CA CA - Linda Lovell, 25, & Stephen Packard, 18, Westport, 10 June 1974

[burblestein]

Linda Lee Lovell and Stephen Locke Packard
Missing since June 1974.
This is a joint posting.
For separate accounts unraveling their intertwined cases, see Linda Lee Lovell and Stephen Locke Packard. There is uncertainty in the date and place(s) of their respective disappearances. Add to that the fact that they were both jointly and singly reported missing in several different jurisdictions, and it becomes apparent that this thread should serve as a record of their joint activities. The links to their individual cases will be supplied below after they are also posted.

BASIC CASE:
25-year-old Linda Lovell and 18-year-old Stephen Packard were hitchhiking north on the Pacific Coast in June 1974. Packard called home on 10 June 1974, from Stinson Beach CA. Lovell mailed postcards home from there. That was her last known contact.

The pair's goal was the World's Fair in Spokane WA. After visiting that, they planned to be in Missoula MT for the Fourth of July holiday.

On 20 June 1974, one of Stephen's traveler's checks was cashed in Westport CA in Mendocino County, 170 miles and 4 hours 30 minutes drive north of Stinson Beach. Here's their most probable route up the coast, as the pair were tourists and the inland route wasn't particularly scenic. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Wes...ec74239ba!2m2!1d-122.6444263!2d37.9004816!3e0

Overhead view of Westport. Store is in the center. https://www.google.com/maps/place/W...5c3a10d8406f7e!8m2!3d39.6383445!4d-123.784591

Ground view of the Westport store: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Westport+Community+Store/@39.638401,-123.784545,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1s-wcl-lhsctK0%2FV4PS_-5CEiI%2FAAAAAAAAAGU%2F1Ww0mYWF8KYLsHyKvnOMh6r1wjTAoFNYQCLIB!2e4!3e12!6s%2F%2Flh6.googleusercontent.com%2F-wcl-lhsctK0%2FV4PS_-5CEiI%2FAAAAAAAAAGU%2F1Ww0mYWF8KYLsHyKvnOMh6r1wjTAoFNYQCLIB%2Fs114-k-no%2F!7i1024!8i768!4m5!3m4!1s0x8081d33817774185:0xd65c3a10d8406f7e!8m2!3d39.6383445!4d-123.784591!6m1!1e1

If Steve actually did cash that traveler's check, it cannot be known whether Linda was also in Westport. Conversely, neither of them may have made their way to Westport. Whether Steve cashed the traveler's check does not seem to be authenticated.

Sources:

Doe Network: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2999dfmt.html

National Missing Person Directory: http://www.missingin.org/reg7331/stephen_locke_packard.htm

Charley Project: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/lovell_linda.html

There are mysteries within this mystery:

So whose relatives were they supposed to meet in Spokane, Linda's or Steve's? Or both?

Just what was their relationship to one another? How did they know one another? The age difference makes a romantic relationship less likely.

Possible scenarios: She hitches out of Missoula (it says somewhere.) Conjecture that he graduates high school in Provincetown, flies Boston or NYC to SFO. They meet by chance in San Francisco and form a traveler's alliance; his protective brawn, her worldly wisdom.

Seems unlikely also. What is the connection between these two?

 

[burblestein]

Linda Lee Lovell Missing since June 1974
DOB: 23 November 1948
Native of Missoula MT
Santa Maria CA Police Dept Case # 2005-R12548
NamUS MP # 9136

For her joint activities with Stephen Locke Packard, see http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...Westport-CA-June-1974&p=12844748#post12844748

Linda is a white female, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weight 110 pounds, brown hair and hazel eyes. She may wear either eyeglasses or contact lenses. She has a series of faint circular scars about 1.5 inches across at waist level on right side of her stomach and lower right back.Her last known sighting was as she left Missoula, probably hitchhiking.

In company with Stephen Locke Packard, Linda was hiking and hitchhiking the Pacific coastline. The pair were planning to work their way north to Spokane WA and it's World Fair. On or about 10 June 1974, Linda mailed a postcard home from Stinson Beach CA. One of Stephen's traveler's checks was cashed in Westport CA on 20 June 1974; it is unknown if she was accompanying him then. According to some sources, this date is the last contact with Linda.

Linda had planned to be back in Missoula for the July 4[SUP]th[/SUP] holiday. By 15 July, there was enough concern at her being overdue that her mother reported her missing to the Missoula Police Dept. In the report, it said that last contact with Linda was 27 June 1974. Linda had $600 in traveler's checks; there is no mention they were traced.

Missing persons reports on Linda have also been filed with the Marin County CA Sheriff's Office, Spokane WA Sheriff, and the Santa Maria CA PD. When Linda's mother moved to Santa Maria, a Spokane deputy initiated a missing person report in Santa Maria.

Linda's mother has submitted a DNA sample to the Santa Maria PD. Linda's fingerprints and dental charts are not on record.

Major source:
Missing Person Report, Case # 2012R02963 dated 4 April 2012, Santa Maria PD.

