MO MO - Clara Grunst, 21, Joplin, 9 Oct 1984

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Gardener1850 said:
Here's a screen shot of what I can see of 1981 article circled in red:
attachment.php


This is interesting for so many reasons--

1. If she went missing before and came home, why would her family decide to accept the likelihood that she is deceased? In most long term "runaway" missing cases we see it is the opposite- the family holding out hope until the very end that their loved one is alive and will someday get back in touch. What was different about the second time Clara went missing that made them suspect she is now deceased? The length of time she was gone? Or some other evidence?

2. Depending on how long she was gone the first time, there is a chance she decided to run away/disappear again in 1984 (JMO). She could still be alive! Or she may not have died for several years after she went missing-- in which case we would be looking at the wrong years when searching UID cases.

3. If this was the actual date of her going missing and the only time she went missing I have to wonder how that large "missing date" error happened. I'm leaning towards this being a previous instance of her going missing, however. JMO.

I really hope someone can get a hold of the full article.
Click to expand...


Very interesting!! BTW I put a read receipt on the email I sent to NamUs about the possible match, and at least 4 of the people that were sent the email read it, but I haven't received a response back.
 
folieadeuxnola said:
Gardener .... Here ya go


Clara had been babysitting she was suppose to return via bus to Carthage and had not so her mother reported it.

attachment.php
Click to expand...

Wonderful Folie. Thank you! :loveyou:

This is so interesting. Some observations:

Her glasses were described as having lavender plastic frames (Versus light beige plastic frames in 1984 description)

Her clothes were described as a blue jeans and t-shirt (Versus Reddish-brown pants, a white shirt with a floral waistband, blue sneakers in 1984)

Height, Weight, hair color, and eye color all pretty much the same with the addition of her hair was curly from a permanent.
1981 Height was listed a 5'3" which is on the lower end of the range given in her 1984 missing report and weight as 120 lbs.

She took the bus at age 18 instead of hitchhiking.

She called a friend's mother to say she would be coming back to Carthage on a certain bus.

She was reported missing to three different counties-- Jasper, Greene and Webster.

She had a babysitting job in Republic but was seen in the Springfield and Rogersville area Sept 5th

Map of the locations mentioned: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Car...2639c0ad62!2m2!1d-93.4801942!2d37.1200526!3e0

Seems like this was a completely separate incident and she must have come home, IMO. I wonder what happened in 1981-- did she take the wrong bus or simply make other plans? Why only tell her friend's mom which bus she was coming on and not her own mom? Did she run out of change to make the pay phone call? This incident could be why she may not have been reported missing right away in 1984 or perhaps why the police may not have taken it seriously the 2nd time. JMO.
 
Gardener1850 said:
Wonderful Folie. Thank you! :loveyou:

This is so interesting. Some observations:

Her glasses were described as having lavender plastic frames (Versus light beige plastic frames in 1984 description)

Her clothes were described as a blue jeans and t-shirt (Versus Reddish-brown pants, a white shirt with a floral waistband, blue sneakers in 1984)

Height, Weight, hair color, and eye color all pretty much the same with the addition of her hair was curly from a permanent.
1981 Height was listed a 5'3" which is on the lower end of the range given in her 1984 missing report and weight as 120 lbs.

She took the bus at age 18 instead of hitchhiking.

She called a friend's mother to say she would be coming back to Carthage on a certain bus.

She was reported missing to three different counties-- Jasper, Greene and Webster.

She had a babysitting job in Republic but was seen in the Springfield and Rogersville area Sept 5th

Map of the locations mentioned: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Car...2639c0ad62!2m2!1d-93.4801942!2d37.1200526!3e0

Seems like this was a completely separate incident and she must have come home, IMO. I wonder what happened in 1981-- did she take the wrong bus or simply make other plans? Why only tell her friend's mom which bus she was coming on and not her own mom? Did she run out of change to make the pay phone call? This incident could be why she may not have been reported missing right away in 1984 or perhaps why the police may not have taken it seriously the 2nd time. JMO.
Click to expand...

It definitely sounds like two separate incidents. It seems as though Clara may have been a bit of a free spirit, however I understand why her mother believes she is now deceased based on the inconsistencies in the stories that the last trucker who was seen with Clara has given. Reading between the lines, it seems as though he is suspected of committing foul play but there's no evidence.

It would be helpful to know more about that trucker's planned routes - at least the states he would be travelling through - to make searching for possible UIDs more focused.
 
Clara Marie Grunst
clara_marie_grunst_1.jpg

Grunst, circa 1984

Missing Since: 10/09/1984
Missing From: Joplin, Missouri
Classification: Endangered Missing
Sex: Female
Race: White
Date of Birth: 07/20/1963 (56)
Age: 21 years old
Height: 5'3” - 5'6”
Weight: 118 pounds
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue

Distinguishing Characteristics: Grunst wears eyeglasses with large light beige plastic frames. She has pierced ears, a red birthmark on her navel, and a tattoo of the name "Jeff" below her left elbow. Grunst's CB radio handles are Blondie, Blue Eyes and Missouri Sunshine. Her spine is deformed from scoliosis.

Clothing/Jewelry Description: Reddish-brown pants, a white shirt with a floral waistband, blue sneakers, a Timex watch with a blue band, and a silver ring.

