Carol Frances Norton

Carol in the mid-1950s (about a decade prior to her disappearance; more recent photos are unavailable)

  • Missing Since 06/02/1965
  • Missing From El Cerrito, California
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 04/17/1940 (84)
  • Age 25 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'0 - 5'5, 100 - 120 pounds
  • Associated Vehicle(s) 1964 Lincoln (accounted for)
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair. Carol is blind in her right eye and has poor vision in her left eye; she wears very thick eyeglasses and would be nearly blind without them. She has a scar on her right forearm.

Details of Disappearance

Carol was last seen in El Cerrito, California on June 2, 1965. When her sister went to visit her at her trailer home the next day, she found coffee on the stove and the lights turned on, but Carol was gone. She has never been heard from again.

Carol's husband, Harvey Arnold Norton, was arrested and charged with robbing a Sandia, Texas bank on July 14. He and a male accomplice stole thousands of dollars. When he was questioned about his wife, he said he'd argued with her and left her in a motel in Portland, Oregon on June 14, prior to his trip to Texas.

Harvey's 1964 Lincoln was found abandoned in downtown Corpus Christi, Texas; inside were bloodstained floor mats, strands of human hair and a dirty shovel.

He served time in a federal prison in Kansas after pleading guilty to the bank robbery. In 1971, he went to an isolated trailer home in Marshall, Texas where two teenage girls were staying. He bound the girls and took their father's rifle, and when the boyfriend of one of the girls arrived, Harvey shot and killed the boy and then fatally shot himself.

Due the circumstances of Carol's disappearance, foul play is suspected. Her case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

  • El Cerrito Police Department 510-215-4400

Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated August 20, 2019; date of birth added, distinguishing characteristics updated.