HI HI - Albert de Mattos, 73, & Lucy Pacheco, 60, Honolulu, 9 Dec 1965

Kodiak

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This is the most interesting case. Puzzling and bizarre, but so sad for both families. I've been researching the case and hope some local Websleuthers in Hawaii come aboard on this one. And even though their police cases are no longer active due to the passage of time, I believe someone out there still knows something:

LUCY T. PACHECO
Age 60.
Disappeared December 9, 1965.
Last seen in Oahu, Hawaii.
Doe Network Case File: 1603DFHI

Case Summary: Pacheco and her fiance', Albert A. De Mattos (whom she had only known for three weeks and is also missing) were last seen when they went for a ride in his gray-blue 1957 4-door Pontiac Sedan, license plate number 5A-3514. She told family that they were to return after a short while and they were never seen or heard from again, nor was the car ever seen or found as well. Their banks accounts were left untouched, and police checked activities of inter-island travel for them and the car, but nothing surfaced which led them to believe they and the car never left the island. One month later, a Sears employee told police he waited on a couple matching their descriptions, but the sighting was never confirmed.

The Charley Project and Doe Network have some inconsistencies about the case, but seems CP has more accurate info even though the date of disappearance is wrong. I tried contacting the daughter on her mother's memorial page, but the email is old and was returned undeliverable.

I wonder if police ever searched island junkyards during that time and throughout the years afterward for any 57' Pontiac Sedans or their parts? They would be able to trace something through records and ledgers of vehicles and parts.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/pacheco_lucy.html
http://doenetwork.org/cases/1603dfhi.html
http://bettybradley.tripod.com/main.html
 
Lucy T. Pacheco lived at 1218 Luawai Street. On the street view in google maps, it show the house as the second one in from the street. Also, a carport with the numbers 1218 can be seen as well as it may be the same one that she used in 1965.

Albert de Mattos lived a few minutes southeast of Pacheco on 915 Koae Street. On the street view, it's a very nice house with a beautifully sculpted hedge garden. The home must have kept it's spendor since the 1960's as it is still in great condition.
 
Lucy T. Pacheco lived at 1218 Luawai Street. On the street view in google maps, it show the house as the second one in from the street. Also, a carport with the numbers 1218 can be seen as well as it may be the same one that she used in 1965.

Albert de Mattos lived a few minutes southeast of Pacheco on 915 Koae Street. On the street view, it's a very nice house with a beautifully sculpted hedge garden. The home must have kept it's spendor since the 1960's as it is still in great condition.

Albert's home is in a very high end-area adjacent to Kahala. Are there any news stories with details such as who last saw them? I believe I read they were getting married or were engaged but also they had only known each other for 3 weeks? Did I read that right?
 
I don't know that much about old cars but maybe this is the make and model? 1957 Pontiac Super Chief Catalina Sedan. Car just disappears on an island?

53217627_pr.jpg
 
Albert's home is in a very high end-area adjacent to Kahala. Are there any news stories with details such as who last saw them? I believe I read they were getting married or were engaged but also they had only known each other for 3 weeks? Did I read that right?

Yes, it's a very nice home and neighborhood. The articles I read stated de Mattos picked Pacheco up early that morning and took her to the local laundromat. They returned later on and then decided to go for a ride. She told her family that and that included her daughter who was a teen as the time.

Yes, they only knew each other for three weeks and were engaged. Police let a few months pass on the case as they thought they ran away to elope and would return. They started to get concerned when that never happened. And well, by that point, the police lost valuable time.

Also, it was stated that de Mattos was carrying $800 the day and time they vanished. That's a lot of money to carry around back then, even today. Question is, did he always carry that much amount with him? Or did he flash is around while in public?

Also, police and search & rescue scoured and combed the local hills, valleys, and roads for the car if they had gotten into an accident and the search yielded nothing.
 