Contributory sources:
Charley Project http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/lovell_linda.html
NamUS: https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/9136/90

Of interest:
Whereabouts Still Unknown blog has pics: https://whereaboutsstillunknown.wordpress.com/2014/07/19/linda-lovell-and-stephen-packard/

Contact person for this case:
Detective Michael Sawyer, Santa Maria PD, 222 Cook St, Santa Maria CA 95354. Phone 805-928-3781 extension 291.

Also named as a contact for this case is Stephen's hometown police department:
Detective Supervisor Meredith Lobur, cell phone 617-780-0825, land line 508-487-1212. Email: mlobur@provincetown-ma.gov. U.S. Mail: Providence MA PD, 26 Shankpainter Road, Provincetown MA 02657. Provincetown PD website: http://www.provincetown-ma.gov/Directory.aspx?did=27

 

[burblestein]

Stephen Locke Packard
“Voluntarily”? Missing since June 1974
NamUS MP # 14448
Santa Maria Police Dept Case # 2012R02963
SMPD also identifies the case as Incident #LPD120403002963, and as FCN # 5121605400174
Date of Birth: 6 June 1956
Place of birth: Provincetown MA
Reported home address: 621 Commercial Street
Stephen has also been identified as a New Jersey resident.

Stephen was born while his father served as an ensign in the Coast Guard; assigned duty station was apparently Fort Lauderdale FL at the time of the birth. Anne was visiting her home town of Rhinebeck NY when Stephen arrived.

Stephen is a white male, 6 feet 3 inches tall, 180 pounds, brown eyes, strawberry blond hair below his ears. Photos of him show a fit brawny young man. He had a freshly healed fracture of the right hand; he had broken it about 6 months before his hitchhiking trip.

Stephen was hiking and hitchhiking the Pacific Coast in June 1974. He and Linda Lovell were traveling northward to Spokane WA for the World's Fair, with the aim of ending their trip in Missoula MT by the Fourth of July. Stephen was last seen on his 18[SUP]th[/SUP] birthday, 6 June 1974. On 10 June, he called home from Stinson Beach CA. He also mailed post cards from there.

A $20 American Express traveler's check of Stephen's was cashed in Mendocino County's Westport CA store on 20 June 1974. Stephen had $800 in traveler's checks, but that was the only one negotiated.

When Linda Lovell's mother reported her missing on 15 July 1974 in Missoula MT, it became apparent Stephen was also missing. On 15 August 1974, Stephen's godfather reported him missing to the Marin County Sheriff's Office (Stinson Beach is in Marin County).

Sources:
Santa Maria Police Department (Santa Barbara County CA) Missing Persons Report

Poughkeepsie NY Journal, 17 June 1956: https://www.newspapers.com/image/115056601

The Charley Project: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/packard_stephen.html

Contact person given for this case is:
Detective Supervisor Meredith Lobur,cell phone 617-780-0825, land line 508-487-1212. Emailmlobur@provincetown-ma.gov.U.S. Mail: Providence MA PD, 26 Shankpainter Road, Provincetown MA02657. Provincetown PD website: http://www.provincetown-ma.gov/Directory.aspx?did=27

However, the Santa Maria CA PD insists they have an active investigation. Their contact person is Det. Michael Sawyer, available at 805-928-3781 extension 291.

 

[Ozoner]

BASIC CASE:
25-year-old Linda Lovell and 18-year-old Stephen Packard were hitchhiking north on the Pacific Coast in June 1974?

Just what was their relationship to one another? How did they know one another? The age difference makes a romantic relationship less likely.

Possible scenarios: She hitches out of Missoula (it says somewhere.) Conjecture that he graduates high school in Provincetown, flies Boston or NYC to SFO. They meet by chance in San Francisco and form a traveler's alliance; his protective brawn, her worldly wisdom.

Seems unlikely also. What is the connection between these two?

In what fantasy universe does a seven-year age difference make a romantic relationship unlikely?

I've lost count of how couples I've known where the age difference was twenty years or more; a seven-year difference is nothing.

 

[Coleraine]

Stephen Locke Packard's name sounded vaguely familiar so I checked Google and realized that he was the son of a Provincetown artist, Anne Locke Packard. I found an article that references her son's death and indicates that Linda was his girlfriend (see paragraph 7). The article is titled "Building Provincetown: The History of Provincetown Told Through Its Built Environment."

It also provides interesting description of Stephen's family: "Mystery and fascination surrounded them; the Packards were like old-fashioned outlaws. They had energy, flair, bravado, charm; and they were generous and kindly and sexy, in part because they created their own laws, their own society.”

https://buildingprovincetown.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/621-commercial-street/

 

[burblestein]

Great find, Coleraine! Not MSM, but informative. This is the first source I have seen that calls them romantic partners. I am not saying a seven year age span makes a difference in all, or even most, couples. However, a 25 year old woman has 7 years experience past high school. An 18 year old boy coming out of high school doesn't have that experience. So it's easy to wonder, Where's the common ground for a relationship?

