Michele Fawcett

Fawcett, circa 1997

  • Missing Since 06/27/1997
  • Missing From Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Age 35 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'2, 170 pounds
  • Medical Conditions Fawcett became addicted to heroin in the late 1980s. She got involved in a methadone treatment program and had been clean for several years prior to her disappearance.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Fawcett wears eyeglasses. Her first name may be spelled "Michelle."

Details of Disappearance

Fawcett was last seen in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania on June 27, 1997. She was at the Donegal exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike at the time. Fawcett was traveling with her friend of a few months, Robert M. Weston (nicknamed Dr. Bob), a former dentist.

Weston told authorities they visited Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that evening before returning to Westmoreland County. He said he dropped her off at a phone booth near Vincent's Plaza at the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Irwin exit the following morning, but no one else saw her there. Fawcett has never been heard from again.

Fawcett was a resident of West Homestead, Pennsylvania in 1997. She lived in an apartment with three well-trained dogs. She was holding two jobs at the time of her disappearance, as a restaurant server and a convenience store cashier.

She did not drive in 1997 and accepted rides from other individuals for her transportation. Since her disappearance, her Social Security number has not been used.

Authorities began working in cooperation with the Allegheny County Coroner's Office in October 1999 to see if there were connections between the homicides of several area women in the late 1990s and Fawcett's 1997 disappearance, all of which are unsolved.

Many of the victims had histories of drug abuse and/or prostitution. Investigators do not know if all the cases are related, but they believe at least some of them are connected to each other. It is unknown if Fawcett's disappearance is linked to the homicides. There have been no arrests in her case, but her loved ones believe she met with foul play.

Investigating Agency

  • Allegheny County Police Department
  • 412-473-1200
  • 412-473-1271

Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated June 6, 2006; medical conditions added, details of disappearance updated.