Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 11/05/1981

Missing Since:

Missing Since 11/05/1981

Missing From:

Missing From Hernando County, Florida

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 04/15/1940 (84)

Age:

Age 41 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’5, 120 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, gray eyes. Evelyn goes by her middle name, Laverne.

Details of Disappearance:

Evelyn disappeared on November 5, 1981. Her husband, Mearl, took her daughter to school that morning. Later, he told the daughter that Evelyn had gone to Ohio to visit a sick relative, which was a lie. Days later, he ominously asked his stepdaughter, “What would you say if I told you your mom wasn’t coming home?”

Mearl gave police several conflicting stories about Evelyn’s whereabouts. He also started emptying her bank account immediately after she vanished. He had a criminal record, with past convictions for theft and fraud.

In 2015, police found him in Texas and told him they possibly found Evelyn’s remains in a plane crash in South America. They said he might get money from the airline, but only if he was honest about what happened to Evelyn. He initially refused to confess, but later claimed Evelyn accidentally fell and died while they were fishing, and he threw her body into the water.

Although he was initially let go, Mearl was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2018 and received a 10-year sentence (based on 1981 sentencing laws). He was expected to be released around 2021. Evelyn’s body has never been found, and her death is considered suspicious.

Agency:

Hernando County Sheriff’s Office 352-754-6830

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