CO CO - Colleen Burgess, 25, Englewood, 31 Aug 1974

[Romulus]

Collen Kay Burgess

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/8297/2

Age last seen: 25
Age now: 68
Race: White female
Hair color: Red/Auburn
Eyes Color: Hazel
Height: 66.0 to 67.0
Weight: 130.0 to 135.0
Scars and Marks: nothing
No photos disponible

Left work at 2:00 a.m. and did not return home. Sent correspondence to family approximately one week later indicating that she had a terminal illness and did not want her family to watch her suffering. No further contact.

Transportation methods: Chevrolet Vehicle model Nova (Chevy II and Concours) Year 1967 Style Vehicle color Green

 

[Al Ka]

Colleen Kay Burgess

Incident Date: 08/31/1974
Date of Birth: 03/28/1949

About this Case:

On August 31, 1974, 31 year old Colleen Burgess left work at Frito Lay in Denver and never returned home. Approximately one week later one of Colleen's close friends received a letter, believed to be from Colleen, indicating she had a terminal illness and left home because she didn't want her husband and four children to see her suffering. There has been no known contact with Colleen since. May have left in a 1967 green Chevrolet Nova. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to please contact the Englewood Police Department

https://apps.colorado.gov/apps/coldcase/casedetail.html?id=1188
http://www.missingin.org/reg4471/colleen_kay_burgess.htm

Just to add, as per Namus
DNA Status: Sample submitted - Tests complete

 

[Gardener1850]

I found her marriage record: https://www.ancestry.com/interactiv...src=atA1&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true

Colleen Kay Carpenter married at age 18 in 1966 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She listed her address at that time as Fort Wayne, Indiana and her place of birth as Indiana.

 

[Gardener1850]

I wonder how her daughter found her father? Because the man by that name who died in 1997 was born in a different state from what is listed on the marriage record. It could be simply an error, but the discrepancy has me wondering if they found the correct man. I'm being vague so as to not sleuth him here but this could be important information. I hope they found him and his family with DNA tests on one of those genealogy sites, just to be sure it was the man who married their mother. JMO.

 

[Al Ka]

I found her marriage record: https://www.ancestry.com/interactiv...src=atA1&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true

Colleen Kay Carpenter married at age 18 in 1966 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She listed her address at that time as Fort Wayne, Indiana and her place of birth as Indiana.

Brilliant find. Thank You Gardener!

What is interesting that her age is listed as 18 in 1966 which would make her around 26 when missing in 1974. Namus states 25 so that is close. In 2nd post in this thread news article states she was 31.

I have seen recent post from Charley project on FB stating that she found suprisingly many cases in Namus with wrong ages when missing (might or might not be relevant in this case).

 

[Al Ka]

I wonder how her daughter found her father? Because the man by that name who died in 1997 was born in a different state from what is listed on the marriage record. It could be simply an error, but the discrepancy has me wondering if they found the correct man. I'm being vague so as to not sleuth him here but this could be important information. I hope they found him and his family with DNA tests on one of those genealogy sites, just to be sure it was the man who married their mother. JMO.

Your find is very interesting because it opens up another possibility, that they both, Colleen and her hubby could met with foul play that day. It would explain 4 children being suddenly abonded by both. It is possibility but of course it also might not have been the case.

That someone sent letter to her family week after her disappearance gives possibility that it could have been her or definitely someone who knew address of her family (so not complete stranger).

 

[Al Ka]

Small correction to my previous post as I can't amend anymore.

Colleen's birthday was posted by Colorado Gov. LE site as - Date of Birth: 03/28/1949.
On the same page LE said she was 31 when she went missing. So one of this two information from the same source is not correct.
https://apps.colorado.gov/apps/coldcase/casedetail.html?id=1188

Also correction, her letter one week after disappearance was not sent to her family but to her close friend. (so still, could not be sent by complete stranger).

Gardener, just to double check Colleen's DOB, were you able to see that the same DOB next to her marriage details? I mean you found those details based on her given date of birth, correct? I am not member of ancestry so link does not open for me.

She would turn from just 16 to 17 years of age in March of 1966. Not sure in which month her wedding was but if her date of birth is correct she would be 18 in 1967, one year after the wedding. Interesting if "details" were amended for wedding purposes.