Details of Disappearance
Grunst was last believed to be hitchhiking from Joplin, Missouri to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was last seen in the vicinity of Interstate 44 and Highway 43 in Joplin, when she got into a truck driven by a man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Grunst was living in Milwaukee at the time and looking for work there. She made a call from a Pittsburg, Kansas pay phone at 11:40 a.m. on October 9, 1984, the day after she left Joplin. She has never been heard from again.

Grunst's mother stated her daughter loved traveling and hitchhiked frequently at the time of her 1984 disappearance. When she left Joplin she was carrying a large sum of money and a brand new, expensive suede coat, both of them gifts from her brother, so her mother theorizes Grunst was robbed.

Police identified and questioned the truck driver last known to be with her, and he reportedly gave inconsistent statements, but there was insufficient evidence to file charges against anyone.

Grunst has previously visited truck stops in Wisconsin, California and Canada. Her mother believes she is dead.

Investigating Agency: Newton County Sheriff's Office 417-451-8300
 
Adding her to the list of similar disappearances, particularly ones tied to Springfield, MO

MO - MO - Could These Abductions and Murders of Females Be Connected?

10/09/1984 - Clara Marie Grunst was last believed to be hitchhiking from Joplin, Missouri to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was last seen in the vicinity of Interstate 44 and Highway 43 in Joplin, (70 miles from Springfield) when she got into a truck driven by a man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Also her mother reported her missing from the Rogersville, MO area (20 miles from Springfield).

This report stated she went with a truck driver from Milwaukee, but it does resemble these other disappearances from an truck driver from Springfield:

08/23/1992 - Tammy Jo Zywicki's car broke down on 1-80 near LaSalle, IL and on September 1, 1992, was found murdered along I-44 between Springfield and Joplin, Missouri. It was reported that a tractor/trailer was seen near her vehicle during this time period. (Clark Perry Baldwin was a suspect but as of a recent update, now he is considered not).
Tammy Zywicki Case: Accused Serial Killer Investigated in 1992 Slaying

Incidentally, Clark Perry Baldwin was an ex-Springfield, MO truck driver who was affiliated with similar murders out of state including:

09/07/1982 - Rhonda Knutson, 22, a truck stop convenience store clerk in northern Iowa who was bludgeoned to death during an overnight shift in 1992. Baldwin lived in nearby Nashua, Iowa.
Ex-Springfield, Mo. trucker charged in serial killings faces scrutiny across US
 
TheArtfulDetective said:
Anniversary of disappearance today.

View attachment 372227
Click to expand...
I’m trying to reconcile the picture of Clara with my mental picture of her. In that photo she looks so young and sheltered in a sense - I think it’s the sweater - and I’m having trouble reconciling it with an adventurous female hitchhiker with a tattoo. Were tattoos common at that time as they are now, especially for young females? I had thought not, but please correct me if I’m wrong. The tattoo says Jeff….who is Jeff? Where did her brother live, that she was traveling with gifts for him? How much did the scoliosis affect her daily life? Just want more background on this young lady!!
 
From various sources.

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Clara was believed to have been hitchhiking from Joplin, Missouri to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she was living and looking for work.

Clara had been visiting the Carthage area <she was originally from that area and went to school there, it's very near Joplin, MO, brother T. f.i. lived in Carthage and in Joplin> from Milwaukee, where she was living at the time, for a wedding.

Her landlord in Milwaukee called and said several employers had been calling for her about applications she had put in for jobs and she needed to return, so she used the CB radio to arrange a ride with a trucker.

<When did she leave to travel to Milwaukee?>

She last contacted family at approximately 11:40 am from a payphone in Pittsburg, Kansas.

According the Charley file this was on the day after she left = the missing date 10/9/1984?
This is really confusing...did she leave from the wedding and/or family around 10:00 a.m.? Why did she call? She would have been only 1 hour gone. If she left on the 8th, where was she after leaving the wedding and/or her family until arriving in Pittsburg the next day = missing day.

The driver of the truck Clara was last seen riding in has told several different stories about what happened to Clara in the years since the disappearance, but investigators could never get enough evidence to seek charges for a crime.

Clara's Social Security number was used in the St. Louis area. <When was this and for what?>


She was last seen <by who?> in the vicinity of Interstate 44 and Highway 43 in Joplin, when she got into a truck driven by a man from Milwaukee.

Grunst was living in Milwaukee at the time and looking for work there. She made a call from a Pittsburg, Kansas pay phone at 11:40 a.m. on October 9, 1984, the day after she left Joplin. She has never been heard from again.

Route is approx. 12 hours. She could have gone over Saint Louis.


1665398362020.png

IMO if she called from Pittsburg this route be me logical.

1665398826631.png
 
And the confusion gets deeper.

Clara Marie Grunst (1963-1981) - Find a Grave...

Clara Marie Grunst, 21, was reported missing on Oct. 8, 1981 (missing date in Charley P = 10/09/1984, same in Namus), after leaving her home (most likely her family/original home, where the wedding was held) for a job interview in Milwaukee, Wis. I thought she was living in Milwaukee?

Clara Marie Grunst was born July 20, 1963, in Fairmont, Minn., the daughter of Jim and Virginia Grunst of rural Carthage. Clara moved to Carthage in February 1964. She attended schools in Carthage until the 11th grade, after which she received her G.E.D. at Missouri Southern State College. She attended First Church of the Nazarene, was a Brownie Scout and a member of the Carthage Junior High Band.

There is another lovely picture of Clara, but it's very small. Maybe someone can "super-size" it?
 
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