Florence Marian Hector

• Missing Since 05/10/1976
• Missing From Duluth, Minnesota
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Age 72 years old
• Height and Weight 5'4, 120 pounds
• Associated Vehicle(s) 1971 Oldsmobile Holiday (accounted for)
• Distinguishing Characteristics White female. Brown hair, brown eyes.

Details of Disappearance

Hector was last seen on May 10, 1976. She left her apartment in the Mount Royal Manor neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota for a trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was last seen getting gas on the way. She had reserved a room in the Curtis Hotel, but left a day ahead of the reservation. She never checked in to the hotel and has never been heard from again.

Two weeks later, her 1971 Oldsmobile Holiday was found abandoned in a parking lot in downtown Minneapolis, behind the Minneapolis Auditorium, with her suitcase in the trunk. She had packed her medicine and only enough clothes for a short trip. There were no indications of a struggle at the scene, but there was a cigarette butt present, and Hector didn't smoke.

After Hector's disappearance, the First National Bank of Duluth was named as conservator of her estate. The bank discovered she had $97,000 worth of securities in her financial portfolio, but a check of her income tax returns from previous years indicated she should have had about twice as much; that is, about half the stocks and bonds she owned were missing.

Russell Conwell Moore admitted to the thefts but said he did not know what happened to Hector. He was Hector's stockbroker, a close friend of hers and a frequent guest in her home. Sometimes Hector attended musical events with Moore and his family. She reportedly trusted him implicitly.

In 1977, Moore pleaded guilty to illegal transportation of securities. He admitted he'd forged Hector's name on twenty stock certificates valued at over $74,000 and taken them to Switzerland. He also pleaded guilty in another, unrelated case, involving thousands of dollars in stolen model train equipment. Moore was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Investigators believe Hector was murdered. She was a retired English teacher from East High School and lived alone at the time of her disappearance, and she had no history of leaving without warning. Her case remains unsolved.