it was by his own request/demand or at the request of law enforcement who are investigating...

Stardust, I think it would be worth contacting someone connected with the case about the info you've uncovered. Something is very strange there--liz b's idea of ID theft is intriguing (someone simply assumed her identity for some reason?)

ShadowAngel,
I'm thinking,though, that if someone bought Rochelle's Identity, they would not have stayed in Phoenix,where the real Rochelle grew up. It's more likely that that is the real Rochelle on Intellius. Could she have always intended to stay in Phoenix with her friends ? She could have stayed out of sight, and then just picked up her life again in Phoenix, for reasons that we do not know.Maybe a family dispute situation ?

But, how can we find out if the Rochelle on Intelius is the missing Rochelle?

Lady S.
The Rochelle Ihm living in Phoenix looks to be living with some family members. There is an elderly male ( ? Grandfather), and an elderly female ( ? grandmother ). Do you happen to know any of the names of family members ? I checked the name out nationwide, and there is only one person with that exact name and middle initial. And that is the one you found..... How strange is this ??

Lady Stardust said:

But, how can we find out if the Rochelle on Intelius is the missing Rochelle?

Click to expand...

I believe Intelius runs based off of a SSN and an address of where it last 'hit' - hence the current info on it. So if she was 18+ and working/living in AZ, it makes sense that it would pop up there, and not in Cali if she hadn't begun working there yet. So that makes me wonder if her family has never had her declared legally deceased, and in turn, the SSA still has a valid SSN in their system and that's why it's still up on Intelius :waitasec: Alot of speculation on my part here, tho and only moo. ID theft is always a possibility - it's common enough in AZ as it is.

Ihm's in Arizona - a zabasearch only came back with 3 -Chandler, Phoenix, and Tucson. I think I found the previous address of Rochelle's parents, and the forwarding adress in Oceanside, CA for the title paperwork to be sent - this was in 1985, however...the Ihm currently in Phoenix has a french sounding name, going along with the original Intelius link and related family members.

I ran a zabasearch on Robert Yama - current adress in Mesa, AZ. Nothing on the Arizona Department of Corrections site came back on him for anything current or previous...

I also went thru Maricopa County Superior Courts Civil/Criminal Court cases, nothing with either Ihm or Yama came up, only a probate case by a Yama family member. That as much as i could dig up in public records at the moment, maybe someone knows a different resource that we can use to get the ball moving? It seems I just found a whole lot of nothing, other than current adresses. :/

Schatzi,
She was a trained paralegal, I think she worked in California when she moved there with her parents..

Does anyone ever check up on these cases and see if the "missing" person actually isn't missing? I can imagine if Rochelle just decided she didn't want to work in CA and stay in AZ, and after her parents (?) reported her missing she turned up a few days/weeks later they'd be either embarrassed or mad and just not remember to let LE know. Then it's just stayed on Doe Network for ever? Bizarre, I know, but I can see it happening. What do you think? Especially given the very unusual name we're dealing with here!