Deceased/Not Found MO - Rebecca Doisy, 23, Columbia, 5 Aug 1976 *J. Wright guilty*

MadeaBecBec

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A man who walked into an Atlanta suburb's police department seeking a criminal background check for a job application wound up under arrest as a suspect in the slaying of a former University of Missouri student in 1976, authorities said Tuesday.

Johnny Wright, 65, went to the Lawrenceville Police Department last week for a background check he needed to apply for a job as a driver, police Capt. Greg Vaughn said.
The Investigators still have not found her body!
Doisy's family had long given up hope that the middle of three daughters would be found _ or her suspected killer apprehended. Family members said it had been more than a decade since they last spoke with police about the case. Authorities suspected that Wright had fled the country or even been killed amid West Coast gang warfare, said Dr. Robert Doisy, the victim's father.
Wright is being held without bond and awaiting extradition to Missouri, according to the Gwinnett County Detention Center. He was arrested on Sept. 23 and has waived an extradition hearing.
In 1985, Wright's former roommate told Columbia police he had seen Doisy's body in Wright's car. Boone County prosecutors initially charged the roommate, Harry Moore, with second-degree murder before he came forward with the additional information. Wright was then charged in the crime on Nov. 26, 1985.

"He must not know that murder warrants are never expunged, or he forgot," said Kathy Doisy, the victim's sister.

Doisy was the granddaughter of Edward A. Doisy, who shared the 1943 Nobel Prize in medicine with another researcher for their discovery of vitamin K. A research building at St. Louis University, where he taught, is named after the scientist.
Columbia police were equally surprised that Wright turned up after so many years. They exhumed several bodies in search of Doisy's remains, including from a Crystal City cemetery in 1979 and a northern Boone County root cellar 11 years later.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/missouristatenews/story/8E460F12DBA74AA4862576400055EFB0?OpenDocumentSource
 

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This is amazing, MadeaBecBec! This is why there is always hope out there! Wish we could read more stories like this. Mark one up for justice.
 
When I read that they have yet to find Rebecca Doisy's body and I viewed her Picture, I knew I had looked at a Jane Doe somewhere that resembled Rebecca, so I looked through my Jane pics and I believe I have found her, in Missouri, no less, Clay County! This Jane Doe was found April 18, 1985 (the same year that Johnny Wrights Warrant was issued) and Jane is on the Namus/IdentifyUs website, her case number is 0500634. And I have sent an email to the ME contact about Rebecca Doisy, who by the way is not listed on any missing websites, that I have found, not even Missouri's own, although she was reported missing August 5, 1976. by her family and was last seen with Johnny Wright. I am not sure why, the Investigators didn't list her photos and information somewhere. Anyhow, here is the side by side that convinced me these two are one and the same.
 

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MadeaBecBec, what an interesting case. Keep us posted on any updates.
 
October 15 2009

Becky Doisy disappeared in 1976, and her body was never found. ¦
Photo courtesy of Kathy Doisy
Becky_Doisy_t_w600_h600.jpg

(update at link)

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/s...sed-killing-doisy-1976-brought-back-missouri/
 
Thank you for posting this. I hope they are able to find the evidence they need to prosecute this guy.

Maz

:cow:
 
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/localnews/headlines/87300027.html

Posted: 8:08 PM Mar 10, 2010

A Lawrenceville man charged with the 1976 killing of a Columbia, Mo., art student pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges Monday.

According to reports, 65-year-old Johnny Wright and his attorney, Cleveland Tyson of St. Louis, entered the plea in a Boone County (Mo.) courtroom a day after Wright was indicted...


...Authorities waited nine years to file charges, when Wright’s former roommate reportedly told police that he had seen Doisy’s body and that Wright admitted to killing her.
The problem was, Wright had disappeared.

His whereabouts remained a mystery to police until Sept. 23, 2009, when he walked into the Lawrenceville Police Department and requested a background check for a job he was hoping to attain.

Instead, when he returned the next day to obtain his copy, he was arrested.
 
NAMUS: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Original
Original

Original


Circumstances of Disappearance Rebecca Doisy disappeared in 1976 after leaving her apartment in Columbia, Missouri, with a man named Johnny Wright. In 1985 a warrant was issued for Wright for the murder of Rebecca Doisy. An associate of Wright's told police Wright showed him Rebecca's body wrapped in a blanket in the trunk of Wright's car. Rebecca's body has never been found. Wright remained a fugitive until 2009. Wright was convicted of Rebecca's murder, and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Wright died in prison in 2015.
Circumstance Notes
This case is a murder without a body. Rebecca Doisy is known to be deceased, but her remains have never been found.
 
Rebecca Abbot Doisy

rad.jpg rad1.jpg
Doisy, circa 1976

  • Missing Since: August 5, 1976
  • Missing From: Columbia, Missouri
  • Classification: Endangered Missing
Description:
  • Sex: Female
  • Race: White/Caucasian
  • Date of Birth: July 4, 1953
  • Age: 23 years old
  • Height and Weight: 5'4, 107 pounds
  • Hair and Eye Color: Red hair, blue eyes
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description: Cut-off jeans, a floral blouse, and sandals.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: Unknown
  • Nicknames/Aliases: Becky
  • Identifiers: Unknown
Details of Disappearance:
Doisy disappeared after she left her apartment in the 400 block of Price Avenue in Columbia, Missouri on August 5, 1976. She left her apartment unlocked and her cat unattended inside, and has never been heard from again.

On the day of her disappearance, she was seen drinking at the Heidelberg, a local tavern, with an acquaintance named Johnny Wright. Wright was a regular customer at Ernie’s Steak House where Doisy worked at the time as a waitress. After Doisy's disappearance, Wright failed to show up at his job and could not be found for several days. When he did surface, police said he failed a polygraph examination, but they lacked the evidence to charge him at the time.

An informer came forward years later in 1985 with new information, and told police that he had seen Doisy's body, covered by a blanket, in the back seat of Wright's car on the night she disappeared. Charges of second-degree murder were brought against Wright in November 1985, but a nationwide search for him was unsuccessful. Wright was finally located and arrested in October 2009.

Although Wright's defense argued that the case against him was circumstantial, he was convicted of Doisy's murder in January 2010, and sentenced to the maximum of 30 years in prison. He died of natural causes in January 2015, still incarcerated. Doisy's body has never been found.

Investigating Agency:
  • Columbia Police Department 573-874-7617

Rebecca Abbot Doisy – The Charley Project

The Doe Network: Case File 1677DFMO
 

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