Has Anna Francis Leatherwood been considered as a match to UP16623? I briefly read back through posts but didn't see her name mentioned. So, here she is awaiting your review. Your comments are appreciated. TIA
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UID's NamUs page -
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Female, White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact
May 20, 1966
Missing From.
Seiverville, TN
Missing Age
45 Years
Current Age
Height
5' 0" - 5' 3" (60 - 63 Inches)
Weight
155 - 165 lbs
Hair.
Gray or Partially Gray
Head Hair Description -
Deep dark brown with gray mixed in. Salt and pepper.
Eyes blue; wore glasses.
scar on lower abdomen
Clothing - Was wearing a house gown the last time that she was seen. Thin white color.
Circumstances notes - Cold Case Unit will use the NamUs# 13801 as a report number. Reference this number for any questions.
Didn't drive, didn't have a driver's License.
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Anna disappeared from Seiverville, TN in 1966. Supposedly she was dressed in a gown when last seen but the the stated circumstances surrounding her disappearance don't explain how long after she was last seen that she disappeared. It's possible she dressed in street clothes before leaving.
A theory is that she simply could have walked away from home and family in order to start anew, chase a dream, run off with a secret lover, or go on a spur-of-the-moment solo trip for sight-seeing and shopping. Whatever theory you choose, agree with, or think of yourself the fact is that she would have ended up in PA or any where else on Earth. Philly is a major tourist attraction/vacay destination given its historical and political appeal, amongst other things, to some folks. Maybe Ms. Leatherwood was the type of person who independently went off to travel. I have not found any reports/rumors that suggest this or any other scenario or personality information actually.
Their visual similarities are strinking to me. Maybe it's just the way the sketch is so heavy on the brows and Anna has on the black glasses. Anna's first pic posted above is/was an immediate "no" to me but once i saw her other pics I was instantly convinced of a potential match. She seems so prim and proper in these pics and even UID has that same appeal or vibe if you will, imo. The description of UID16623's clothing and accessories when found suggests a lady who had a sense of style about her. Perhaps she was out shopping, touring, attending a function of some sort then had an accident or ran into foul play at the hands of someone who meant harm to her. I'm not suggesting how she died or if she was mudered but I am trying to determine how she ended up in a river near a refinery.
The fact that she was found near a refinery does give me pause to wonder though if whomever harmed her had a connection to oilfield/Petro work. Central southern parts of the U.S. made tons of money in the oilfield back in and around those days, some even still today. Who knows if she wasn't the wife, daughter, sister, mistress, friend, enemy, etc. of an oil tycoon, roughneck, truck driver, salesman/woman, etc. Etc. Etc. At first I said to myself "Well, why wouldn't a family connected to money search high and low for her?". The answer is that if the theory of her walking away voluntarily holds, they may not have cared or even known she then went missing after leaving them in TN. Her new aquaintances may not have known her family or even her past. Moreover, maybe she made her momey after walking away from home, be it a home well-off or not so much. Either way, she'd be considered a "missing missing person".
The cases we work on are often strange and hardly ever cut & dry! Imo, our attempt here is to use the clues given to determine plausible explanations for why, beyond physical matches and similarities, we think this is a potential match. We're not necessarily trying to solve a mystery or crime. Hopefully we can do that but we'll need to find in Ms. Anna's story I proposed the holes or poke holes in it to see if the theory can stand on its merits. Help!
