PA PA - Mary Ann Bagenstose, 25, West Willow, 5 June 1984

Mary Ann Bagenstose, 25, Missing 5 June 1984 from West Willow, PA

Mary Ann Bagenstose
Missing Since: June 5, 1984
Location Last Seen: West Willow, Lancaster Co, Pennsylvania

Physical Description

Date of Birth: Unknown
Age at Time of Disappearance: 25
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height at Time of Disappearance: 5'5
Weight at Time of Disappearance: 125-130 lbs
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Unknown
Alias(s) / Nickname(s): Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Mary Ann had a slight limp caused by a car accident when she was younger; wore a lift in one shoe.
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Blue jeans, black t-shirt, brown sandals
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Disappearance

The morning of Tuesday, June 5, 1984 would be the last time that Mary Ann's mother would speak with her. In that last phone call, Mary Ann told her mother that her estranged husband would be picking her up to go look at a car he was considering buying for her.

Mary Ann's husband would later tell police that he did go to the West Willow Road home that morning, but that Mary Ann wasn't ready, so the husband took the couple's 2-year old son to Long Park to feed the ducks.

Upon returning to the residence, the husband said that Mary Ann was gone, but had left a note saying that she was walking to a nearby Turkey Hill Minit Market since her car wouldn't start. The clerks at the store, who knew Mary Ann well, stated that they didn't see her that day.

Police searched the fields and woods around the Bagenstose home, but found nothing. Relatives, neighbors and friends, including a boarder who was staying at the home at that time, were interviewed, but nothing substantial was learned.

A roadblock was set up to see if anyone had seen Mary Ann walking along the road that day. The garage floor at the home was dug up - but nothing was found.

Mary Ann's husband said that he'd thrown away the note he said his wife left. It was never recovered. It would be totally out of character for Mary Ann to voluntarily leave her son behind, or to leave without contacting her mother, who she used to speak to every day. Foul play is strongly suspected.

Investigating Agency(s)

If you have any information about this case please contact;

Pennsylvania State Police
Trooper Gerry Sauers
Phone Number: 717-299-7650

Agency Case Number: J01-308-428 Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Information Source(s)
Pennsylvania Missing
The Doe Network: Mary Ann Bagenstose - 3091DFPA

If there really had been a note - which somehow I doubt - and the husband had thrown it away, I'd think it would still be in the trash can, easily retrievable. If they didn't find anything, that IMO says something, combined with the clerks not seeing Mary Ann that day.

Did anyone check to see if there was really anything wrong with the car?

Too bad the son was only two years old. I doubt that he would have been able to provide any useful information to investigators.

I am so glad someone posted this. I have wondered for years about this case. I remember being young, riding in the car with my mom and being stopped for questioning. It really rattled me. It is a very small town. I have always wondered what her name was (I just asked my mom about this 2 days ago)

We have turned in a possible match with Amethyst Doe. What do you think?

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=182015&highlight=amethyst+doe

Article written about 9 month's ago with info. on Mary Ann Bagenstose:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/hau...44b-42cd-597c-8067-f9b23748f389.html?mode=jqm

Here is the Namus link with photos.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/12184/0/


Mary Ann Bagenstose

PA - Mary Ann Bagenstose, 25, Lancaster County - 5 June 1984

NamUs Case File - MP # 12184

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/case_report_html/12184

Mary Ann Bagenstose
Missing Since: June 5, 1984
Location Last Seen: West Willow, Lancaster Co, PA

Physical Description:

Age at Time of Disappearance: 25
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height at Time of Disappearance: 5'5
Weight at Time of Disappearance: 125-130 lbs
Hair Color: Blonde
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Mary Ann had a slight limp caused by a car accident when she was younger; wore a lift in one shoe.
Dentals: Available
DNA: Unknown Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Blue jeans, black t-shirt, brown sandals


Circumstances of Disappearance:

The morning of Tuesday, June 5, 1984 would be the last time that Mary Ann's mother would speak with her. In that last phone call, Mary Ann told her mother that her estranged husband would be picking her up to go look at a car he was considering buying for her.

Mary Ann's husband would later tell police that he did go to the West Willow Road home that morning, but that Mary Ann wasn't ready, so the husband took the couple's 2-year old son to Long's Park to feed the ducks.

Upon returning to the residence, the husband said that Mary Ann was gone, but had left a note saying that she was walking to a nearby Turkey Hill Minit Market since her car wouldn't start. The clerks at the store, who knew Mary Ann well, stated that they didn't see her that day.

Police searched the fields and woods around the Bagenstose home, but found nothing. Relatives, neighbors and friends, including a boarder who was staying at the home at that time, were interviewed, but nothing substantial was learned.

A roadblock was set up to see if anyone had seen Mary Ann walking along the road that day. The garage floor at the home was dug up - but nothing was found.

Mary Ann's husband said that he'd thrown away the note he said his wife left. It was never recovered. It would be totally out of character for Mary Ann to voluntarily leave her son behind, or to leave without contacting her mother, who she used to speak to every day. Foul play is strongly suspected.

Investigating Agency(s)

Pennsylvania State Police - Lancaster Station
Phone Number: 717-299-7650

Agency Case Number: J01-308-428

Information Sources:
http://pennsylvaniamissing.com/bagenstosemaryann.html
https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/case_report_html/12184
The Doe Network: Mary Ann Bagenstose - 3091DFPA

Found this article on the case from 2004 in which Bagenstose's mom said:

Her daughter, she says, would never walk to a store. Mary Ann Bagenstose had been in a car accident when she was younger and had a slight limp that required her to wear a lift in one shoe.