I don't know that much about old cars but maybe this is the make and model? 1957 Pontiac Super Chief Catalina Sedan. Car just disappears on an island?

53217627_pr.jpg

Yes, that would be the right model. Very strange as no tips or leads came forward from the public saying someone saw the car and its passengers.
 
I'm thinking about creating a web and print flyer for Pacheco. It might be able to generate some leads.
 
I created a web and print flyer for Lucy T. Pacheco. Both are hi-res and can be viewed and downloaded from my facebook page, the web flyer is for passing and posting around the internet and email. And the print flyer image is 300 ppi, suitable for any printer.

I cleaned up her photo I found on the net tremendously and enhanced it. So it looks a whole lot better for being a low-res image.
 
I created a web and print flyer for Lucy T. Pacheco. Both are hi-res and can be viewed and downloaded from my facebook page, the web flyer is for passing and posting around the internet and email. And the print flyer image is 300 ppi, suitable for any printer.

I cleaned up her photo I found on the net tremendously and enhanced it. So it looks a whole lot better for being a low-res image.

Awesome job! Thanks!
 
I did some more research and I was trying to find the June 1996 Star Advertiser article online in newspaper archives, but none of the archives carry that paper. Even tried google's, but no luck. I wanted to read the last half that is posted on Lucy's memorial website. The website hasn't been updated since 1999. I need to see if her daughter has facebook or twitter.
 
FYI for all interested Websleuthers in this case:

After trying to locate Lucy's Pacheco's daughter, Betty Jane Bradley, to gain more information regarding the case, Plumeria5 discovered Betty had passed away in Honolulu in 2007.That explains why Lucy's memorial site and Lucy's search ceased the last several years. Thank you to Plumeria5 for this info.

Also here is Betty's obituary from the Honolulu Star Bulletin 2007:
Betty Jane Bradley
Sept. 10, 2007
Betty Jane "B.J." Bradley, 58, of Kapolei, a Waikiki Trader Corp. computer programmer and office manager, died in Ewa Beach. She was born in Honolulu. She is survived by son John R. Fa'asisila, brother Gilbert Pacheco and sister Dorothy Jose. Services: 7 p.m. Tuesday and 10:30 a.m. next Wednesday at Hawaiian Memorial Park. Call after 6 p.m. Tuesday and 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Burial: 1:30 p.m. at Mililani Memorial Park. Casual attire.

http://archives.starbulletin.com/2007/09/19/news/obits.html?Notices=

And from that, I found out that her brother, GILBERT CASIMIRO PACHECO (Lucy' son), passed away in 2011:

GILBERT C. PACHECO

Age 72, of Kapolei, Hawaii, passed away February 2, 2011 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Born May 3, 1938 in Honolulu. A 10 year veteran of the Army National Guard. An employee of Hopaco, City Transfer Co., American Movers and as a driver on several movie and television shows shot in Hawaii.

He is survived by wife, Eileen C. Pacheco; son, Lawrence E. Pacheco; daughter-in-law, Napua Ahina; sister, Dorothy Jose; numerous nephews and nieces.

Visitation 9:30am Friday (February 18) at Mililani Downtown Mortuary (20 S. Kukui Street, Honolulu), Funeral Service 10:00am. Burial 1:00pm at Hawaiian Memorial Park. Casual Attire.

http://obits.staradvertiser.com/2011/02/14/gilbert-casimiro-pacheco/

**Note: I see Gilbert's son, Lawrence E. Pacheco, was named after his grandfather (Lucy's late husband who passed away in 1963) and who was mentioned in the 1966 Star Advertiser article. And in Gilbert's obituary it states he worked in the film and television business... and it looks like Lawrence E. Pacheco became a Producer and Editor with various Hawaii projects: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0655301/ and he has a demo real online: Lawrence E. Pacheco's Demo Reel - YouTube
 
A few more details including the search, where they searched, and who was in charge.

http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/ar/t7263.htm

Reading the "Missing Pair Baffle Families" article is concerning, especially Detective Joe Lum's remarks that they probably went to "have a good time." Lucy left a stew cooking on the stove. She planned to return home soon. Wish the bottom of the article wasn't cut off!
 
