Linda Marie Hatfield

Case Details

Hatfield was last seen on May 29, 1984 in Garden City, Idaho. She worked her shift at the Hunt Club, and at 1:00 a.m. a bouncer escorted her to her maroon 1973 Ford Thunderbird and watched her drive away in the direction of her home in Middleton, Idaho. She has never been heard from again. Her husband of ten years reported her missing the next day, after he checked with their friends and family and no one had heard from her. Some Middleton residents reported seeing Hatfield’s car and another car parked in the street at 2:00 a.m., an hour after she left the Hunt Club. They heard what they thought was a man and a woman arguing. At 8:30 a.m. the next day, Hatfield’s car was found in a parking lot of Floor Specialties Inc. in the 2700 block of South Curtis Road in Boise, Idaho. She hadn’t been reported missing yet at that time. When police later processed the vehicle for evidence, they noted it had scratches on the right side of the front bumper, consistent with contact with barbed wire, and grass and weeds stuck under the bumper. Inside the car was an envelope stuffed with play money, some old newspapers, two glasses, a can of Budweiser beer and a book titled Guide for Parents. The White shorts and red halter top Hatfield had been wearing the day she went missing were in the trunk of her car, as was her purse, but her identification, credit cards and money were missing. She didn’t have any extra clothing at the time of her disappearance. In November 1984, six months after Hatfield’s disappearance, a small clutch purse identified as hers, containing her credit cards, was found in the New York Canal. This was less than a mile from where her car had been found abandoned. The canal had recently been drained and the purse was in six inches of water. There was no other sign of her. Hatfield’s husband stated she was working as a dancer and cocktail waitress at the Hunt Club because she wanted to earn money to finish building the family home. She is described as a reliable employee who had worked at the club for three years. Her co-workers stated she was in a good mood on the night of her disappearance, hadn’t been drinking and said she planned to drive straight home after work. She has four children whom she was close to, and authorities do not believe she would have abandoned them. In 1988, police got a lead in Hatfield’s case. A tipster told them that she had come onto some money before she went missing and had been robbed by several people. The prime suspect in the robbery was Carl Burgess, who frequently visited the Hunt Club. Witnesses reported that Burgess came home on the night of Hatfield’s disappearance in a “manic” mood and in possession of a woman’s set of wedding rings. Burgess abducted and raped a Boise woman in 1984, and was later imprisoned for this. He died in prison in 2001. He was never charged in Hatfield’s disappearance. She was declared legally dead in 1987, at her husband’s request. Foul play is suspected in her case. Investigating Agency Ada County Sheriff’s Office 208-577-3000 Source Information Idaho Missing Persons Clearinghouse NamUs The Magic Valley Times-News The Idaho Statesman KTVB 7 Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated May 9, 2025; casefile added.