UT UT - Sarah Luella Snow, 33, Springville, Sept 13, 1953

[Murkywaters]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

On the morning of September 13th, Sarah told her mother, who was helping with the kids, that she was going to get some supplies she would need for dinner. She never returned. Her car and shoes were found at the mouth of Hobble Creek Canyon within a couple days. There were search parties involved, but Sarah was never found.

 

[Murkywaters]

Demographics
Missing Age: 33 Years
Current Age: 100 Years
First Name: Sarah
Middle Name: Luella
Last Name: Snow
Nickname/Alias: Sarah Young; Ella Snow; Ella Young
Sex: Female
Height: 5' 3" (63 Inches)
Weight: 103 - 125 lbs
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian

Circumstances
Date of Last Contact: September 13, 1953
NamUs Case Created: July 17, 2019
Last Known Location Map
Location: Springville, Utah 84663
County: Utah County
Missing From Tribal Land: No
Primary Residence on Tribal Land--
Circumstances of Disappearance: On the morning of September 13th, Sarah told her mother, who was helping with the kids, that she was going to get some supplies she would need for dinner. She never returned. Her car and shoes were found at the mouth of Hobble Creek Canyon within a couple days. There were search parties involved, but Sarah was never found.

Physical Description
Hair Color: Brown
Left Eye Color: Brown
Right Eye Color: Brown

Distinctive Physical Features
No Information Entered

Clothing and Accessories
Clothing: Sarah was last seen wearing green slacks, a red and green plaid blouse and white shoes.

 

[Murkywaters]

Missing Sarah Luella Snow Young - Newspapers.com

 

[Stella]

Hobble Creek Canyon: A Wilderness Walmart

My guess would be she had post partum depression and wandered off to die. So sad; I don't think it was recognized back then like it is today.

 

[snow7]

Sarah is a relative of mine. My family has been working hard to investigate her case in past few months, which is why it is now on NameUs. We have many documents that show this case is definitely not as straight forward as it seems and I would like to share them in this forum because we need help finding her remains. What is the best way to share these documents? Advice welcome. There are dozens of pages.

Postpartum may have played a role,but my family investigated that idea and ruled it out as a factor in her disappearance. We have key suspect in mind. This suspect played up the idea of her mood being off because of recent birth of baby.

Please advice about how to post bunch of docs.

Thanks we hope this forum can help.

 

[snow7]

Hobble Creek Canyon: A Wilderness Walmart

My guess would be she had post partum depression and wandered off to die. So sad; I don't think it was recognized back then like it is today.

The link you posted is a helpful overview of Hobble Creek Canyon. It is about a 45 minute walk from Sarah's house. About a ten minute drive. My grandpa and was her bother. He and her other brothers hired the plane that did the aerial search that found her car. BTW her birth name is Sarah but she went by Ella or Luella.

 

[Richard]

Sarah is a relative of mine. My family has been working hard to investigate her case in past few months, which is why it is now on NameUs. We have many documents that show this case is definitely not as straight forward as it seems and I would like to share them in this forum because we need help finding her remains. What is the best way to share these documents? Advice welcome. There are dozens of pages.

Postpartum may have played a role,but my family investigated that idea and ruled it out as a factor in her disappearance. We have key suspect in mind. This suspect played up the idea of her mood being off because of recent birth of baby.

Please advice about how to post bunch of docs.

Thanks we hope this forum can help.

Welcome to Websleuths. You have a good start in your search by posting on this site. I would suggest that you also post on a few other Missing Person Sites as well, such as the Doe Network and Charley. Those sites have a standard format or style for entering information and data, and you will see that they are "borrowed from" heavily by many other websites.

You can enter information here by linking other sites, or by posting files which can be opened and read by a reader clicking on an icon or link. By posting your documents and photos individually over time, rather than in one large file, you keep Sarah's thread renewed or "bumped" up to the top of the section and this will help to get it seen by more readers.

If this is an active cold case (currently being investigated by a law enforcement agency), post contact information (phone numbers, email address, website, etc) for tips to be passed directly.

If the case is NOT currently being investigated, contact the agency which originally handled the case and get them interested and active on it. As a relative, you have more power to do that than someone else.

 

[CastlesBurning]

Sarah LuElla Snow – The Charley Project

 

[TinfoilYarmulke]

Was there any legitimacy to the bus driver saying he had a woman matching her description board a bus to California? One article says the investigation was expected to center there, but I wonder if it ever did.

