JusticeWillBeServed
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Under the documents section of her NamUs page, you can find a couple of older articles as well as the police reports that were filed. It's surprising that nothing besides her keys were found during the initial search. It was extensive and it began soon after the witness called police. Sadly, there hasn't been an update for a long time now. Only references to Atwell are from stories that focus on Rand and she is cited as a possible victim.
WhereaboutsStillUnknown Posting
NamUs
Doe Network
Charley Project
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: October 24, 1978 from Staten Island, New York
Classification: Endangered Missing
Age: 46 years old
Height and Weight: 5'4 - 5'6, 156 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Atwell wears dentures.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A long blue coat and black shoes.
Details of Disappearance
Atwell was last seen at the Staten Island Developmental Center (formerly called the Willowbrook State School), the institution for mentally disabled children where she worked as a physical therapist's aide, in the New York City borough of Staten Island, on October 24, 1978. She arrived at 6:00 a.m. and parked behind Building 47. Before she could get from the parking lot into her building, Two female employees inside the building heard a male voice outside say "Come on, come on," and Atwell say "No, you'll beat me." Then she screamed.
The employees called the police after hearing the screams from the parking lot. When authorities responded, they found Atwell's tan pocketbook, one earring, one black shoe, three black coat buttons and half her set of dentures scattered on the ground at the left side of her car, which was locked. Her keys turned up in the woods about seventy-five feet away. An extensive search of the area turned up no sign of her; Atwell has never been seen or heard from again.
Andre Rand is considered a possible suspect in Atwell's disappearance. Photos of him are posted below this case summary. Rand, whose birth name is Frank Rashan, was convicted of the 1987 kidnapping of Jennifer Schweiger, a twelve-year-old girl with Downs Syndrome who was murdered on the grounds of the Staten Island Developmental Center near his campsite, and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. He was not convicted of her murder; the jury could not reach a verdict on that charge. In 2004, he was convicted of kidnapping seven-year-old Holly Hughes; the child disappeared in 1981 and was never found. He is also believed to be connected to the disappearances of Alice Pereia in 1972, Tiahease Jackson in 1983, and Henry Gafforio in 1984, among other missing persons' cases. There is speculation that Rand may have been involved with the 1977 disappearance of Audrey Nerenberg as well. All of the victims vanished from the Staten Island area, with the exception of Nerenberg. Rand reportedly confessed his crimes to a cellmate in prison and compared himself to the serial killer Ted Bundy.
It hasn't been proven that Rand was involved in Atwell's case. She lived in the 80 block of Schuyler Avenue in Newark, New Jersey in 1978. Her presumed abduction remains unsolved.
WhereaboutsStillUnknown Posting
NamUs
Doe Network
Charley Project
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: October 24, 1978 from Staten Island, New York
Classification: Endangered Missing
Age: 46 years old
Height and Weight: 5'4 - 5'6, 156 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Atwell wears dentures.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A long blue coat and black shoes.
Details of Disappearance
Atwell was last seen at the Staten Island Developmental Center (formerly called the Willowbrook State School), the institution for mentally disabled children where she worked as a physical therapist's aide, in the New York City borough of Staten Island, on October 24, 1978. She arrived at 6:00 a.m. and parked behind Building 47. Before she could get from the parking lot into her building, Two female employees inside the building heard a male voice outside say "Come on, come on," and Atwell say "No, you'll beat me." Then she screamed.
The employees called the police after hearing the screams from the parking lot. When authorities responded, they found Atwell's tan pocketbook, one earring, one black shoe, three black coat buttons and half her set of dentures scattered on the ground at the left side of her car, which was locked. Her keys turned up in the woods about seventy-five feet away. An extensive search of the area turned up no sign of her; Atwell has never been seen or heard from again.
Andre Rand is considered a possible suspect in Atwell's disappearance. Photos of him are posted below this case summary. Rand, whose birth name is Frank Rashan, was convicted of the 1987 kidnapping of Jennifer Schweiger, a twelve-year-old girl with Downs Syndrome who was murdered on the grounds of the Staten Island Developmental Center near his campsite, and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. He was not convicted of her murder; the jury could not reach a verdict on that charge. In 2004, he was convicted of kidnapping seven-year-old Holly Hughes; the child disappeared in 1981 and was never found. He is also believed to be connected to the disappearances of Alice Pereia in 1972, Tiahease Jackson in 1983, and Henry Gafforio in 1984, among other missing persons' cases. There is speculation that Rand may have been involved with the 1977 disappearance of Audrey Nerenberg as well. All of the victims vanished from the Staten Island area, with the exception of Nerenberg. Rand reportedly confessed his crimes to a cellmate in prison and compared himself to the serial killer Ted Bundy.
It hasn't been proven that Rand was involved in Atwell's case. She lived in the 80 block of Schuyler Avenue in Newark, New Jersey in 1978. Her presumed abduction remains unsolved.