Michelle Ellis
Ellis, circa 1978
- Missing Since 08/02/1978
- Missing From Indianapolis, Indiana
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race Black
- Date of Birth 10/20/1954 (69)
- Age 23 years old
- Height and Weight 5'4, 115 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description Blue jeans, a gray sweater with multicolored stripes and blue or black cuffs, and white sneakers.
- Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes.
Details of Disappearance
Ellis was last seen leaving her home in Indianapolis, Indiana at 8:00 a.m. on August 2, 1978. At 9:00 a.m., her red 1973 Oldsmobile Omega was found in the 3700 block of Fall Creek Parkway, out of gas, about half a block from a service station.
The driver's side door was locked, but the passenger door was open. Inside the vehicle was Ellis's car keys and her purse, which contained her driver's license, identification, checkbook, credit cards and $2 in cash.
Ellis was part-time model and a student at the Herron School of Art at Indiana-Purdue University at the time of her disappearance. She had worked as a cashier in the automotive department at a Sears store at Castleton Square, but she quit on July 28 and never picked up her last paycheck. She lived with her parents in the 3700 block of north Drexel.
On December 11, 1980, two years and four months after her disappearance, Ellis's parents got a phone call from someone who said "This is Michelle." The caller then hung up and never called back. It hasn't been verified that the caller was in fact Ellis. She has never been heard from again; her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
- Indianapolis Police Department 317-327-6915
Source Information
Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated April 17, 2018; date of birth added.