Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 12/31/1986

Missing Since:

Missing Since 12/31/1986

Missing From:

Missing From South Bend, Indiana

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 11/30/1917 (107)

Age:

Age 69 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’5, 125 – 150 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Graying brown hair, brown eyes. Pullen’s ears are pierced. She smoked cigarettes at the time of her 1986 disappearance, and she occasionally wore a brown or blonde wig.

Details of Disappearance:

Mary Pullen disappeared from her mobile home in Niles, Michigan on New Year’s Eve, 1986. She was last seen earlier that day by her hairdresser at a Save Mart. Pullen told her hairdresser she was having a party at home that night.

Two weeks later, her relatives reported her missing because she hadn’t been heard from and hadn’t paid her rent. Police found her home undisturbed—a half-eaten sandwich and a partly-smoked cigarette were the only clues. Her belongings, car, and even her coat were still there, suggesting she left in a hurry but voluntarily.

A neighbor later recalled seeing Pullen arguing with two men outside her home on New Year’s Eve. One man, a former tenant who owed her rent, became a person of interest. He used Pullen’s credit card twice after her disappearance to buy appliances, claiming she’d given him permission. However, Pullen’s diary suggested he was extorting her.

The case is considered suspicious. Police believe several men were involved in her disappearance, possibly her murder. One person of interest, a juvenile at the time, later committed suicide. Despite reopening the case in 2008, no one has ever been charged. Pullen’s lack of Social Security use and unclaimed insulin further supports the suspicion of foul play.

Agency:

South Bend Police Department 219-235-9201

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