Left and Center: Sharon circa, 1984
Right: Age Progressed to age 36
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: September 18, 1984
Missing From: Eagle Butt, Dewey County, South Dakota
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: June 26, 1972
Age: 12 years old
Height and Weight: 5’3″ and 110 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Native American Female, Black hair, Brown eyes, Sharons ears are pierced
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A Black/yellow tiger striped top, black shoes, carrying a red bag
NCMEC Number: 600185
Details of Disappearance
Sharon was last seen in Eagle Butte, South Dakota on September 18th 1984. She was accompanied by her 15 year old friend named Sandi at the time. The girls ran away from home and were hitchhiking in Casper, Wyoming when they were picked up by a truck driver, Royal Russel Long. Long took the girls to his home in Evansville where he fed them.
According to Sandi, Long asked for Oral Sex services in exchange for $100. The girls refused and he tied them up at gun point. He raped Sandi and beat Sharon. When Long fell asleep, Sandi escaped the residence and ran to a neighbor for help. By the time authorities arrived, Sharon and Long were gone. Sharon has never been heard from since.
Long was apprehended a week later in Mexico. He was located alone and without Sharon and he stated he didn’t know here she was. He was charged with abducting Sharon. When Long was asked for his side of the story, he claimed that Sharon and Sandi told him they were 18 and 19 years old and accepted the offer. After sexual intercourse occurred, the girls revealed their actual ages and demanded $200 or they would accuse him of rape.
There was apparently a struggle and Long tied them up. He reportedly took a nap and when awoke he saw that Sandi escaped so he took Sharon in his truck and drove her to Cheyenne and put her in a light colored truck bound for Dallas, Texas. When he arrived back to Casper, Long realized that he was wanted for abduction and assault.
According to Long, he then traveled to Amarillo, Texas to see if anyone had seen Sharon there or if he could find her himself. Investigators have found no proof that his story if true. They also did find any evidence that Sharon was out in a truck with anyone or the identity of the supposed trucker.
He then traveled to Mew Mexico where he would later be apprehended. Long was convicted of child abduction with the purpose of committing indecent liberties with a minor. He was sentenced to two terms of life in prison.
Long is a suspect in the disappearances of Carlene Brown and Deborah Meyer who are both missing from Rawlins Wyoming. He’s also a suspect in the 1974 Wyoming murders of Christy Gross and Jayleen Dawn Banker. In 1985, Long was charged with the 1981 Oklahoma abductions and presumed murders of Cinda Pallett and Charlotte Kinsey.
He was reportedly last seen with the two girls and his car that he rented at the time showed signs of both girls being murdered. Sharons father went to visit Long in prison in 1993 but the man refused to speak with him. Long died of a heart attack on the prisons yard soon after.
At the time of her abduction, Sharon had just begun her first year at Brainerd Indian School which was located in Hot Springs, South Dakota. She was the eldest of 4 siblings in 1984. Her father has continued to search for her ever since her disappearance and has traveled all over the United States in search of her, he travels as far as Arizona.
Sharon remains missing and her abduction unsolved. There shave been possible sightings of her in the following years after she went missing in Wisconsin and Colorado. Foul play is suspected.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Fall River County Sheriffs Office 605-745-4444
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Rawlins Four, Cinda Palette, Charlotte Kinsey, Sharon Baldeagle | DARK MATTERS #49