A few more details including the search, where they searched, and who was in charge.

http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/ar/t7263.htm

Reading the "Missing Pair Baffle Families" article is concerning, especially Detective Joe Lum's remarks that they probably went to "have a good time." Lucy left a stew cooking on the stove. She planned to return home soon. Wish the bottom of the article wasn't cut off!

Yes. The stew on the stove is vital as Lucy did indeed plan on returning home. The island rescue found nothing over a series of weekends... roadways and valleys, nothing! Sounds like that Pontiac Sedan was hidden and taken off the road... and rather quickly! It still might be in hiding or storage to this day.
 
Yes. The stew on the stove is vital as Lucy did indeed plan on returning home. The island rescue found nothing over a series of weekends... roadways and valleys, nothing! Sounds like that Pontiac Sedan was hidden and taken off the road... and rather quickly! It still might be in hiding or storage to this day.

The car sure could be. A rusty car parked in a jungle setting would not be an anomaly in Hawaii that is for sure! Or, it may have been dismantled over the last 47 years and sold for scrap metal.
 
The car sure could be. A rusty car parked in a jungle setting would not be an anomaly in Hawaii that is for sure! Or, it may have been dismantled over the last 47 years and sold for scrap metal.

Exactly! That where junk yards and their ledgers come in... car parts get distributed like the common cold. And there are many collectors of that model today. Concerning this, I say the car (and them) were driven up north or northwest of Honolulu, perhaps to some mountainous region and desolate road, or perhaps hidden in a large garage, storage barn, or warehouse... and either painted and sold, or was dismantled over the years. I have read in a junk yard scrap forum that it is not unheard for people to just abandon cars alongside the highways and roads on Oahu. But, if that was the case back then, I think it would have been found.

I also wonder if there were any large highway, freeway, or building projects in Honolulu or on the outskirts at the time? Perhaps, if it was foul play, the car and the couple inside could have been buried before a foundation was laid?
 
The the Sears clerk who thinks they saw Pacheco and De Mattos a month later was certain it was them. It must have been the Sears store at Ala Moana Shopping Center as from doing some research, it opened in 1959 and was the only one in the Honolulu area. I was there a few weeks ago when I was in town and the Sears store was having a closing sale as they are shutting their doors indefinitely as of tomorrow, June 2, 2013. Bloomingdale's will be remodeling and moving in its place in 2015. I walked into that Sears when they were having the sale... it smelled like a musty, moldy basement and I turned around and left. Lol.
 
The the Sears clerk who thinks they saw Pacheco and De Mattos a month later was certain it was them. It must have been the Sears store at Ala Moana Shopping Center as from doing some research, it opened in 1959 and was the only one in the Honolulu area. I was there a few weeks ago when I was in town and the Sears store was having a closing sale as they are shutting their doors indefinitely as of tomorrow, June 2, 2013. Bloomingdale's will be remodeling and moving in its place in 2015. I walked into that Sears when they were having the sale... it smelled like a musty, moldy basement and I turned around and left. Lol.

Yes, the Sears store is sort of out of its league with all the high end stores at Ala Moana. Back in the days it was probably quite nice. I question whether the Sears clerk was mistaken because surely others would have recognized them. Wonder what the couple the clerk helped was buying?
 
Yes, the Sears store is sort of out of its league with all the high end stores at Ala Moana. Back in the days it was probably quite nice. I question whether the Sears clerk was mistaken because surely others would have recognized them. Wonder what the couple the clerk helped was buying?

I wonder, too. I question the clerk's sighting as well. But, police did say that they matched the description of them. But still, the police weren't even serious about this case from the beginning.
 

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