OTSEGO, Mich. – Kathy Sue Wilcox was just 15 years old when she disappeared after walking away from her Otsego, Michigan home. She would be 65 years old now.
She was last seen on July 12, 1972. According to the Doe Network, Kathy’s father and stepfather did not approve of Kathy dating an 18-year-old from the local high school. The argument escalated and Kathy’s stepmother slapped her across the face. She stormed out of the home on West Franklin Street with only the clothes on her back and was never seen again.
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Police spoke with a few people who had seen her around town near that time but she was never located. Kathy’s sister, Karen Wilcox, told NBC’s Dateline that her sister’s case wasn’t open for long and that many believed Kathy had run away. Karen Wilcox said she no longer believes Kathy ran away and that someone in town knows what happened.
“In my heart and in my mind, I have come as close as I have ever been to acknowledging that my sister is no longer with us. I am working hard to hold onto a scrap of HOPE that we may someday recover her. I am working hard to hold onto hope that the significant antisocial person who was in her life at that time is fully investigated,” Karen Wilcox said in a 2016 Facebook post.
Ronnie Harpo Marks, who said they grew up across the block from her family, shared a post on the Missing in Michigan Facebook group earlier this month.
“I attended elementary and middle school with her. She was a good friend and classmate. People aren’t supposed to just disappear without a trace. Someone has to know something, our town is just a little town. It’s heartbreaking and frustrating, but I am not giving up. I will continue to tell her story and keep her name out there until there are answers, closure, and justice. Thank you to all the folks on this page who volunteer their time in an effort to help and comfort others. God Bless all of you,” Ronnie Harpo Marks said.
DNA has been made available, but dental records are not. The Center for Missing Persons (CUE) created this website to take tips and share information on the case.
She was 5′4′' and weighed 130 pounds. She had shoulder-length brown hair and blue/grey eyes. Her right or left index finger has a hooked fingernail. She was last seen wearing blue jeans and a purple shirt.
Anyone with information should contact the Otsego Police Department at 269-692-6111.
Read: Michigan cold case coverage
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