WI WI - Ricky Jean Bryant, 4, Mauston, 19 Dec 1949

Where did the fire start? Maybe it was a rues to get the kids out. And either jeanne was who they were going to take. Maybe the 18 month old was the intended kid but jeanne was cloesest.
It is weird. I wonder what relative she meant when the neighbor asked.

This reminds me of the Joan Gay Croft in 1947. Both girls were 4 years old. Both went missing in the middle of a crisis situation after having been seen safe. Both were being supervised by siblings. Both girls were blonde. I don't know that the cases are related, but there are similarities. There are differences, too. The biggest being it would have been possible for some to set the fire to cover up a disappearance but the Woodward tornado could not have been pre planned. There is also a lot of distance between Oklahoma and Wisconsin.

She was last seen in the front yard while the fire was being put out.

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What's more, I don't understand the supposition that Jeannie died IN the fire, if the official summaries say that she was last seen outside safely. Did perhaps someone see her running back inside, or think that she might have? Four years old is still a baby in many ways; if she remembered a beloved dolly was still in her room, I don't doubt she'd have tried to go rescue it.

Very strange case...

CastlesBurning said:

What's more, I don't understand the supposition that Jeannie died IN the fire, if the official summaries say that she was last seen outside safely. Did perhaps someone see her running back inside, or think that she might have? Four years old is still a baby in many ways; if she remembered a beloved dolly was still in her room, I don't doubt she'd have tried to go rescue it.

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I think purely because it's the most obvious solution. Accounts vary but the brother said he was told to look after Jeannie outside, implying she was sent out of the house into safety. However in the chaos of the fire, no doubt people weren't really paying attention to the little girl and what happened afterwards. So once the chaos has calmed down and the little girl is discovered to be missing, there are only so many options

1)The brother's story that she was taken by a woman in a car
2)She ran back into the house for something, or following someone and died
3)That she ran away somewhere else
4)Someone else took her, such as a family member

IN regards to number 1 there is only a young boy's account - I suspect in 1949 this was maybe ignored or disbelieved.
Number 3, as far as I have read there were no eye witnesses to say they saw a little girl in the area around the time of, or after the fire. And a 4 year old could only have got so far on her own
Number 4 - there is no evidence of this at all

So the police/fire department at the time probably took the most likely scenario, especially as forensic and fire scene evidence was probably slightly different to now. It was easier for them to believe she died. In the face of any other evidence, it does sound slightly more believable, although the lack of a body/bones is a bit of a hindrance.

Strangely, as I was writing this, I wondered if maybe there was an accident whilst the fire trucks/cars attended the scene and maybe she was hurt then? Although why anyone would cover that up I'm not sure. but just a random musing

Laura_Bean said:

I still say this case is eerily similar to the Sodder case that is also up here on websleuths. It just seems like that same eerie feeling as with the other case.

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Exactly, I felt the same as soon as I read the first post. Both the Sodder family and Ricky's family believed that the fire was used as a distraction to kidnap the child(ren), and no bones from any of the children were found at either of the houses once they had burned down.

What's more, the Sodder children disappearance occurred on December 24 1945, and Ricky Jean Bryant went missing on December 19 1949. So close together, and both less than a week before Christmas.

It would take a car around 12 hours to drive from Fayetteville, West Virginia (Sodder disappearance) to Mauston, Wisconsin (Ricky's disappearance). (https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/...806aa6a224!2m2!1d-90.0773495!2d43.7971946!3e0)


Is it possible that these two cases are related?

Summary: Jeannie Bryant's grandparents were watching her and two other siblings while her parents, Raymond and Opal Bryant, were gone. The family lived in a farmhouse a few miles from Mauston. That afternoon, a fire broke out. The rest of the family made it outside safely, but what happened to Jeannie remains a mystery. The 4-year-old girl's remains were not found amid the rubble. Suspicions later grew within the family that the fire was set to create a diversion, allowing a mysterious woman to show up at the scene of the fire and drive away with the toddler.



http://www.postcrescent.com/story/n...ho-they-wisconsins-missing-children/98347286/

A "cold case" story about Ricky has just been published here: http://www.wiscnews.com/juneaucount...cle_c4aa0204-7258-5166-bfd0-047444da8dfd.html

huntina said:

Exactly, I felt the same as soon as I read the first post. Both the Sodder family and Ricky's family believed that the fire was used as a distraction to kidnap the child(ren), and no bones from any of the children were found at either of the houses once they had burned down.

