UT UT - Nancy Perry Baird, 23, East Layton, 1975

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MAR 10, 2020
7 of Utah's most famous missing persons cases
[...]

Nancy Perry Baird

She was young, beautiful, strawberry blonde and hasn’t been seen since July 4, 1975. That Independence Day, a police officer saw Nancy Perry Baird, a 23-year-old single mother, working as an attendant at a gas station on Highway 89 in Layton. Just 15 minutes later, Baird was noticed missing. To this day, she still is.

Police questioned Baird’s ex-husband and two friends and passed polygraph tests related to her disappearance. The motive for her plausible abduction is also unclear, as Baird had a four-year-old son she was unlikely to abandon, and her purse — with a substantial sum of cash still in it — was found at the service station.

The likely explanation for Baird’s disappearance is sinister; according to the AP, authorities believe serial killer Ted Bundy was the culprit, though he never confessed. Authorities suspect he killed at least five women in Utah (but confessed to more) from 1974 to 1975.

While Baird’s situation doesn’t fit Bundy’s profile exactly — for example, he didn’t abduct any other women from service stations — the timing of her disappearance makes the theory plausible. Baird’s body has never been found, so her missing persons case remains open to this day.

[...]
 
Jensen Cold Cases

Utah Search Dogs is holding a fundraiser to cover costs of a scheduled search for Nancy. They've already raised $250. There are interesting comments.
 
Nancy Perry Baird
Nancy Perry Baird
Missing Person Cold Case Tip Hotline: 833-DPS-SAFE (833-377-7233)

  • Date Last Seen:1975
  • DOB:1/14/1952
  • Height:5'2"
  • Weight:100 lbs
  • Hair:Strawberry blonde
  • Case #:75-2873, D11-04588
Nancy was working as a clerk for a Fina gas station when she was found to be missing. She was last seen by a patrol officer approximately 15 minutes before her disappearance. She was wearing b shorts, halter top and a smock, all blue in color. The smock had a “Fina” station logo. Her purse and money were found behind the counter and her car was parked at the station. She was known to wear a small ruby ring on her pinky finger. This ring had a main ruby stone with two smaller rubies on each side set in gold.

Contact Davis County Sheriffs Office (801) 541-4100
 
And if Bundy were involved and the truck is a red herring - the missing $10 in gas is problematic. That is a LOT of gas back then and he was driving that VW Beetle at the time, correct?

A truck would be reasonable for $10 in gas.
 
Fede said:
From the Jensen Facebook page
Click to expand...
Interesting. If it was Bundy, I agree that it was out of character for him. Do we know a known timeline for Bundy meaning do we know when his last confirmed victim was and his next? I'm looking at it through the lens of his state of mind i.e. had it been a while and was he "needing a fix" so to speak. Also I'm thinking that if this was him and he didn't admit to it he could have possibly left some evidence or made a mistake. Thoughts?
 
11902_128744-jpg.245750
nancy_perry_baird_1.jpg


Face remember this Jane Doe
The Doe Network: 1258UFOR
 
They do look alike.

The UID was 6-8 months pregnant though, so I do not see how it could have been Nancy? Nancy was described as being petite, 5ft 2 and 100 lbs. I think it would be practically impossible to hide a nearly full-term pregnancy while dressing in shorts & a halter top, especially being such a small woman. And having already had children, she would probably "show" a bit earlier with subsequent pregnancies.
 
Nancy Perry Baird – The Charley Project

Last updated March 4, 2021; details of disappearance updated.

Details of Disappearance
Baird was last seen at the Fina gas station in the 200 block of south Highway 89 in East Layton, Utah on July 4, 1975. She was employed there as a service station attendant. A police officer on patrol saw her working alone there, and at 5:30 p.m., less than fifteen minutes later, she was discovered missing.

There was no evidence of robbery and no indications of a struggle, but about $10 worth of gasoline from the station's pumps had not been paid for. Baird's car was found locked and parked in the station lot where she'd left it, her car keys were left behind, and her purse was inside the station, containing her medication and $167 from a recently cashed check.

