Disappearance of Adele Marie Wells
Adele Marie Wells | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 1, 1951 |
| Disappeared | November 21, 1958 (aged 7) Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
| Status | Missing for 66 years, 1 month and 17 days |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m)[1][2] |
Adele Marie Wells (January 1, 1951 – disappeared November 21, 1958) is an American missing person who disappeared in Flint, Michigan, on November 21, 1958, when she was seven years old. Although she is believed to have been abducted, no suspects have ever been identified in connection with her disappearance, and her fate and whereabouts remain unknown.
Background
[edit]Adele Marie Wells was born on January 1, 1951. She was part of a family of nine. Her father, Karl W. Wells, worked at a factory in Flint, Michigan.[3][4]
At the time of her disappearance, Wells was seven years old and attending the second grade at Jefferson Elementary School.[2][4]
Wells was African-American.[1]
Disappearance
[edit]On the morning of November 21, 1958, Wells stayed home from school due to having a slight cold. That afternoon, Wells walked to her grandmother's house, located one block from her house and a few blocks away from her school.[4] Wells had wanted to show her grandmother how her mother had styled her hair for school.[1][2][5]
Wells was last seen leaving her grandmother's residence at 11:30 a.m. She neither returned home nor arrived at school, and has never been seen or heard from since.[1][2][4]
At the time of her disappearance, Wells was wearing a gray cotton coat, a blue dress, red knee socks, and black shoes.[5] She wore her hair in bangs with waves on the sides.[1][2][4]
Wells's mother did not become concerned until later in the afternoon, as she had assumed that Wells was feeling better and had decided to finish the remainder of the school day after leaving her grandmother's house.[2]
Investigation and developments
[edit]More than 1,000 people searched for Wells on November 23, two days after her disappearance.[3]
According to law enforcement, they received reliable reports of a young African-American man carrying a young girl around Wells's age toward a dirty black Chevrolet near Gilkey Creek on Lewis Street. The man was purportedly wearing a gray coat and red socks. Children who attended Wells's school reported that a man who matched the description received by police had attempted to lure them into his vehicle in the days preceding Wells's disappearance.[2][4]
Police discounted earlier, conflicting reports received from Wells's playmates, who claimed to have witnessed a man forcing Wells into a late model pink and white car with large tailfins near her home on the day of her disappearance.[2][3]
The man reported to police was never identified, and no other suspects were ever brought up in connection with Wells's disappearance.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Missing Person / NamUs #MP24308". National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. April 21, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "3820DFMI – Adele Marie Wells". The Doe Network. November 10, 2023 [September 3, 2017]. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Police Puzzled By Lost Child". Ironwood Daily Globe. Flint, Michigan. Associated Press. November 25, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Good, Meaghan (October 7, 2020). "Adele Marie Wells". The Charley Project. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b Clarke, Kayla (November 21, 2022). "7-year-old Adele Wells disappeared on her way to school in Flint 64 years ago". ClickOnDetroit.com. Flint, Michigan: WDIV-TV. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ Larimer, Sarah (September 22, 2014). "Adele Wells went missing as a child in 1958. Decades later, authorities are still searching for her". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Adele Marie Wells at The Charley Project
- Adele Marie Wells at the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
- 3820DFMI – Adele Marie Wells at The Doe Network