What's more, the Sodder children disappearance occurred on December 24 1945, and Ricky Jean Bryant went missing on December 19 1949. So close together, and both less than a week before Christmas.

It would take a car around 12 hours to drive from Fayetteville, West Virginia (Sodder disappearance) to Mauston, Wisconsin (Ricky's disappearance). (https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/...806aa6a224!2m2!1d-90.0773495!2d43.7971946!3e0)


Is it possible that these two cases are related?

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BBM

No. I am convinced that the Sodder children died in the fire that consumed their home. That case is all about the parents' being in denial due to grief.

I am not convinced that Ricky Jean Bryant died in the fire that consumed her family home. It is possible, but I suspect that there was some kind of black market adoption arranged by the grandparents.

It seems far-fetched to think that the fire would have been set for that purpose. It's more likely that the grandparents realized that they had just lost everything and that the number of mouths that they had to feed was one too many.

RICKY JEAN BRYANT
NCMC1007456
-Endangered Missing (View Poster)
DOB: Nov 9, 1945 Age: 72
Missing: Dec 19, 1949 Race: White
Location: MAUSTON, WI, US

Missing Kids In Wisconsin: Have You Seen Them?

still missing: Jayme Closs has been found, but nearly 50 other children missing from Wisconsin need your help

Ricky Jean Bryant - NamUs #MP5890

Missing Person Case

huntina said:

Exactly, I felt the same as soon as I read the first post. Both the Sodder family and Ricky's family believed that the fire was used as a distraction to kidnap the child(ren), and no bones from any of the children were found at either of the houses once they had burned down.

What's more, the Sodder children disappearance occurred on December 24 1945, and Ricky Jean Bryant went missing on December 19 1949. So close together, and both less than a week before Christmas.

It would take a car around 12 hours to drive from Fayetteville, West Virginia (Sodder disappearance) to Mauston, Wisconsin (Ricky's disappearance). (خرائط ‪Google‬‏‏)


Is it possible that these two cases are related?

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I do think that they could possibly be related. To me, it seems weird that "faulty wiring" caused the Sodder family's home to catch fire. I do think that looking into other cases similar to the time frame, run along the highway/s that run from the sodder family's home to ricky's home might prove that the cases could be related but as of right now it seems as though they aren't. I am keeping my eye open if there are any similar cases.

I found this article about ricky and other cases. Some are very interesting and might help with other cases so please take a look. I am new to this and want to learn how to help.
Area cold case mysteries keep investigators searching

Ricky Jean Bryant

• 
• 

Ricky, circa 1949; Age-progression to age 66 (circa 2011)

• Missing Since 12/19/1949
• Missing From Mauston, Wisconsin
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 11/09/1945 (74)
• Age 4 years old
• Height and Weight 3'4, 40 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, hazel eyes. Ricky's nickname is Jeannie, and many agencies refer to her by that name,

Details of Disappearance
Jeannie was last seen in Mauston, Wisconsin on December 19, 1949. Her parents were out and her grandparents were watching her and two of her siblings; a third child was in school. Sometime during the day, a fire broke out at the Jeannie house.

Jeannie's five-year-old brother stated that they were standing in the yard together watching the fire when a woman drove up in an expensive-looking car and urged him to get help. She directed him to a house down the road, although there was another residence close by.

When Jeannie's brother returned, both his sister and the unidentified woman were gone. Jeannie's grandmother, however, contradicted her grandson's version of events. She said she took Jeannie's brother and sister outside when the fire started, went into the house to find Jeannie and called for her several times without result.

Most authorities believe Jeannie died in the fire that consumed her house. Some possible bone fragments were sent to a state laboratory for analysis, but they were not identified as hers.