At the time of her disappearance, Baird lived near the gas station, her four-year-old son lived with relatives, and her ex-husband lived in Wyoming. It's considered unlikely that she would have left of her own free will. Just before her disappearance, witnesses saw a truck at the station; it was never identified and it's unclear whether it had anything to do with her case. Investigators questioned Baird's her ex-husband and two male friends in her case. All of them had been out of state at the time she disappeared and passed polygraph examinations, so they were cleared of suspicion.

Authorities believe Baird was a victim of the serial killer Theodore Robert "Ted" Bundy, who was executed in Florida in 1989. A photo of Bundy is posted with this case summary. He was convicted of several murders and is suspected in scores more, including in the disappearances of Ann Marie Burr, Lynette Culver, Julie Cunningham, Susan Curtis, Georgeann Hawkins, Nancy Wilcox, Vicki Hollar, Rita Jolly, Donna Manson, Denise Oliverson and many other girls and young women. The women continue to be listed as missing persons. Their remains have never been recovered.

It should be noted, however, that Bundy never confessed to Baird's murder; in fact, he specifically denied it prior to his execution. Also, in several ways her abduction doesn't fit the profile of his other crimes. Bundy never drove a truck, and Baird was the only possible victim of his that was abducted from a gas station. Baird's case remains open and unsolved.
 
So Bundy is a suspect because he used his credit card at the location? Do we know when he did so and if Nancy was working? Was this ever established?

I'm curious, because a young woman working alone in a gas station? I'm sure she had plenty of unwanted attention. The July 4th date seems kind of weird for Bundy too. Unless that is the same day he used his credit card?

I'm more inclined to think she had a stalker. A local customer, or maybe someone who regularly passed through and had been watching her and planned this. i.e. The pump isn't working, I need your help, etc. It could have been an elderly person driving the truck, a woman or couple, etc. assuming the truck was involved.
 
Just found this: The Justice Files: New theory emerges in disappearance of Nancy Baird | ABC4 Utah

But they’ve come across two possible persons of interest, one who was trying to court Baird. Porter said the feeling wasn’t mutual.

“One of the names we’ve been given by former law enforcement does have a subsequent history of sex offenses and a criminal record and so that at least adds to the red flag,” Porter said.

And she said witnesses who were never interviewed told of a pickup truck leaving the scene about the time Baird was taken.

“What we’ve learned so far is that one of the two suspects would be consistent with potentially having a pickup like that,” she said.
 
@Caring1 Hey could you post the current NamUs Exclusion List for Nancy Perry Baird? I would greatly appreciate it.
 
Very lengthy, rbbm.
May 15 2023
ksltv.com

Blamed on Bundy: COLD podcast challenges popular theory in Nancy Baird cold case

The unsolved 1975 disappearance of Nancy Baird from East Layton, Utah has long been attributed to serial killer Ted Bundy. KSL’S COLD podcast gained exclusive access to case files that point toward other more probable suspects.
ksltv.com ksltv.com
BY DAVE CAWLEY AND KEIRA FARRIMOND
''LAYTON, Utah — A young woman disappeared from a gas station where she worked on the 4th of July, 1975. Investigators at the time believed someone had abducted and murdered Nancy Perry Baird, but they were never able to locate her remains.''
1684239471379.png

Nancy Baird yearbook from NAMUS.jpg Caption: Nancy Perry Baird’s photo from the Layton High School class of 1970 yearbook, (Courtesy: NAMUS)
1684239508900.png
Nancy Perry poses in her wedding dress circa April 1970. (Courtesy: Nancy Baird family)

''COLD obtained a report later written by the town’s full-time officer, David Ray Anderson. He described stopping by the Fina station between 5:10 and 5:15 p.m. on the day Baird disappeared. Anderson wrote he interacted with Baird, and everything seemed “10-4,” indicating nothing appeared amiss.

Anderson wrote he then left the Fina station and drove to another gas station on the opposite corner of the highway. In his report, he described looking back toward the Fina between 5:30 and 5:30 p.m., noticing a green van parked outside. He “went over to check it out,” without explaining why the van piqued his suspicion.

Officer Anderson’s report does not say what became of the van or whether he made contact with its driver. It only says by the time Anderson arrived back at the Fina station, he discovered Baird was no longer there. Baird’s purse, keys, and car were all still at the station and Anderson saw no signs of a struggle inside the convenience store.''

