An elderly woman who hadn’t left her home on her own in years vanished in 2003, and authorities have never figured out what happened to her.
Helen Rawley was last seen at the College Park residence where she lived with her son on June 4, 2003, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a Justice Department database that integrates information on cases involving missing and unidentified people in hopes of solving cold cases.
A tenant who rented a room in the house said he saw Rawley sitting on the porch that day. But when the 75-year-old woman’s son returned home from work, the lights were off, and his mother and her purse were gone, according to NamUs.
Rawley hadn’t gone anywhere alone since she suffered two strokes in February 2001, her son, Tom, told the Washington Post two weeks after she went missing.
“It just wasn’t like her to leave on her own,” he told the newspaper.
It’s not known whether Rawley left on her own accord or was a victim of some crime.
Police said at the time that bus drivers on routes near her home and hospital employees didn’t remember seeing or treating her.
Rawley is described as white, about 5 feet 5 inches tall and 100 pounds. She has white hair and brown eyes.
Anyone who has information about her disappearance can call Prince George’s County police at 301-699-2601 or Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS (8477).
