| Age at missing | 77 years old |
| Case ID | lurline-h-dewitt |
| City en | Mansfield |
| City geo ID | 4332494 |
| City slug | mansfield |
| Classification | Endangered Missing |
| Classification en | Endangered Missing |
| County en | |
| County fips ref | 22031 |
| County slug | de-soto-parish |
| Created at | 2026-01-12T12:42:43+00:00 |
| Date of birth | 1919-09-19 |
| Disappearance details | DeWitt lived with her son on Oxford Road in Mansfield, Louisiana in 1996. She slept on a couch in the front room. Her son last saw her at approximately 9:00 p.m. on September 27, 1996. He discovered that the carport door was open at their residence at 1:00 the following morning and his mother had disappeared. She has never been heard from again. None of her personal belongings or identification was taken with her. Authorities initially believed that DeWitt walked away from her residence during a heavy thunderstorm on the evening of September 27. Investigators questioned a man who lived nearby as a potential suspect, but he was not involved in her disappearance. All her family members have also been ruled out as potential suspects. Authorities now believe that DeWitt may have opened the door to her home during the night she vanished and allowed unidentified assailant(s) access to her residence. Investigators theorize that DeWitt was possibly abducted by person(s) who prey on the elderly and believed she would be carrying a large amount of cash. Her case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected. Investigating Agency Mansfield Police Department 318-872-0520 Source Information The Shreveport Times The Advocate The Doe Network DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office Louisiana Repository for Unidentified & Missing People Updated 5 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated January 21, 2011; details of disappearance updated. |
| Disappearance details en | DeWitt lived with her son on Oxford Road in Mansfield, Louisiana in 1996. She slept on a couch in the front room. Her son last saw her at approximately 9:00 p.m. on September 27, 1996. He discovered that the carport door was open at their residence at 1:00 the following morning and his mother had disappeared. She has never been heard from again. None of her personal belongings or identification was taken with her. Authorities initially believed that DeWitt walked away from her residence during a heavy thunderstorm on the evening of September 27. Investigators questioned a man who lived nearby as a potential suspect, but he was not involved in her disappearance. All her family members have also been ruled out as potential suspects. Authorities now believe that DeWitt may have opened the door to her home during the night she vanished and allowed unidentified assailant(s) access to her residence. Investigators theorize that DeWitt was possibly abducted by person(s) who prey on the elderly and believed she would be carrying a large amount of cash. Her case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected. Investigating Agency Mansfield Police Department 318-872-0520 Source Information The Shreveport Times The Advocate The Doe Network DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office Louisiana Repository for Unidentified & Missing People Updated 5 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated January 21, 2011; details of disappearance updated. |
| Disappearance details word count | 228 |
| Distinguishing marks | Black female. Gray hair, brown eyes. DeWitt wears eyeglasses. She wears upper and lower dentures, with two gold teeth in the upper plate. |
| Distinguishing marks en | Black female. Gray hair, brown eyes. DeWitt wears eyeglasses. She wears upper and lower dentures, with two gold teeth in the upper plate. |
| Full name | Lurline H. DeWitt |
| Full name en | Lurline H. DeWitt |
| Height | 5'7 |
| ID | 3895 |
| Investigating agency | Mansfield Police Department 318-872-0520 Source Information The Shreveport Times The Advocate The Doe Network DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office Louisiana Repository for Unidentified & Missing People |
| Missing since | 1996-09-27 |
| Official last updated | 2011-01-21 |
| Official update count | 5 |
| Official update history | details of disappearance updated. |
| Path | louisiana/de-soto-parish/mansfield |
| Race | Black |
| Race en | Black |
| Sex | Female |
| Source info | The Shreveport Times The Advocate The Doe Network DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office Louisiana Repository for Unidentified & Missing People |
| State en | Louisiana |
| State ref | LA |
| State slug | louisiana |
| Status | active |
| Updated at | 2026-01-12T12:42:43+00:00 |
| URL path | louisiana/de-soto-parish/mansfield |
| Weight | 130 pounds |
DeWitt lived with her son on Oxford Road in Mansfield, Louisiana in 1996. She slept on a couch in the front room. Her son last saw her at approximately 9:00 p.m. on September 27, 1996. He discovered that the carport door was open at their residence at 1:00 the following morning and his mother had disappeared. She has never been heard from again. None of her personal belongings or identification was taken with her. Authorities initially believed that DeWitt walked away from her residence during a heavy thunderstorm on the evening of September 27. Investigators questioned a man who lived nearby as a potential suspect, but he was not involved in her disappearance. All her family members have also been ruled out as potential suspects. Authorities now believe that DeWitt may have opened the door to her home during the night she vanished and allowed unidentified assailant(s) access to her residence. Investigators theorize that DeWitt was possibly abducted by person(s) who prey on the elderly and believed she would be carrying a large amount of cash. Her case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected. Investigating Agency Mansfield Police Department 318-872-0520 Source Information The Shreveport Times The Advocate The Doe Network DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office Louisiana Repository for Unidentified & Missing People Updated 5 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated January 21, 2011; details of disappearance updated.