Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 04/03/1976

Missing Since:

Missing Since 04/03/1976

Missing From:

Missing From Wolf Lake, Minnesota

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Male

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 04/22/1926 (98)

Age:

Age 49 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’10 – 5’11, 165 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description A gold watch on his left wrist and a gold or silver ring with a square emerald on his left index finger.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Bernard has a noticeable injury to his left eye, which resembles a lazy eye. He has a receding hairline and wears wire-rimmed eyeglasses. Bernard has pellet scars in his groin area from a hunting accident. His nickname is Russ.

Details of Disappearance:

On April 3, 1976, Bernard and Peggy Parmenter vanished from their farm in Wolf Lake, Minnesota. That day, they went to the store, and Bernard was later seen working on his driveway. Around midnight, their house caught fire and burned completely, killing their 8-year-old son, Brian, and their two dogs. But Bernard and Peggy were gone. Fire investigators believed they escaped the fire.

Strangely, their cars were left outside with the keys in the ignition, including their truck with the hood up, mid-repair. They left behind about $1,000 in the bank and uncollected paychecks.

Peggy had moved to the house in 1974 to care for her sick mother. After her mother died, Bernard moved in with her. They’d recently finished fixing up the house. Despite living in a small town, they kept to themselves, and neighbors didn’t know them well. Secretly, they weren’t legally married; Bernard was still married to someone else in North Dakota, and so was Peggy. Brian’s babysitter said Peggy was very protective of her son.

The case remains unsolved, and police suspect foul play was involved in Bernard and Peggy’s disappearance.

Agency:

Becker County Sheriff’s Department 218-847-2661

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