Vanished... The Case of Linda Rae

In 1979 Linda and a boyfriend, had a child, Michael, when he was very young, she left and was not heard from again, he was raised by his Father. There were stories about her living a rough life, mental illness and having had multiple children, several of which were not raised by her, she seemed to have simply vanished with little trace.

Michael told me that when he turned 18, his father asked what he wanted to his birthday, and his wish, was to meet his Mother. Michael's Dad was about to get an address, and they set out to find her, flowers in hand. Unfortunately, they had some trouble finding the correct apartment, and knocked on the one they believed it to be, but not no response. Years went by and still there was no word from Linda.

I was able to track her to Florida, with the help of Dan & Jen-TY TY TY, and found some criminal records, nothing major, just typical homeless issues, trespassing and the like. I thought, how sad, nearly 70 years old and living on the streets. She was living in the Clearwater area, not far from me, and I even suggested to my husband, that if we had to drive over the Clearwater to try to find her, we would.

The last arrest record I found was for passing a counterfeit $20 bill at McDonalds a couple years ago, to buy an ice cream cone, Im sure she didnt have the means to have actually made the $20, but still, they charged her and put her in jail. From there, due to her diminished mental capacity, was sent to the FL State Hospital for people with mental illnesses. Her charges, pending her release, they held her for a year and reported to the courts that she was still unable to stand trial and she remained at the facility. The very last piece of available paperwork on that case was a letter from the State Attorney, dismissing the charge due to her passing. The poor woman died there, I was heartbroken, but glad she passed with a full belly and a warm bed to sleep in for the last year, though Im sure it wasnt the most luxurious of accommodations, it had to be better than living on the streets. Crazy how just wanting an ice cream cone, had spun so out of control, ending in her death, it is just so sad.

I let Michael know and he was able to contact the hospital and found that she was buried on the hospital grounds. I was able to connect him with his Uncle's and half sister among other relatives and together they were able to piece together her last years together. They had no idea that she had passed and planned to have her remains transferred up North near to her hometown.

Within a week of starting to work with him, he sent me a photo of he and his wife meeting a good chunk of Linda's family, HIS family, who welcomed him with open arms.

I was so glad to be able to give him the answers he was looking for and while it isnt the outcome he had hoped for, he no longer has to wonder and Linda Rae will be back home with her family where she should be.