Then again, there was the time factor. Either they hooked up within less than two weeks in early June 1974, or they knew one another before the trip. And one was from Provincetown, but the other was from Missoula. So how would they know one another? So, you can see why I was skeptical.

 

[burblestein]

I have yet to find anything linking Stephen to New Jersey except a single declarative statement.

 

[burblestein]

If there was a pre-trip romantic relationship, Stephen was a minor when it began. If that matters for anything.

 

[Coleraine]

I have yet to find anything linking Stephen to New Jersey except a single declarative statement.

Stephen's mother's account of the last time she saw him is in this MSM article. It provides a bit more background.

http://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/13/a...ekly-a-grieving-mother-finds-hope-in-art.html

 

[Coleraine]

Burblestein, I don't know if you've already seen this but I thought I'd point out that Linda's uncle has commented on Linda's record on the missingin.org site. He's looking for any up-to-date info on her case and offers to answer questions about her.

http://www.missingin.org/reg4904/linda_lee_lovell.htm

 

[burblestein]

Time to re-examine the official timeline. It becomes apparent that Stephen was last seen on 10 June 1974, when he set out to hitchhike with Linda. That means he couldn't be in Stinson Beach CA calling home on the 10th. However, the mention of the accident to CP's boyfriend on the 14th obviously had to have taken place four days AFTER Stephen's departure, not four days BEFORE.

And the New Jersey connection is confirmed--his mother lived there.

 

[burblestein]

They were an involved couple after all. They began their road trip at Stephen's home on 10 June 1974, per below link. This also means that the reports of postcards and a phone call home from Stinson Beach on the 10th are false.
http://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/13/a...ekly-a-grieving-mother-finds-hope-in-art.html

 

[burblestein]

No, I didn't because I usually don't read comments. I just now submitted an email comment on the site, directed at her uncle. When approved, it should post. I have also already requested Linda's Missing Person Report from the Santa Maria Police. Next I will query other jurisdictions where she has been reported missing.

Another great catch by Coleraine!

 

[Coleraine]

The day/date in the article for his departure isn't accurate either so in addition to the other error (sister's boyfriend's accident), I'm thinking this may not be the best source with which the official timeline is evaluated. In 1974, June 10th was a Monday, not a Saturday. I tried to look at the original article to see if the problem was with the transcription, but it requires a subscription.

 

[Alleykins]

They were an involved couple after all. They began their road trip at Stephen's home on 10 June 1974, per below link. This also means that the reports of postcards and a phone call home from Stinson Beach on the 10th are false. http://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/13/a...ekly-a-grieving-mother-finds-hope-in-art.html

RBBM for clarity.
Not necessarily. I guess it would have depended on where they landed. If they landed in Sacramento, that appears to be under 3 hours away from Stinson Beach. Take into consideration flight time and the three hour time difference between the east and west cost and it's doable if they were able to get a ride right away from the airport. They could have called/written right when they got there, just to let their folks know they arrived. Does anyone know for sure where they landed?
ETA: San Fran is even closer.
What I really want to know is how a woman from MT meets a man from the tip of the Cape prior to the internet. It really has no bearing on the case, I'm just curious. How people met, especially from so far away, has always fascinated me.

 

[Coleraine]

Burblestein, any ideas as to why Santa Maria PD is investigating? It's hours away from where they were last seen.

Also, if the June 10th date of the call home from Stinson Beach is accurate, that would have been a Monday and one day after the famous annual Dipsea Race which ends in Stinson Beach. I would think there would have been many people from surrounding areas in town watching the race and celebrating. Not sure what if anything that means in terms of their disappearance, though.

 

[Coleraine]

I hope you hear from him. I know his post is from 2014 but perhaps he checks it from time to time. Sad news about Linda's mother, too, from the other comment by her cousin.

 

[burblestein]

I'm semi-local to this, being in Mendocino County, but hadn't thought of the Dipsea Race. It is worth taking into consideration. A quick Google shows finishers back to 1996, but not beyond. Just a quick thought that maybe Stephen was an entry.

As reported in Linda's thread, her mother moved to Santa Maria. Spokane LE then handed it off to SMPD.

These two cases are jurisdictional nightmares, plagued by belated reports. The irony of this all, to the best of my knowledge, MCSO doesn't claim jurisdiction.

 

[burblestein]

Actually, Alleykins, the question is how does a grown woman from MT meet a school boy from MA? She maybe vacationed in Provincetown and met him then? And who knows whether any given piece of info is relevant until the case(s) are resolved?

 

[Coleraine]

There's a problem with the NY Times article in which June 10th is referred to by Stephen's mother as the Saturday. In 1974, June 10th was on a Monday. So I'm thinking the June 10th date for their departure is incorrect. I've seen one of the sites--not sure which one--state the date of departure as Stephen's birthday, which was June 6th. And if Stephen and Linda did hitchhike cross country, as his mother states was their plan, then they made fantastic time (4 days!) to reach Stinson Beach and call on 6/10/74. Maybe they did hop on a jet at some point...

Alleykins, I'm really curious about how they met, too. I'm so fascinated by this case! Thank you, burblestein, for bringing it to the forum.