Missing Since: 1976-07-22 Location: Ocala, Florida
Dorothy and her mother left their Ocala, Florida residence together on July 22, 1976. Her mother took a driving test while Dorothy exchanged a pair of sandals at the J. M. Fields department store. She also planned to buy a birthday present for her brother. Dorothy returned the shoes and was last seen at the mall at approximately 2:00 p.m. that day. Dorothy never met her mother at the designated location they had agreed on and she reported her daughter as missing. She has never been seen again. A witness reported having seen a girl matching Dorothy’s description two hours after she was reported missing. The child was in Nuby’s, a convenience store at the intersection of Highway 40 and State Road Highway 314, less than a mile from the Ocala National Forest. with one or two adult males. They purchased sodas and left. The child was shaking and appeared to be very frightened. She and the adult male companion(s) were never identified and law enforcement authorities are not sure if she was in fact Dorothy. A sketch of a possible suspect is posted with this case summary. Dorothy is the youngest of five children and lived with her family in a mobile home in Citra, Florida in 1976. She was an honor student at Marion Middle School, regularly attended church, and worked at her parents’ barbecue. Investigators do not believe she ran away from home, as she was not having any personal problems at the time of her disappearance. There was some speculation at that her disappearance might be linked to the 1975 disappearances of the sisters Sheila and Katherine Lyon, but no evidence connecting the cases was discovered. Dorothy’s parents divorced in 1981 and her father died ten years later. Her case remains unsolved. Investigating Agency Ocala Police Department 352-629-8508 Source Information The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Child Protection Education of America Florida Department of Law Enforcement Operation Lookout Chat Area NewspaperArchive CLEWS: Your Home for Historic True Crime NamUs The Ocala Star-Banner Updated 7 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 10, 2016; distinguishing characteristics updated.