Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 12/13/1977

Missing Since:

Missing Since 12/13/1977

Missing From:

Missing From Bothell, Washington

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 03/28/1947 (77)

Age:

Age 30 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’2, 115 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Light brown hair, green eyes. Burns has pierced ears. She wears eyeglasses, but they were left behind.

Details of Disappearance:

On December 13, 1977, a woman named Burns disappeared from her boutique in Bothell, Washington. She was alone that night due to a scheduling error. When her sister-in-law arrived to close up at 9 pm, Burns was gone. The store was dark, unlocked, and had 29 bullets scattered inside. Burns’s car was still there, but her purse was missing, along with her eyeglasses and one earring. She was never seen again.

Police investigated and found a tall, dark-haired man who had been seen talking to Burns earlier that night. This man, Robert Elmore Taylor, became the prime suspect. Taylor was a convicted murderer who had escaped prison. A month later, he robbed a massage parlor in Bothell, kidnapping two women. One of the women shot him, leading to his arrest.

During the search of Taylor’s home, police found clothes stolen from Burns’s boutique and items bought with her credit cards. Store clerks identified Taylor as the person who used her cards. Taylor was convicted for the massage parlor crimes and sentenced to a very long prison term. He was never charged with Burns’s disappearance because her body was never found. Sadly, Taylor was killed in prison in 1979, ending any chance of further investigation into Burns’s case. Because of the strange circumstances surrounding her disappearance, police believe she was likely murdered.

Agency:

Bothell Police Department 425-487-5100

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