Mary Ann Ruth Switalski

• Missing Since 07/15/1963
• Missing From Chicago, Illinois
• Classification Endangered Runaway
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 09/14/1946 (78)
• Age 16 years old
• Height and Weight 5'2, 102 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A black sleeveless blouse, white shorts and straw sandals.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, hazel eyes.

Details of Disappearance

Mary Ann was last seen in Chicago, Illinois at 10:15 p.m. on July 15, 1963. She attended a carnival with friends at St. Priscilla's Catholic Church that evening. Her family never saw her again.

Her parents received a letter from her two days after her disappearance, however; Mary Ann wrote that she was fine and would be sending them some money soon. She said she was "experiencing a strange but educational experience."

She wouldn't tell where she was because she didn't want anyone to "interfere," and she added she might never see her parents or friends again, but she promised to call them. The letter was postmarked Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, where she had often gone shopping with her family.

Mary Ann never got in touch with her family again. Her parents didn't know why she ran away and weren't aware of any problems in her life. She was a good student who had just completed her junior year at Notre Dame High School, and she had put a deposit down for her senior yearbook and class ring. She had a job at a neighborhood store and also earned money babysitting. She lived with her parents and younger sister in the 6200 block of west Cornelia Avenue.

It has been established that, following her disappearance, Mary Ann joined an organization that sold magazines door-to-door. It was en route to California at the time.

When questioned, the couple who ran the group admitted they had hired her, but gave conflicting statements as to what happened afterward that. The wife said Mary Ann had left the group sometime earlier; the husband claimed she had never left Chicago at all.

Mary Ann's disappearance remains unsolved. There's been no indication of her whereabouts since 1963.