Left and Center: Charlotte circa, 1981
Right: Age Progressed to age 44
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: September 26, 1981
Missing From: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: September 10, 1968
Age: 13 years old
Height and Weight: 5’0″ and 100 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Female, Blonde hair, Blue eyes, Charlotte was suffering from depression at the time of her disappearance and two weeks prior to her disappearance, she attempted to commit suicide by overdosing on tranquilizers, Charlotte has a small circular dot shaped scar below her left eye which was caused by pencil lead, she has silver caps on her lower front teeth, Charlottes ears are pierced, she has a triangular shaped birthmark on her lower back near her waistline
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A dark maroon short sleeved pullover blouse with white stripes on the sleeves and white trim on the sleeves and neck, a pair of blue jeans, Nike sneakers, Charlotte was wearing a ring that resembled a wedding band on her right ring finger
NCMEC Number: 601788
Details of Disappearance
Charlotte June Kinsey was last seen with her friend, Cinda Leanne Pallett, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on September 26th 1981. They were at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds at the time of their disappearance. Charlotte later called her family to explain that she and Cinda were offered jobs where they would assist a worker unloading stuffed plush animals from a truck at the fair.
Charlottes mother agreed to let them take the jobs so long as Charlotte calls her at approximately 9:00 pm. The pair had plans to spend the night at Cinda’s residence. Charlotte never called her mother and the girls never made it to Cinda’s house. They have never been seen or heard from again.
The man that offered Charlotte and Cinda the jobs is described as being Caucasian, he was approximately 35 to 50 years old in 1981 and he stood between 6’1″ and 6’3″ tall and weighed between 200 and 250 pounds. He had dark colored hair, a mustache, a full dark beard with gray streaks in it, as well as hairy and muscular arms.
The man wore silver wire rimmed glasses and a cowboy hat made from straw, a brown striped cowboy or plaid shirt, a pair of cowboy boots, and he wore a digital wristwatch on his left wrist, he was also wearing a leather belt with the name “Joseph” tooled in it and a yellow badge.
The man also drove a tan two door 1980 or 1981 Pontiac Grand Pix with a half vinyl roof and South Dakota License plates. The man also talked to several other children at the fair on the day of Kinsey’s and Pallett’s disappearance and offered them jobs like the ones the two girls were given. He offered to pay $5 an hour.
After their disappearances, the yellow badge purportedly worn by their abductor was found and it bore the name “Don Corey”. Don bore a striking resemblance to the sketches made of the pairs supposed kidnapper. A nationwide hunt for Corey was launched. In addition to that, Corey was charged with kidnapping both Charlotte and Cinda.
He was arrested in Texas but the charges against him were quickly dropped and he was ruled out as a suspect in the case. Don was able to prove that he was in Dallas, Texas on the day that Cinda and Charlotte were abducted. Investigators also ruled out all Oklahoma State Fair employees. Authorities suspect that someone posed as a employee in order to gain Cinda and Charlottes trust and take them.
Royal Russell Long is the prime suspect in the girls’ disappearances. He was in Oklahoma on the day of Cinda and Charlottes disappearances and was at the fairgrounds when they were there. He has a record of sexual molestation and assault. In 1985, Long was arrested and charged with abducting Sharon Baldeagle, who was kidnapped by Long along with her friend in September of 1984. Sharon has never been located.
In 1985, Long was charged with kidnapping and murdering Cinda and Charlotte. Authorities were able to locate the car that Long rented while in Oklahoma at the time. Long was in Oklahoma for the purpose of delivering a flatbed trailer to a business located there. He denied involvement in the kidnappings. The two boys whom Long took the the truck stop along with Charlotte and Cinda as well as several witnesses identified Long as the man they saw offer the girls the jobs. Long strongly matches the man in the sketches. He was also the man approaching other children with the offer.
As mentioned above, Long is said to have a history of sexual violence towards women. His daughter even claimed that since she was young, he would molest her and she would watch him attempt to lure other young girls into his vehicle with a living puppy or stuffed animals.
When authorities located the car that Long had rented in 1981, they found hairs which were forensically matched to Cinda. They also found evidence that indicated a violent attack may have occurred in the vehicle. Forensic testing found that the car may had once been covered in blood.
A shape of a bloody boot print was found. The outlines of one large or possibly two small bodies were found but could not be matched to Cinda or Charlotte or anyone. Authorities considered that it could be from an animal. Authorities found a lock of Blonde hair at Longs home in Wyoming. While it’s believed that it was Charlottes, tests proved inconclusive.
When Long was in court for the murders, he taunted the Pallett’s and Kinsey’s, saying he was the only one who knew the truth of Cinda and Charlottes disappearances and their fates. The charges were dismissed in December of 1985 due to lack of evidence and many of the testimonies given were thrown out.
Authorities believe that Long may have been a serial killer and may have more victims. Long is a suspect in the Wyoming disappearances of Deborah Rae Meyer and Carlene Brown who both went missing separately in the summer of 1974 and have never been found. He’s also a suspect in the murders of Christy Gross, who vanished with Carlene, and Jayleen Dawn Banker.
Long died of a heart attack in 1993 while serving two life sentences for Sharon Baldeagle’s kidnapping. Sharons father went to visit Long in prison before his death but he refused to speak to him.
At the time of her disappearance, Charlotte enjoyed poetry and rollerskating. After her disappearance, her mother kept Charlottes bedroom the same way it had been since for 8 years. Authorities believe that both Charlotte and Cinda was kidnapped and killed the day they vanished. They believe that their bodies are still in Oklahoma but might be unrecoverable. Cinda and Charlottes cases remain unsolved.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Oklahoma State Police 405-231-2121
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children