Also, just to remember 1966 when she got married, was still during Vietnam war (Nov 1, 1955 – Apr 30, 1975).

Now I assume if she married at 17 she would probably drop out of high school. So that would leave us only with possibility of searching for her photo's in high school year books when she was 15 and 16 perhaps (please someone correct me if I am calculating wrongly). So years 1964 and 1965.

 

[Gardener1850]

Marriage record was signed 21 Nov 1966. Exact date of birth is not on this marriage record. It only says their ages and says she was 18. He was 36. It asks for place of birth (State or foreign county) and he wrote Oklahoma. She wrote Indiana. It asks previous marriage status and both of them checked box that says "Never Married". It asks for religion with options of Catholic, Protestant, Jewish or Other. They both checked Protestant. And it asks for their current addresses-- he was living in New Castle, IN and she was living in Fort Wayne Indiana. I found a couple of men by the name of CE Burgess that lived in New Castle, IN but they are the wrong ages-- one is much older and one much younger than the man in the marriage record.

I found the marriage record searching for Colleen Kay Carpenter born around 1949-- I allow for a range of 1 or 2 years. She might have eloped and lied about her age to get married. They were married by the Justice of the Peace in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The weird thing is this is all I am finding with Colleen's name. They are not in records after the marriage record. She is not listed in any address registry in Indiana or Colorado.

Interesting that you mention the Vietnam War-- the Marriage records asks Occupation and his says "US Army Retired - Sales". 36 is young to retire from the Army during wartime unless he had an injury or other reason they let him out at that time. I will have to see if I can find any military records. So far the only man with a name close to him (first and last name reversed- EC Burgess instead of CE Burgess) that was the same age and born in Oklahoma DIED in 1964. Two years before the marriage. It's possible there are records of another CE Burgess born in OK and I am just not finding them. Or it's possible he was mistaken about when he was born and put OK. Maybe he really is the one born in Kentucky who died in 1997. But given Colleen's unexplained disappearance I am starting to wonder if he used a false name. It would be quite easy to do in 1966-- all he had to do was pick a name out of the phone book. There were other CEB's living in New Castle but not the age he claimed. At least, there are no records of them on Ancestry.

 

[Al Ka]

Wow, that is lots of great and extra information to her case. It will take some time for me to process some of them.

He was almost double her age. I also wonder a bit about her age. If she was running from anything or somewhere like group home or foster home and marrying would give her some freedom as adult. If wedding was in November, she would be only like 4 month shy of her 18th birthday though.

I wonder if she did skip high school completely it would be really hard to find any photo of her unless in US you take some kind of yearbook photos in elementary/basic school? Well, we still have 2 years to search for around Fort Wayne, Indiana high schools in 1964-65 just in case.

With regards to registered address. They were living in trailer park when she went missing so not sure if there was possibility to register. I am not familiar with US trailer parks, if it is the same or similar as RV Parks mentioned somewhere else but I am wondering if they were moving places often. She was working nearby so they probably have been at that Englewood/Denver location at least few month.

Vietnam War immediately sprang to my mind when I imagined that era as most things were affected I imagine and I think most of the men went to war. Lots of people in many cases did use fake names so it would not surprise me in this case, especially if he would have to go to war too or again.. But at this moment its just assumption.

 

[CastlesBurning]

Bumping for Colleen as we approach the 46th anniversary of her disappearance

 

[folieadeuxnola]

Wish we had a photo ... have been searching.

 

[folieadeuxnola]

**NO PHOTO**

 

[Romulus]

Collen Kay Burgess

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Age last seen: 25
Age now: 68
Race: White female
Hair color: Red/Auburn
Eyes Color: Hazel
Height: 66.0 to 67.0
Weight: 130.0 to 135.0
Scars and Marks: nothing
No photos disponible

Left work at 2:00 a.m. and did not return home. Sent correspondence to family approximately one week later indicating that she had a terminal illness and did not want her family to watch her suffering. No further contact.

Transportation methods: Chevrolet Vehicle model Nova (Chevy II and Concours) Year 1967 Style Vehicle color Green