47 Years Missing...
Wendy Eaton at age 15 (Photo provided by Pennsylvania State Police)
When Roland and Joan Eaton woke up on May 17, 1975, they had no idea it would be the last morning they would ever spend with their teenage daughter. The Eatons had been married for more than two decades and lived in an upper-middle class neighborhood in Media, Pennsylvania. They had chosen to live in Media because it provided a safe and comfortable environment for raising their three children. Fifteen years later, the neighborhood was still safe and comfortable, but their days of raising children were starting to come to a close. Two of their kids, 19-year-old Richard and 21-year-old Nancy, were now young adults in college. Their youngest child, Wendy, was only a week away from her 16th birthday. She had just received her learner’s permit that morning, a significant milestone on her path to adulthood.
It was a gorgeous Saturday, with temperatures in the mid-70s. Roland and his wife decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and play a round of golf at a local country club. Wendy was sunbathing on the flat roof outside of her bedroom window, and they asked her if she wanted to come along. She declined, saying she wanted to go to a nearby mall to get a birthday present for her brother. Her parents told her they would see her later in the afternoon and drove off.
Although Wendy was only a week away from being able to drive, she still looked like she was about 12 years old. She was almost finished with her sophomore year at Penncrest High School, but she was still a petite 4’10” and only weighed about 90 pounds. With her two older siblings already in college, it was like she was an only child. She was extremely close with both of her parents and never caused any trouble at home or in school. She hadn’t shown any interest in dating yet, and she spent most of her free time at different church activities. She was a talented musician, playing both guitar and piano, and was scheduled to perform in a church concert later that evening. Her mother described her as being an idealist — her favorite television show was The Waltons.
Wendy laid out in the sun for a little while longer, then climbed back in her bedroom window and got dressed to go shopping. Her parents returned home from their outing around 5:30pm and were surprised that Wendy wasn’t at home. They had expected to find her getting ready for her concert performance that evening. She hadn’t left a note like she normally did if she had a change in plans, so they thought perhaps she had been just been running late with her shopping and had gone directly to the church from there.
Her parents checked her bedroom and didn’t see anything unusual. Her bed wasn’t made, but that was normal for her. She hated making her bed, it was one of those chores that just seemed like a waste of time when she knew she was just going to mess it up again later. Her bathing suit was crumpled on the middle of her bedroom floor, and she had listened to a John Denver record and not put the album back where it belonged, but for the most part her room was neat. Her purse was still in her bedroom, but she didn’t always carry it with her if she was walking somewhere, preferring to just put her money in one of her pockets...
Much more at link:
Vanished in Plain Sight: Where is Wendy Eaton?
