Mary Alice Dixon
Above Images: Dixon, circa 2002
- Missing Since 03/23/2002
- Missing From New Ellenton, South Carolina
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race Black
- Date of Birth 06/06/1915 (109)
- Age 86 years old
- Height and Weight 5'5, 105 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A blue/gray jacket, an orange shirt and gray sweatpants. Carrying a white bag.
- Medical Conditions Dixon showed symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease at the time of her 2002 disappearance, though she was never diagnosed with the condition. She also requires medication for other, unspecified health problems.
- Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Graying black hair, brown eyes. Dixon's hair may have been braided at the time of her disappearance.
Details of Disappearance
Dixon walked away from home in the 700 block of east Pine Street in New Ellenton, South Carolina on March 23, 2002. She was last seen at 2:00 p.m. that same day, near Popeye's Restaurant on Main Street, which is near U.S. Highway 278 and South Carolina Highway 19. She was traveling westbound towards Barnwell, South Carolina.
Dixon may have been picked up by a motorist on the highway. Search dogs tracked her scent there, and she was seen by two people. Her family believes she left the house to buy detergent; an empty box was found in her home.
Dixon has never been heard from again. Temperatures at the time she disappeared were close to freezing. Authorities searched the area for her for five days, but found nothing.
Weeks before her disappearance, Dixon's family told her doctor she was getting increasingly forgetful. The doctor referred them to a specialist to determine whether Dixon had Alzheimer's Disease.
She disappeared before the appointment, but investigators believe Dixon was in fact in the early stages of the illness. She has never wandered away from home before.
Dixon was reported to have been found safe in 2006. The information turned out to be incorrect and she is still missing. Her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
- Aiken County Sheriff's Office
- 800-922-9709
- New Ellenton Police Department
- 803-652-7770
- 803-648-6811
Source Information
Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated April 11, 2009; details of disappearance updated.