Presumed Located OK - Linda Spradlin, 35, Tahlequah, 1 Aug 1987

[Coffee56]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Linda Maxine Spradlin, Female, American Indian / Alaska Native
Date of Last ContactAugust 1, 1987
Missing FromTahlequah, Oklahoma
Case Information

Demographics
Missing Age35 Years
Current Age69 Years
First Name Linda
Middle NameMaxine
Last NameSpradlin
Nickname/AliasLinda Anderson, Linda Shelly

SexFemale
Height5' 2" - 5' 8" (62 - 68 Inches)
Weight120 - 160 lbs
Race / EthnicityAmerican Indian / Alaska Native
Tribe Enrollment / AffiliationYes
0" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Associated Tribe(s):

• - Enrolled with Cherokee Nation

Circumstances
Date of Last ContactAugust 1, 1987
NamUs Case CreatedMay 28, 2021
Last Known Location Map
LocationTahlequah, Oklahoma
CountyCherokee County
Missing From Tribal LandYes
Primary Residence on Tribal LandYes
Circumstances of DisappearanceLinda was living in an apt in Tahlequah when she disappeared. Her brother reported her missing to local authorities. Her brother reported that he was told a rumor that she went to Texas with two men and died there. The men supposedly dumped her body there. Lisa Simmons, Linda's biological daughter, reported that the management at the apartment where Linda lived said Linda had gone to Texas with a man who also lived in the apartments. Lisa's brother reported that Linda telephoned their sister in Houston Texas and said she was coming there.
Physical Description
Hair ColorBlack
Head Hair Descriptionmedium length, curly
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye ColorBrown
Right Eye ColorBrown

 

[Coffee56]

Not particularly confident but time frame looks good.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[EmilyHTX]

Not particularly confident but time frame looks good.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

I've already mentioned this UID to the investigators, but we're still waiting on a DNA sample from Linda's family members to be collected and processed for comparisons.

 

[EmilyHTX]

Okay, this might turn into a novel, but I wanted to jump right in.

I started looking into Linda's case about a month and a half ago. I spoke with her family first, then law enforcement, then the Cherokee County DA's office, which resulted in a missing persons case finally being on record and a NamUs page being made. I don't say this to toot my own horn, but to show how little attention her case has had for 33 years.

Her brother filed the report in August 1987 with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, but he felt that they never actually investigated her disappearance. The whole "She's an adult, she can do what she wants..." mindset, coupled with addiction and life choices that LE likely judged her for.

I've learned a lot about Linda in the last several weeks, but I'll just share what I feel is relevant and potentially helpful. She had moved into the apartment above a local bar in Tahlequah after spending some time at an in-patient rehab facility in Muskogee in late 1986. She had been married a few times, but she was fighting with her most recent ex-husband in court over custody. This seems to have been the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak, as her addiction grew throughout that stressful period. This is likely what led to her stay in rehab and her struggles leading up to her disappearance. There's only a few months gap between her leaving rehab and her being reported missing.

This family has waited 33 years to get answers, but the recent movement on Linda's case has caused a lot of emotions and memories to surface. I'm trying my best to do what I can to help them and to respect their grieving process. Investigators are playing catch-up with a decades-old case that shares so many details with other missing and murdered Indigenous women & girls. I hope its one that will see a conclusion in the near future, and her family can finally lay her to rest with her loved ones.

 

[EmilyHTX]

Also, here are the enhanced versions of the two case photos as well as one I have that's cropped to a headshot. Enhanced with My Heritage - Photo Enhancer

 

[MadMcGoo]

Does anyone know who the man is (or men) she may have left with? Surely LE has looked into that.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Linda's NAMUS is down. I hope her family has closure.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Linda's NAMUS is down. I hope her family has closure.

I surely hope so!!

 

[30Anne]

I surely hope so!!

Me too after 33 years.....

 

[Aurora90]

any update?

 

[EmilyHTX]

I commented an update a while back but it was deleted because the information wasn’t verified or something. I don’t know how I could have provided documentation or sources for something that wasn’t acknowledged by law enforcement or local media (until I got in contact with one amazing investigator in Oklahoma), but there IS a social security death record for Linda now. Family and Oklahoma authorities confirmed everything I’d said previously. She had traveled down to Texas with a male companion and passed away there March 10, 1988 (in Garland, Dallas County). The male companion was considered next of kin, as far as I’ve been told, so no one in her immediate or extended family was notified at the time. The man didn’t know much about her and had no way to let the family know. That being said, last I heard they were trying to find out what happened to her remains (buried or cremated, where, etc.)