''Identi-kit composites​

Detective Kenny Payne asked David and Jana Williams to describe the two men they’d seen talking to Baird.

The Williamses said the two men both appeared to be 23 or 24 years old. The first was skinny, had shoulder-length hair, a full beard and mustache, and wore a frayed denim jacket.

The second man also had a full mustache and beard. His hair was dark but sun-bleached hair and he wore a yellow long-sleeved shirt.

Detective Payne used a tool called Identi-kit to build composite images of the two men, based on information provided by David and Jana Williams. The composites were not included among the case files provided to COLD by the Davis County Sheriff’s Office.''

''David and Jana had never before seen the composites. Police had not shown them the images back in 1975. But they both said the composites resembled the men they’d seen talking to Nancy Baird.''

''The two men are described in police reports as “hippie types.” David Williams told COLD he also recalled seeing a brown “hippie van” outside the Fina station, though this detail was not included in any of the reports obtained by COLD through an open records request.''
1684239885698.png
 
Wow, that is all very unusual regarding the officer and such a tight timeline.....

Certainly, in that line of work one would probably develop instincts but if I have understood that correctly Officer Anderson was at the gas station where she worked, spoke with her, drove away and within minutes she was vanished/was abducted? And he felt suspicious and went right back to check?

It makes me wonder what ever became of the van? I mean, a van at a gas station seems normal enough. 5:30 in the evening doesn't seem like the time of day a police officer would typically be on high alert, keeping extra watch over a young woman working in a convenience store. I could see 5:30 am or midnight or something along those lines, sure.

It makes me wonder if he knew something about a green van? Or also wonder about him in general, and how well he knew her? I'm not implicating him, just curious. i.e. did he know her personally, know of things that may have gone on, etc.
 
https://www.santarosahitchhikermurders.com/docs/Bundy_Multiagency_Team_Report.pdf
According to this (page 37), Bundy was in Utah; he was at the University and refuelled in Salt Lake City five days after Baird's disappearance.
He confessed to eight victims in Utah, but only five could be identified:
Nancy Wilcox, Melissa Smith, Laura Aime, Debra Kent and Susan Curtis.
I don't really think Nancy Baird was one of his victims; she doesn't fit his profile of victims, he had never abducted anyone from a gas station, however, he had a white Ford pick-up truck (page 13) until November or December of 1975.
I have a question about the vehicles "connected" to this case: I've read a truck was seen nearby, other times it's mentioned it was a pick-up truck and also a green van has been mentioned. I suppose the truck and the pick-up truck are the same (I'm Spanish and the word truck is confusing to me, because it can be a pick-up truck or a lorry), but the van is something new... and apparently there were two witnesses who spotted two men talking to Baird. To be honest, I thought of the Tool box killers, but Norris and Bittaker were in prison in 1975, and Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole met in 1976...
This case brought to my mind Andy Lepley's disappearance, that also occurred at a gas station on a holiday (Memorial Day Weekend in that case).1688816409416.jpg

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.
www.namus.gov
 
Last edited:
dotr said:
Very lengthy, rbbm.
May 15 2023
ksltv.com

Blamed on Bundy: COLD podcast challenges popular theory in Nancy Baird cold case

The unsolved 1975 disappearance of Nancy Baird from East Layton, Utah has long been attributed to serial killer Ted Bundy. KSL’S COLD podcast gained exclusive access to case files that point toward other more probable suspects.
ksltv.com ksltv.com
BY DAVE CAWLEY AND KEIRA FARRIMOND
''LAYTON, Utah — A young woman disappeared from a gas station where she worked on the 4th of July, 1975. Investigators at the time believed someone had abducted and murdered Nancy Perry Baird, but they were never able to locate her remains.''
View attachment 422652

Nancy Baird yearbook from NAMUS.jpg Caption: Nancy Perry Baird’s photo from the Layton High School class of 1970 yearbook, (Courtesy: NAMUS)
View attachment 422653
Nancy Perry poses in her wedding dress circa April 1970. (Courtesy: Nancy Baird family)

''COLD obtained a report later written by the town’s full-time officer, David Ray Anderson. He described stopping by the Fina station between 5:10 and 5:15 p.m. on the day Baird disappeared. Anderson wrote he interacted with Baird, and everything seemed “10-4,” indicating nothing appeared amiss.