Click to expand...

http://lancasteronline.com/news/haunted-by-memories/article_1db9944b-42cd-597c-8067-f9b23748f389.html

The article also mentions that in 2004, there seemed to be new developments in the case which were not publicly revealed. Bagenstose's mom is quoted as saying " “I’'m hoping charges will be filed before the end of the year. I don’t want to say more."

Sadly that doesn't seem to have happened.

Last article I found is from 2011. It mentions that a private investigator who was hired by Bagenstose's mom (also mentioned in the 2004 article) continues to send any tips he gets to police.

http://lancasteronline.com/news/sti...cle_7569b625-41d3-5999-adeb-5fc454474cdd.html

Shiprock Woods Nature Preserve looks like the closest spot to dispose of remains within the time frame. Next best would be the woods around Goods Run.

Seems odd that she would disappear while dad and son were at the park feeding the ducks.

Ibiz said:

Seems odd that she would disappear while dad and son were at the park feeding the ducks.

Click to expand...

I agree. Looking at google earth, it does not appear there is a dire risk of assault between her home and the TH mart. Only question to me would be if the actor was at the TH mart looking for a victim to abduct.

Well, apparently everyone at the TH mart knew her, and stated that she was never there. Also, her mother said Mary Ann had a bad leg and walked with a limp, and would have never walked to the TH Mart. Then there was the note she supposingley wrote but was never found.

Also, WHY WOULD SHE walked down to the TH Mart when she knew her EX was waiting for her to get ready to possibly go buy a car?

Ibiz, I agree. All the evidence (that we know of) points in one direction. Problem is that even if you knew the general area of the remains, they would still be difficult to detect depending on depth. I wonder if there is a junk yard in the regional area that (during the 80"s) accepted 55 gal drums, and if they are still there. Next would be if "someone" had and still has a storage locker or possibly a shed on the property. I have had some luck detecting jewelry, belt buckles and dental amalgam at depths of 12-17" using a hybrid search coil. Shoelace eyelets tend to be "ffy" depending on depth.

Looking at a Jane Doe in Knoxville, TN and see a resemblance between these two. Including the bad leg. Does anyone know the extent of Mary Ann's healed injuries?

Updated Namus link: Missing Person Case

• Mary Ann Bagenstose, 25, West Willow, missing since June 1984

Bagenstose, a nurse’s aide and mother of a 2-year-old boy, was last seen June 5, 1984. She and her husband were separated, but on that day, they planned to go car shopping, according to Lancasteronline.Her husband told police she wasn’t at home when he arrived to pick her up, but left a note saying she was walking to the store. She wasn’t seen again.



Missing persons: In Pennsylvania, how many are lost and from where?

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Not on the ruled out list. Mary Ann Bagenstose. Family considered her murdered though no clues were found. Had a child (scar on abdomen) and had broken legs from a previous accident. Charley lists her as blond but images show her with reddish brown hair. Would have been on the road 2.5 years when our Jane Doe was killed. Look at the picture and take away some weight for being hungry while homeless.
Shotgun Jane Doe

Mary Ann Bagenstose – The Charley Project

Mary Ann Bagenstose

Mary circa 1984

• Missing Since: 06/05/1984
• Missing From: West Willow, Pennsylvania
• Classification: Endangered Missing
• Sex: Female
• Race: White
• Date of Birth: 09/28/1958 (61)
• Age: 25 years old
• Height and Weight: 5'5, 125 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description: A black t-shirt, blue jeans and brown sandals.
• Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Blonde hair. Mary limps slightly and has to wear a lift in one shoe due to injuries sustained in a car accident.

Details of Disappearance
Mary was last seen at her home on west Willow Street in West Willow, Pennsylvania on June 5, 1984. Her estranged husband, Jere, went to pick her up to look at a car she was thinking of buying, but when he arrived Mary wasn't ready to go yet; she was still putting her makeup on. Her husband took their two-year-old son to nearby Long's Park and when they returned in the early afternoon, she was gone.

Jere said he found a note on the kitchen table from Mary, saying the car wouldn't start and she was going to walk to a local Turkey Hill Minit Market, three-quarters of a mile away. Clerks at the store, who knew her because she visited frequently, don't remember seeing her there that day, and Jere threw out the note before anyone else saw it. She has never been heard from again. None of her personal belongings disappeared with her.

Mary and Jere were in the process of a divorce in 1984 and Jere was living with his parents on Edgehill Drive, but he remained in regular contact with Mary. She disappeared the day before a custody hearing over their child. Foul play is suspected in her case, as it's uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning.

Investigating Agency

• Pennsylvania State Police 717-299-7650

Source Information

• Pennsylvania Missing Persons
• The Lancaster New Era
• NamUs

Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated July 20, 2020; two pictures added, details of disappearance updated.

Jane Doe, not yet considered. Comparing this Jane Doe with Mary’s profile on NamUs, I think it is important to note the upper right incisor along with the other matching field areas. May be a long shot, but it doesn’t hurt to take a look.

https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/4808/attachments

I had a few moments today to take a look at Google Maps. The two wooded areas along Goods Run, the Shiprock Woods Nature Preserve and the wooded area between Radcliff Road and 272 all should be the focus of a forensic ground search after a good hard frost to kill the green vegetation. They are all areas of opportunity to hide remains.