Missing Since: 2001-07-02 Location: Gastonia, North Carolina
Nance’s family members last saw her in the late afternoon on June 20, 2001, walking away from her mother’s former residence in the vicinity of the 1200 block of Sunshine Street in Gastonia, North Carolina. She left with a male friend, saying she was either going to the store or going home. She never arrived home and never contacted her family again, although she was sighted in Gastonia on July 2. Nance lived with a friend on Avon Street at the time of her disappearance. Her mother stated she rarely left her hometown and had no reason to walk out of her life. Her family reported her missing in August. About a year after Nance went missing, her mother heard she had been sighted in Atlanta, Georgia. Nance’s mother traveled to Atlanta seven times to look for her daughter. People there said they had seen her and that she was going by her nickname, Libby, but the sightings were never verified and Nance was never located. Foul play is suspected in Nance’s case; police believe she was murdered. A possible suspect is the man she was dating at the time of her disappearance; her family stated he regularly beat her. He still lives in the Gastonia area and hasn’t been publicly identified. Nance was declared legally dead in 2014; her family had this done so they could collect her life insurance. Her disappearance remains unsolved. Investigating Agency Gastonia Police Department 704-866-6879 Source Information NamUs The Gaston Gazette Gastonia Police Department Updated 4 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated June 20, 2019; details of disappearance updated.