CA CA - Ann Duncan, 31, San Francisco, 3 Oct 1969

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The Doe Network:
Case File 2843DFCA

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2843dfca.html

Ann Bernice Duncan
Missing since October 3, 1969 from San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
Classification: Missing



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Vital Statistics
•Date Of Birth: April 11, 1938
•Age at Time of Disappearance: 31 years old
•Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'2"; 105 lbs.
•Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; hazel eyes.
•AKA: Ann Bernice Burns
•Dentals: Not available.



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Circumstances of Disappearance
Ann Duncan was last seen on October 3, 1969, in San Francisco.



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

San Francisco Police Department
415-558-5508

Agency Case Number: 090372734

Source Information:
CA DOJ

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/duncan_ann.html

Not found to be entered into NamUs at this time.

No archived articles found.

Very little info on internet for Ann.

Ann has been missing almost 41 years. Come home soon.
 

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Ann Bernice Duncan, 31, Missing since October 3, 1969 from San Francisco, CA

Ann Bernice Duncan
Missing since October 3, 1969 from San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: April 11, 1938
Age at Time of Disappearance: 31 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'2"; 105-115 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair Marilyn Monroe style and length. Medium long with styled curl. Hair was fine in texture. Sometimes colored it blonde. One time had a red wig, so it could have been in the reddish tones too; hazel, large eyes.
Medical: Is double jointed; Can place the back of her hands on her hips, fingers pointing backwards, and bring her elbows together in front of her.
Clothing: Would dress casually but fashionably stylish. Often wore a scarf because of the wind.
AKA: Ann Bernice Burns
Dentals: Available (Charting)
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance


Oct 3, 1969 for an appointment with Social Services in San Francisco, regarding placement of her then 6 week old infant son in foster care. She never showed up for her next appointment.

The courts later declared the baby was abandoned by all parents, and deemed available for adoption. Routine weekly visits to her other children in foster care abruptly stopped in this same approximate time frame. Family feels she would not have abandoned her children whom she dearly loved, and although was not able at the time to care for them herself, visited weekly without fail while all were in foster care.

Occasional phone calls routinely made to her mother also stopped in this time frame. From 3 different statements Ann made to 3 different people, family feels she was fearful of her well being and suspect she may have been murdered.

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

San Francisco Police Department
Inspector Joseph Carroll
415-558-5508

E-Mail: joseph.carroll@sfgov.org

Agency Case Number: 090372734

Source Information:
CA DOJ
The Doe Network: Case File 2843DFCA

LINK:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2843dfca.html
 
Almost 45 years missing. I googled her case and she's still missing.

Zodiac Killer site users tried linking this case with the zodiac,
 
Almost 45 years missing. I googled her case and she's still missing.

Zodiac Killer site users tried linking this case with the zodiac,

Although I have little time for Zodiac guesswork they have turned up something interesting in this case, albeit not related to the Zodiac case. At http://zodiackillersite.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=432 they have identified Ann's ex-husband as a convicted rapist who committed suicide in January 1970 at San Quentin. I believe the date of his suicide rules him out as being directly involved in Ann's disappearance as I presume that he must have been in custody at the time of Ann going missing for him to have been tried, sentenced and moved to San Quentin by January 1970. But it does raise the question of whether any knowledge Ann had of her ex's activities may have been the source of the danger she believed she was in.
 
Ann Bernice Duncan
Missing since October 3, 1969 from San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

  • [*]Date Of Birth: April 11, 1938
    [*]Age at Time of Disappearance: 31 years old
    [*]Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'2"; 105-115 lbs.
    [*]Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair Marilyn Monroe style and length. Medium long with styled curl. Hair was fine in texture. Sometimes colored it blonde. One time had a red wig, so it could have been in the reddish tones too; hazel, large eyes.
    [*]Medical: Is double jointed; Can place the back of her hands on her hips, fingers pointing backwards, and bring her elbows together in front of her.
    [*]Clothing: Would dress casually but fashionably stylish. Often wore a scarf because of the wind.
    [*]AKA: Ann Bernice Burns
    [*]Dentals: Available (Charting)
    [*]Fingerprints: Not available
  • DNA: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance
Oct 3, 1969 for an appointment with Social Services in San Francisco, regarding placement of her then 6 week old infant son in foster care. She never showed up for her next appointment. The courts later declared the baby was abandoned by all parents, and deemed available for adoption. Routine weekly visits to her other children in foster care abruptly stopped in this same approximate time frame.

Family feels she would not have abandoned her children whom she dearly loved, and although was not able at the time to care for them herself, visited weekly without fail while all were in foster care. Occasional phone calls routinely made to her mother also stopped in this time frame. From 3 different statements Ann made to 3 different people, family feels she was fearful of her well being and suspect she may have been murdered.
Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

San Francisco Police Department
Inspector Anne MacKenzie
415-558-5508

Agency Case Number: 090372734

Source Information:
CA DOJ

LINK:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2843dfca.html


 
There's almost no information on this case aside from the basics on Doe Network and Charley Project. Usually Charley Project has more details, but in this case both sites have identical information.