 

[Richard]

Sarah Luella Snow, age 33
Missing 13 September 1953

 

[snow7]

Was there any legitimacy to the bus driver saying he had a woman matching her description board a bus to California? One article says the investigation was expected to center there, but I wonder if it ever did.

Thanks for asking. No, there was never any further pursuit of this sighting. My family has always felt like it was not a serious lead. But, it was definitely used by police in town to dismiss her case by leaking to press this idea. They never seemed to investigate case after that point. Until 1993, decades later when the FBI compelled local police to create a file for Ella. At which point officers interviewed her husband and son as well as several of the family members on Ella's side. Including her brother, a former sheriff from neighboring town who worked the case for the first few days until Springville police ordered him off the mountain during the search for her. He reports making casts of Ella's husband's Jeep tracks at the site where her car was found. Tracks that had one military grade tire and three civilian tires. Matching Ella's husband's Jeep. He informs officers in 93 of other details in original case. Other people from time are interviewed. It seems like jurisdiction issues resulted in this Marshall who recently moved to Mapleton from El Paso played a role in the case. Springville officers from time appear to have totally neglected her case. Including never making or keeping a file on the case at time. The 1993 investigation was better, but still incomplete. As to your original question, the police said the same thing about a young lady who was from same town who went missing about a month after Ella. She was later found, but they said she boarded a bus headed for LA too. Maybe it was their way to close public interest in missing women's cases. Who knows. There are so many details revealed in 1993 investigation that make you wonder why the police did not do better. Like a string of empty beer cans were found from where Ella's car was found to near her and husband's house. From same batch number. We're they deposited on way to her car or from her car? Where is this physical evidence? Much more than that to share, but for now hope that answers your question.

 

[Richard]

Sarah LuElla Snow

Snow, circa 1953

• Missing Since 9/13/1953
• Missing From Springville, Utah
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Age 33 years old
• Height and Weight 5'3, 103 - 125 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A red and green plaid blouse, green slacks and white shoes.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Snow may use the last name Young or the nickname Ella.

Details of Disappearance
Snow was last seen in Springville, Utah on September 13, 1953. Her mother was helping watch her children, and Snow said she was going to get some supplies for dinner. She never returned home. A few days later, her car and shoes were found at the mouth of Hobble Creek Canyon. An extensive search turned up no indication of her whereabouts and her case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

• Springville Police Department 801-489-9421

Source Information

• NamUs
• The Provo Daily Herald
• Sarah LuElla Snow – The Charley Project

 

[Truepeace]

@snow7 I would love to hear more about your findings. I to am in relation to Ella's family.

 

[snow7]

@snow7 I would love to hear more about your findings. I to am in relation to Ella's family.

Hi! May I ask how you are related to Ella? I would be interested in talking.

 

[Pennysmom1]

Sarah is still missing

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Sarah Lu Ella SNOW

On the morning of September 13th, 1953 Sarah told her Mother, who was helping with the kids, that she was going to get some supplies she would need for dinner. She never returned. Her car and shoes were found at the mouth of Hobble Creek Canyon within a couple days. There were search parties...

bci.utah.gov

 

[rosesfromangels]

If this was foul play, (and that was my first gut instinct), the Perp had several things going for them. Back in that era, such things were discussed in hushed tones. Women were largely still property, and some suffered poor treatment with little retribution.

What became of her husband and children after her disappearance?
I side with the relative on this - I wouldn't easily dismiss this as post baby blues.
I would search again (even after all these years), with a suspect's favorite fishing and hunting spots in mind.
Perp's are stupid and will often dispose of remains in hidey holes well known to them.
Ella deserves a proper burial and headstone.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[snow7]

I just want to thank everyone who is interested in Ella's case. I think the next steps should be the Utah County police and/or the Springville police should send cold case detective to interview my father who is now in his late 80s. He is one of a few surviving people, maybe the last who participated in the 1953 search for Ella in Hobblecreek Canyon. He is still sharp and remembers everything in detail he was 16 or 17 at the time. I have tried to contact the detectives but so far no luck in getting them to speaking with my dad. I also think my dad should submit his DNA to a few private genealogy type sites in case. He and an older female relative have also submitted DNA to NameUs. So that's good. Let me know if anyone has ideas to help. Maybe we should do a public awareness tour in local nursing homes care facilities on the off chance someone remembers something? Seems like a long shot but...

 

[Aurora90]

Recently remains were found in a different canyon altogether. It made me think of Ella.