1980s 1980 DatePerson(s)AgeCountry of disappearanceCircumstancesOutcomeTime spent missing or unconfirmed1980Marcia King21United States of AmericaMarcia King left home in Little Rock, Arkansas, on an unknown date in 1980. She traveled across the United States and was murdered in Troy, Ohio, in April 1981 at the age of 21. King's body was identified in 2018.Murdered37 yearsFebruary 13th, 1980Timothy White5United States of AmericaTimothy White disappeared in California on February 13, 1980, and it was later revealed that he was abducted by a man named Kenneth Parnell. He escaped on March 1, 1980, with the help of Steven Stayner, who had been abducted by Parnell almost eight years earlier.Found alive15 daysFebruary 14th, 1980Michael Rosenblum25United States of AmericaMichael Rosenblum was last seen alive on February 14, 1980, angrily driving his girlfriend's car away from a West Homestead, Pennsylvania, gas station; it was found an hour later abandoned and severely damaged along a road in nearby Baldwin, whose police department did not make public that it had the car for over three months. That, and other circumstantial evidence suggesting that the Baldwin police knew more about Rosenblum's disappearance than they claimed, accumulated over the next several years and led to the police chief being fired and reinstated in 1987. A skull fragment found in 1992 in woods near where the car was found was matched to Rosenblum; how he died is still unknown. Died (unknown cause)12 yearsMarch 10th, 1980Sherri Jarvis14United States of AmericaSherri Jarvis ran away from her juvenile detention hearing at the Washington County Courthouse shortly after her 14th birthday in March 1980. She traveled with 2 unidentified sisters to Green Bay, Wisconsin. The sisters decided to return home, but Sherri refused and walked away from them. In August 1980, Sherri wrote a letter to her family from Denver, Colorado stating that she was upset over being incarcerated and that they wouldn't hear from her until she was "at least 18 or 21". Sherri's body was discovered on the morning of November 1, 1980, in Huntsville, Texas, but remained unidentified until November 2021.Murdered41 yearsApril 3rd, 1980Cynthia Gastelle18United States of AmericaCynthia Gastelle disappeared on April 3, 1980, while going to a job interview in Takoma Park, Maryland. Her skeletal remains were found on February 12, 1982, in a secluded wooded area on Bull Run Mountain in Haymarket, Virginia, but remained unidentified for 30 years.Murdered30 yearsMay 16th, 1980Jessie Earl22United KingdomEarl disappeared from Eastbourne in May 1980, with her body only discovered in 1989 near Beachy Head. As of November 2020, the investigation into her murder is ongoing. Police have investigated links between Earl's murder and serial killer Peter Tobin, who lived in the area at the time of her murder.Murdered9 yearsMay 16th, 1980Mary Stauffer36United States of AmericaMary and daughter Bethy Stauffer were kidnapped on May 16, 1980, by Mary's former ninth-grade student and stalker, Ming Sen Shiue in Roseville, Minnesota, after mother and daughter were leaving a beauty salon before the family's move to the Philippines for missionary work. Alongside kidnapping the Stauffers, Shiue also kidnapped and later murdered six-year-old Jason Wilkman, who had noticed Shiue's stopped vehicle by sheer coincidence. On July 7, 1980, Shiue left the house for work, allowing Mary and Beth to escape by Mary pulling one of the hinge pins on the door and call the police. Shiue was later arrested, attacked Mary at his second trial hearing, and was sentenced to life imprisonment under federal charges, 40 years under Minnesota.Found alive53 daysElizabeth Stauffer8May 28th, 1980Dorothy Jane Scott32United States of AmericaDorothy Jane Scott disappeared while getting her car on May 28, 1980, in Anaheim, California, after she had taken two co-workers to the hospital. On August 6, 1984, a construction worker discovered dog and human bones, side by side, about from Santa Ana Canyon Road. The human bones were later identified as being Scott's. The identity and motive of her killer or killers remains unknown. Murdered4 yearsJune 16th, 1980Patsy Morris14United KingdomMorris was a schoolgirl who disappeared from her school in west London, England, during her lunch break on 16 June 1980. Police and members of the community spent two days searching for her until her fully-clothed body was found on Hounslow Heath, having been strangled. Her murder remains unsolved although in 2008 it was revealed that she was the