Jeannie's siblings believe she may have been hidden by other family members and is possibly still alive. They think Jeannie was possibly conceived out of wedlock and the fire was set as a diversion so someone could take Jeannie away from her home and to the care of her biological father.

It was at her siblings' request that authorities reopened the investigation into Jeannie's disappearance over fifty years after she vanished. A Minnesota woman had her DNA tested against the Bryant's family in 2006, but the results were not a match. Her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency

• Juneau County Sheriff's Department 608-847-5649

Source Information

• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• The Baraboo News Republic
• The Wisconsin State Journal
• charleyproject.org/case/ricky-jean-bryant
  
  

Missing for 70 years this month...

Richard said:

Missing for 70 years this month...

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thats crazy....i just wonder how LE still has not gotten anywhere or found new information. You would think with the technology we have today they could go over old evidence and maybe find something new.

Ricky Jean Bryant
Missing since December 19, 1949 from Mauston, Juneau County, Wisconsin
Classification: Lost, Injured, Missing

Vital Statistics

• • Date Of Birth: November 9, 1945
  • Age at Time of Disappearance: 4 years old
  • Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 3'4" (102 cm); 40 lbs (18 kg)
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde hair; hazel eyes.
  • AKA: Jeannie
  • DNA: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance

Ricky Jean Bryant disappeared while her family farm was destroyed by a fire in December 1949 in rural Mauston. She was last seen in the front yard while the fire was being put out. When the fire was extinguished, Ricky was no longer in the yard.

Jeannie and two of her siblings were home with their grandparents, who also lived on the farm.

Ricky's brother, who was 5 years old at the time, remembers leaving Jeannie and their younger sister outside, when a tall blonde lady in a new car, drove up and told him to run to a neighbor's house for help. He said the woman sent him to a home further away and told him the phone wasn't working at the nearby house. When he come back with a neighbor, Jeannie was gone, and the lady and the car were no where to be found. The neighbor said she put the children in the family car and then went inside to look for Jeannie.

She found the grandmother in the kitchen collecting canned goods, and she said that Jeannie was gone.

As the house continued to burn, the neighbor kept searching for Jeannie. Finally, the grandmother told her to stop worrying about Jeannie because she was with relatives.

After the fire, Jeannie's father had the local authorities, state police and the FBI searching the ruins of the fire for any possible human remains. No remains were found during the search and her father searched the property three additional times by himself. Each time he found nothing. He never believed that Jeannie perished in the fire.

Investigators

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Juneau County Sheriff's Department
Officer Leigh Sonnenberg
608-847-5649

Agency Case Number: 05-00483/NamUs MP# 5890

NCMEC Number: NCMC1007456

Source Information:
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
NBC 15
NamUs
The Doe Network: Case File 1756DFWI

How did the tall blonde lady know the phone wasn't working at the closest neighbor? Was that ever checked out and verified? How did she know the phone was working at the farthest neighbor? How come she never came back or waited for the police? Who would send a five year old to get help when she could have driven her car to do that?

"Ricky's brother, who was 5 years old at the time, remembers leaving Jeannie and their younger sister outside, when a tall blonde lady in a new car, drove up and told him to run to a neighbor's house for help. He said the woman sent him to a home further away and told him the phone wasn't working at the nearby house."

Area cold case mysteries keep investigators searching

"The Minnesota reference is compelling, because after Bryant disappeared, her siblings remembered their mother, Opal Bryant, taking weekend trips to the state. She never discussed why she would go to Minnesota and the family never talked about the weekend excursions."

Ricky Jean Bryant

"In 1959, 10 years after Ricky disappeared, Opal and Raymond (Ricky's parents) separated and later got a divorce from one another. Opal and Elizabeth moved to Washington state."

I think the blonde lady, and especially Ricky's mother and Ricky's grandmother, knew more than they were saying.

Bumping for Ricky Jean as we approach the 72nd anniversary...

Bumping again for Ricky Jean . . . 73rd anniversary.