Anderson wrote he then left the Fina station and drove to another gas station on the opposite corner of the highway. In his report, he described looking back toward the Fina between 5:30 and 5:30 p.m., noticing a green van parked outside. He “went over to check it out,” without explaining why the van piqued his suspicion.

Officer Anderson’s report does not say what became of the van or whether he made contact with its driver. It only says by the time Anderson arrived back at the Fina station, he discovered Baird was no longer there. Baird’s purse, keys, and car were all still at the station and Anderson saw no signs of a struggle inside the convenience store.''

''Identi-kit composites​

Detective Kenny Payne asked David and Jana Williams to describe the two men they’d seen talking to Baird.

The Williamses said the two men both appeared to be 23 or 24 years old. The first was skinny, had shoulder-length hair, a full beard and mustache, and wore a frayed denim jacket.

The second man also had a full mustache and beard. His hair was dark but sun-bleached hair and he wore a yellow long-sleeved shirt.

Detective Payne used a tool called Identi-kit to build composite images of the two men, based on information provided by David and Jana Williams. The composites were not included among the case files provided to COLD by the Davis County Sheriff’s Office.''

''David and Jana had never before seen the composites. Police had not shown them the images back in 1975. But they both said the composites resembled the men they’d seen talking to Nancy Baird.''

''The two men are described in police reports as “hippie types.” David Williams told COLD he also recalled seeing a brown “hippie van” outside the Fina station, though this detail was not included in any of the reports obtained by COLD through an open records request.''
View attachment 422654
Click to expand...
A couple of questions come to my mind: 1- Can the green van saw by Officer Anderson and the brown hippie type van saw by the Williams be the same? Perhaps the different distance in a summer afternoon can make things look differently . 2- Why Officer Anderson "went over to check out" the van? Was there something suspicious on it?; 3- If he thought something was suspicious: Did he talk to the drivers / occupants of the van? Why is that not on the report?

And one more thing that says in the article:
"In July of 1975, Thomas Jackson was the most junior member of the East Layton police force. Case records show Jackson did not play a significant role in the investigation. But Jackson told COLD he’d not bought into the speculation about Bundy. Jackson had instead wondered if his colleague, officer Dave Anderson, might’ve been the culprit.
Officer Dave Anderson had only been an officer at East Layton for 10 months at the time of Nancy Baird’s disappearance. Several former law enforcement sources familiar with East Layton police operations during the 1970s have told COLD the majority of Anderson’s time was spent patrolling U.S. Highway 89.
Former reserve officer Thomas Jackson said that meant officer Dave Anderson had spent a great deal of time at the Fina station.
“[Anderson] spent too much time looking at women, too,” Jackson said.
Officer Dave Anderson left his job with the East Layton police department a short time after the disappearance of Nancy Baird. Case records do not indicate he was ever challenged about his account of Nancy Baird’s disappearance."
 
Last edited:
I found this on the same podcast from the identikits:
"The case files show police searched Baird’s home and seized her address book, a hairbrush with strands of Baird’s hair tangled in the bristles, as well as one of her photo albums. Sheriff’s detectives compared pictures in the album to the two composite images of the men David and Jana Williams had reported seeing inside the Fina station.

A sheriff’s lieutenant wrote, “There was a very similar likeness of one of the Identi-kit composites to a picture” from the photo album. The report said the photo was marked with the name Monty.

Deputies soon identified the man in the photo as Monty Torres. They showed the photo to their witness, Jana Williams, who “positively identified Monte [sic] Torres as one of the hippie type individuals that was in the service station.” "

ksltv.com

Blamed on Bundy: COLD podcast challenges popular theory in Nancy Baird cold case

The unsolved 1975 disappearance of Nancy Baird from East Layton, Utah has long been attributed to serial killer Ted Bundy. KSL’S COLD podcast gained exclusive access to case files that point toward other more probable suspects.
ksltv.com ksltv.com
 
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