childhood girlfriend of west London serial killer Levi Bellfield and that he had allegedly confessed to the crime in prison.Murdered2 daysJune 23rd, 1980Debra Colliander25United States of AmericaColliander was abducted from an Aurora, Illinois parking lot by serial killer Bruce Lindahl in June 1980 and brought back to his apartment where he raped her. Colliander escaped after Lindahl fell asleep and was able to notify authorities, leading to Lindahl's arrest. Before she could testify in court, Colliander disappeared again in October of 1980 (see below entry).Found alive1 dayJuly 20th, 1980Brenda Gerow20United States of AmericaBrenda Gerow was an American woman who disappeared on July 20, 1980, after leaving home with her boyfriend at the time. She was found dead in the desert at Pima County, Arizona, on April 8, 1981, but remained unidentified for 34 years.Murdered34 yearsAugust 17th, 1980Azaria Chamberlain9 weeks AustraliaAn Australian baby girl who disappeared on the night of August 17, 1980, during a family camping trip in Uluru. Although her remains have never been found her mother insisted that a dingo had taken her from her camping tent. In a trial sensationalized by the media her mother was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Her sentence was overturned six years later when Azaria's jacket was found in a dingo lair. Azaria's disappearance was the subject of four inquests, the last of which in 2012, concluded that a dingo had taken and killed her.Died (animal attack 6 yearsOctober 4th, 1980Tammy Terrell17United States of AmericaTerrell was an American teenager who was last seen in the company of an unknown couple at the Roswell State Fair in Roswell, New Mexico on October 4, 1980. Her body was found in Henderson, Nevada on the following day, but remained unidentified until December 2021. Her murder remains unsolved.Murdered41 yearsOctober 7th, 1980Debra Colliander25United States of AmericaColliander had previously been kidnapped and raped by serial killer Bruce Lindahl and her report led to his arrest, but Colliander disappeared again on October 7th, 1980. Without their key witness, the court dropped all charges against Lindahl and released him from custody. Colliander's body would be found in 1982, after which an alleged friend of Lindahl informed police that Lindahl had offered him a reward to "get rid" of Colliander.Murdered2 yearsOctober 11th, 1980Marlene Oakes25United States of AmericaMarlene Oakes was an American woman who was murdered by her husband on October 11, 1980, in Verona, Kentucky. On November 29, 1981, half of a skull was found buried near her house but it would not identified as Oakes until 2001.Murdered21 yearsOctober 17th, 1980 Giorgio Giamonna 25ItalyGiamonna and Galatola were two Italian gay men who went missing on October 17, 1980. The bodies of both were discovered in the town of Giarre on October 31, 1980. Both had been shot in the head and were discovered holding hands. The perpetrator of the murders was never identified, but is believed to have been the 13-year-old nephew of one of the victims. Their deaths led to the widespread recognition of homophobia among the Italian public and the strengthening and recognition of Italian gay rights movements. Murdered 2 weeks Antonio Galatola 15October, 1980Harold "Dean" Clouse Jr.21United States of AmericaYoung couple Dean and Tina Clouse and their infant daughter Holly Marie Clouse went missing from their home in Lewisville, Texas, where they had moved recently from New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The murdered remains of Dean and Tina were discovered outside of Houston on January 12, 1981, and no infant remains were found at the scene. Dean and Tina were identified through forensic genealogy in 2021, and Holly Marie was found alive in 2022, in Oklahoma. Not much is known about Holly Marie between the time she disappeared and when she was turned over to a church, but the pastor who received her told authorities that two women had also given him Holly Marie's birth certificate as well as a note allegedly from Dean giving Holly up. Dean and Tina's murders are still under investigation but police believe they may have been involved with a "Jesus Freak" cult.Murdered40 yearsTina Linn Clouse1740 yearsHolly Marie Clouse1Found alive41 yearsNovember 17th, 1980Christine Weller12CanadaOne of several victims of serial child killer Clifford Olson. Weller was abducted from Surrey, British Columbia on November 17, 1980, and her body was found a month later on Christmas Day.Murdered1 month
1981