The info on her ex-husband is interesting. It's plausible to think that she may have been murdered because she knew too much or simply for her connection to him.

I'd also like to know the circumstances surrounding her children being in foster care. She wasn't able to take care of them, but wasn't so compromised that she couldn't still see them. I'm trying to think of situations where that'd be the case. I'm sure there are multiple but none are coming to mind right now. If the reason behind it was mental illness or drug/alcohol addiction, is it possible that she committed suicide, accidentally overdosed, or simply left her life behind? Her family doesn't see that as a possibility, but I don't think it can be ruled out.

I'm hoping someone has more info on this case, I'm going to do my own research and post back here soon.
 
My apologies for the long wait - I've been trying to explore as many outlets as I can think of before coming back here. Unfortunately, I haven't found any new information, just more possible angles to view this from.

Firstly, it has already been mentioned that some people think Ann might be one of the Zodiac victims that are unaccounted for. It has been speculated that a fingerprint left behind on a taxi soon after her disappearance was hers, but there's no way to prove this and I'm not really all that moved by the potential explanations behind that. Something else that is quite interesting, but might just be a coincidence or an attempt to throw off an investigation, is that the Zodiac sent a letter with 3 punched holes above 10 punched holes, potentially signifying the date October 3 (the date Ann was last seen). Interesting, but still not moving enough to make me believe she was a Zodiac victim.

Her husband was a convicted "elevator rapist", sentenced to 3 years to life in prison in 1968 (I deduced that from the reports that said he had been in for 2 years when he committed suicide in 1970). I'm wondering if the children were put into foster care after his conviction. I could see how it could wreck a person emotionally if their husband were sent to prison, plus if she didn't have a job, she would've been unable to support herself, let alone children. Financial and/or emotional instability makes sense to me as a reason for the foster care situation.

After reading more of the very limited information on the case, I don't believe Ann Duncan left on her own. It seems like she was in a rough situation, but seeing as she was able to continue seeing her kids, she may have been getting a job and stabilizing her life and planning to get them back someday. I don't think she was a Zodiac victim either. It's possible, but I think it's far more likely that she was murdered in connection to her husband. Maybe she saw/heard something she wasn't supposed to, maybe her husband put a hit on her for no real reason, or maybe she was randomly targeted. Because of the fact that she told 3 different people at 3 different times that she was afraid, I can't help but feel like she knew something was up. It's a really sad story. I wish there was some way to know for sure. I'll continue trying to dig up something new, but it's unlikely that I'll be able to.
 
One obvious question is about the identity of the father of her 6 week old baby when she went missing. Given she was divorced in 1966 and her ex-husband was jailed in 1968 it seems certain that the father was not John Charles Duncan, the ex. I think the child was registered in San Francisco as Daniel E Burns, born 24 August 1969. This is the only male Burns birth on Ancestry which fits the time and place, and the mothers maiden name is given as Burns, but unfortunately there is no information on the father. As may be expected from a baby that was, presumably, adopted he then disappears. The father may be irrelevant to this case but he would certainly be another person of interest.
 
Ann's NAMUS: https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/11970/

Circumstances: From what can be traced back, Ann was last seen or heard from on Oct 3, 1969 for an appointment with Social Services in San Francisco, regarding placement of her then 6 week old infant son in foster care. She never showed up for her next appointment. The courts later declared the baby was abandoned by all parents, and deemed available for adoption. Routine weekly visits to her other children in foster care abruptly stopped in this same approximate time frame. Family feels she would not have abandoned her children whom she dearly loved, and although was not able at the time to care for them herself, visited weekly without fail while all were in foster care. Occasional phone calls routinely made to her mother also stopped in this time frame. From 3 different statements Ann made to 3 different people, family feels she was fearful of her well being and suspect she may have been murdered.

22689
22690

20730

March 1962
20732

Taken in 1965
20763

Close up of teeth
 
This is just such a sad case, it sounds as though she loved her kids. As a previous poster mentioned, finding out who the father of her six week old was seems like a good place to start investigating, you can only hope that police did that back then but who knows.

It's interesting to see the Jane Does that she's been compared against. Most are in VA. Does that mean there's some kind of reason to think she may have travelled to VA or is it more likely that LE in VA have been scrupulous about working on Jane Doe cases and as such have more rule outs on file?
 

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This is just such a sad case, it sounds as though she loved her kids. As a previous poster mentioned, finding out who the father of her six week old was seems like a good place to start investigating, you can only hope that police did that back then but who knows.

It's interesting to see the Jane Does that she's been compared against. Most are in VA. Does that mean there's some kind of reason to think she may have travelled to VA or is it more likely that LE in VA have been scrupulous about working on Jane Doe cases and as such have more rule outs on file?
This is a really good question.. I'm going to guess that LE in Virginia are just more on top of things. I haven't seen anything suggesting that she would be in VA, but I suppose it could be in an article somewhere that we haven't seen.
 
