I mentioned wanting to study my cases to see if I’m right about my theory that having your child go missing will tend to considerably shorten your life. I’m making a list of the MPs on my site with parents who are known to have died after their disappearance, and at what age they died, or, failing that, the year of death. This is what I’ve got so far (that is, not much). An asterik means the parent did not die of natural causes and/or the parent was a suspect in their child’s disappearance.
Maria Florence Anjiras — Mom, 60; Dad, 61
Daniel Barter — Mom, 71; Dad, 46
Amanda Marie Berry — Mom, 44
Amy Billig — Mom, 80; Dad, 69
Mary Rachel Bryan — *Dad, ? (died 1970s)
Nicole Lynn Bryner — *Mom, 41
Brian Carrick — Mom, 65
Mindi Chambers — *Dad, ? (died 1994)
Trenton John Duckett — *Mom, 21
Christie Lynn Farni — *Dad, 47
Debra Jean Frost — Dad, 58
Frederick Andrew Holmes — Mom, 61; *Dad, 51
Sofia Lucerno Juarez — Mom, 26
Kimberley Kay Kersey — Mom, 50
Cynthia Ardina Leslie and Jackie Lynn Leslie — Dad, ? (died a few months after they disappeared)
Brookley Chantille Louks — *Dad, 47
Eugene Wade Martin — Dad, 65
Kimberly Ann Moreau — Mom, 48
Fred Charles Moseley — Mom, 68; Dad, 77
Tania Marie Murrell — Mom, 55
Linda Sue Nickell — *Dad, ? (died 1990s)
Jeanna Dale North — Mom, 58
Branson Kayne Perry — Mom, 52; Dad, 49
Debra T. Pscholka — Mom, ? (died 1990); Dad, ? (died 2000)
Beverly Rose Potts — Mom, poss. 56; Dad, ? (died 1970)
Deborah Lyyn Sanders — Mom, 45
Brian Randall Shaffer — *Dad, 55
Jonathan Sohus (he’s not missing anymore, but he was) — Mom, 74
Aleacia Di’onne Stancil — *Mom, 37
Fannie Fawn Stuart and Jessie Flo Stewart — *Dad, 48
Diane Suzuki — Mom, 72
Anthony Peter Tumolo — Dad, ? (died 1968)
Jeffrey John Zoltowski — Mom, 58
The Charley Project Blog 
I believe the leslie sisters dad was suffering from cancer and didnt have long to live anyway before they disappeared. I read somewhere that their mother stated she told police that they would never have runaway with their father in the condition he was in at the time.
Oh I forgot Anthonette Cayedito’s mother passed away in April 1999; 13 years after her daughter went missing. I believe the 25th anniversary of her disappearance just passed.
Oh, my God! I had no idea her mom passed away. I remember watching the case on “Unsolved Mysteries” many moons ago. What a sad and frightening story. I’m sorry she never found out what happened to her daughter. RIP
There are also the parents of Tara Leigh Calico; her dad died in 2002 and her mom died four years later.
Yes I remember her from Unsolved Mysteries as well. I kearned about her mother’s death from a friend of the family that posted something on Youtube.
I remember seeing Anthonette on that show too. Very wierd. They think she tried to call 911 from a bus station not long after she went missing, she was very upset and was able to give the operator her full name but somebody took the phone away from her and hung it up before she could explain what the problem was. Her mother listened to the tape and said it was her, just by the way she said her name. Then there was that business years later in the restaurant. Who knows if it’s all true or not?
As I recall, Tara’s dad’s death was actually sort of a homicide. He had a heart condition that he took pills for, and then he got mugged and they took everything including his pills, the result being that when his heart thing flared up a few days later he didn’t have his medicine and he died.
It would be more helpful to you if you knew the causes of death for more of these people. Like some killed theirselves. And Aleacia’s mother was into drugs and that will kill you off fast. Brian Carrick’s mom was 65 but she had 14 kids and a person of 65 that’s had 14 kids is a lot older than somebody who’s 65 and hasn’t had 14 kids. 🙂
Yes, those 65 with 14 kids are 116 years old in “women who haven’t had fourteen babies” years.
Aleacia’s mother was murdered.
I noted when the person didn’t die of natural causes.
Oh, I believe Brian’s mom died of lung cancer. Not a childbearing-related disease.
I’m sorry, Shantae, but I find your comment about Brian Carrick’s mom to be very insensitive. Having numerous children does not make you die faster, but losing one of those children and never learning their true fate probably does.
Another one I remembered; I know you don’t have ithis information in her casefile, Meghan, but Molly Laura Dattilo’s dad died sometime after his daughter’s disappearance. I think within the first two years. Her brother and sisters were on an episode of “Maury” about missing people and they said her disappearance devastated him and took a toll on his health. 😦
Excuse me, I had no intention to be insensitive. Its a well known fact that having a large number of children takes a big toll on a woman’s health. That’s all I meant and its true.
It seems the incidence of divorce is very high in missing child cases as well. I was watching the Rachel Cooke story on Disappeared and was saddened to hear her parents were no longer together. I’ve heard the same for couples whose children unexpectly pass away at a young age too.
Elizabeth Treuer Potts was born in 1900 in Hungary and died May 11, 1956.
Robert Potts was also born circa 1900 and died February 22, 1970.
Source:
Badal, James Jessen. Twilight of Innocence. Kent State University Press, 2005.
Something else to think about is the people that died thirty or more years ago. Back then people died of things they might not die of today.
Also, Katya Lyne’s father killed himself right after she dsappeared, though we don’t know if she knew about him doing it and that’s why she stayed gone.
I’d be interested in knowing the average time a parent lives after their child disappears (no – that is not a challenge Meaghan 🙂 ).
Very interesting study.
I hoe that you keep us informed!
hoPe^
it’s interesting they do seem to die younger….but it could be other factors: the parents lived a high risk lifestyle for example, or were already in poor health.
I don’t think over the long tem it is any different than any other person dying at any given age. There is something called “The Law of Large Numbers” (you can google it for a mathematic/scientific explanation) but Iwould guarantee a safe bet that if you take 100 missing kids, and 100 average people and compare, the average is the same. I’m not missing but my dad died at 56, in fact, I’ve never known anyone personally that has gone missing, but, being born in 1975, know many many people my age who have died or have parents who died. I would think to do a study you would need to take missing people, a set number, say 100 or 500 of them and then randomly polled that same number of NON missing people and gather the data of when parents died (age) it would be darn near the same.
Not related to MP person per se, but I’m remember reading about Shanda Sharer’s dad, who did anything, except for putting a gun to his head, to kill himself, since he felt that he failed to protect her.
Is he dead?
Yes he died in 2005 of cancer, but his family is convinced he died of a broken heart. Losing his child destroyed him.
As Jamie said – her father died of cancer and he was 53.
Hard to tell for sure, but I think that he could’ve lived longer and whatever was done to Shanda destroyed not only her, but her entire family as well.
The SSDI says that Sharon Pscholka was 53 when she died.
You should have added Therese Walsh who’s dad Francis Walsh died in 1998 and Crystal Mahler who’s mother died in a car wreck in 05. I’m very aware that Crystal’s remains were found sometime ago but that doesn’tchange the fact that her mother died without knowing justwhat happened to her daughter.
Anthony Tumolo’s parents: his mother died in January 2001 at the age of 82. His father died of cancer two years after he vanished at the age of 51.