Missing for almost 50 years...
ABDuncan.jpg
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ABDuncan3.JPG


Ann Bernice Duncan
Missing since October 3, 1969 from San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

    • Date Of Birth: April 11, 1938
    • Age at Time of Disappearance: 31 years old
    • Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'2"; 105-115 lbs.
    • Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair Marilyn Monroe style and length. Medium long with styled curl. Hair was fine in texture. Sometimes colored it blonde. One time had a red wig, so it could have been in the reddish tones too; hazel, large eyes.
    • Medical: Is double jointed; Can place the back of her hands on her hips, fingers pointing backwards, and bring her elbows together in front of her.
    • Clothing: Would dress casually but fashionably stylish. Often wore a scarf because of the wind.
    • AKA: Ann Bernice Burns
    • Dentals: Available (Charting)
    • Fingerprints: Not available
    • DNA: Available
Circumstances of Disappearance
Oct 3, 1969 for an appointment with Social Services in San Francisco, regarding placement of her then 6 week old infant son in foster care. She never showed up for her next appointment. The courts later declared the baby was abandoned by all parents, and deemed available for adoption. Routine weekly visits to her other children in foster care abruptly stopped in this same approximate time frame.

Family feels she would not have abandoned her children whom she dearly loved, and although was not able at the time to care for them herself, visited weekly without fail while all were in foster care. Occasional phone calls routinely made to her mother also stopped in this time frame. From 3 different statements Ann made to 3 different people, family feels she was fearful of her well being and suspect she may have been murdered.

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

San Francisco Police Department
Inspector Anne MacKenzie
415-558-5508


Agency Case Number: 090372734

Source Information:
CA DOJ
The Doe Network: Case File 2843DFCA
 
Also look into Anthony "Jack" Sully, who was a cop turned drug dealer/escort service provider/serial killer. Could the reason she left her kids and disappeared be due to drugs?
 
Ann Bernice Duncan
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Duncan, circa 1969

  • Missing Since 10/03/1969
  • Missing From San Francisco, California
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 04/11/1938 (82)
  • Age 31 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'2, 105 - 115 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description Unknown, but she usually dressed in casual but stylish clothing and often wore a scarf.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Duncan may use the last name Burns. Her hair was in a Marilyn Monroe style in 1969, and she occasionally dyed it blonde or wore a red wig. She is double-jointed.
Details of Disappearance

Duncan was last seen in San Francisco, California on October 3, 1969, when she had an appointment with social services regarding foster care placement for her six-week-old son. She never made the next appointment and has never been heard from again.

Duncan had other children who were also in foster homes, and she visited them regularly, but the visits ceased abruptly in October 1969. Her occasional phone calls to her mother also stopped around this time. Her baby son was later declared abandoned and placed for adoption.

Duncan's family stated although she was unable to care for her children, she loved them and wouldn't have willingly deserted them. They think she was in fear of her life around the time of her disappearance, and that she may have been murdered. Her case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency
  • San Francisco Police Department 415-558-5508
Source Information
 
It’s a little difficult for me to compare photos in these cases, and I see the obvious differences in the two, but this Jane Doe looks a lot like Ann to me. And the circumstances and time frame seem like they could fit.

This link does contain a GRAPHIC POST MORTEM IMAGE.
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/14003
 
Ann Bernice Duncan
ann_bernice_duncan_1.jpg
ann_bernice_duncan_2.jpg
ann_bernice_duncan_3.jpg
ann_bernice_duncan_4.jpg

Missing since 3 October 1969
 
It’s a little difficult for me to compare photos in these cases, and I see the obvious differences in the two, but this Jane Doe looks a lot like Ann to me. And the circumstances and time frame seem like they could fit.

This link does contain a GRAPHIC POST MORTEM IMAGE.
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/14003

Goodness, you weren't kidding about that image. Poor woman.

I think Ann looks older than 31 in the photos provided; in the color photo I'd peg her for 50, so I can see how her age might be misrepresented in a Jane Doe situation. But I think the Jane Doe here has a lot more lines on her face and is older than Ann. The other details fit, though.
 
ann_bernice_duncan_2.jpg

Ann Bernice Duncan, age 31
Missing since 3 October 1969

Duncan was last seen in San Francisco, California on October 3, 1969, when she had an appointment with social services regarding foster care placement for her six-week-old son. She never made the next appointment and has never been heard from again.

Duncan had other children who were also in foster homes, and she visited them regularly, but the visits ceased abruptly in October 1969. Her occasional phone calls to her mother also stopped around this time. Her baby son was later declared abandoned and placed for adoption.

Duncan's family stated although she was unable to care for her children, she loved them and wouldn't have willingly deserted them. They think she was in fear of her life around the time of her disappearance, and that she may have been murdered. Her case remains unsolved.

LINK:

 
Ann Duncan was last seen alive in San Francisco, CA on 3 October 1969.

Coincidentally, the San Francisco area was where the Zodiac serial killer was operating at the time. His last known/authenticated murder was that of Taxi Cab driver Paul Stine, which occurred on 11 October 1969 in San Francisco.

I wonder if there might be a connection?
 

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