Left: Ilene circa, 1980
Right: Age Progressed to age 38
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: December 20, 1980
Missing From: Carson, Los Angeles County, California
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: December 19, 1974
Age: 6 years old
Height and Weight: 3’0″ and 40 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Female, Brown hair, Brown eyes, Ilene has a scar on her right eyebrow and a brown birthmark on her right hip, she might use the nickname “Becky”
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A pink and red blouse, a pair of long green pants, and brown sandals
NCMEC Number: 604335
Details of Disappearance
Ilene was last seen in Carson, California on December 20th 1980. She lived with her mother, Lois Scott, and her brother, Jeff in the Rancho Dominguez Trailer Estates (trailer park) at the time. She went in and out of her house several times that morning before she went outside to go roller skating at approximately 10:30 am. Neighbors saw her skating through the trailer park after this.
Lois said her daughter had been gone for two hours and she assumed that she was simply skating and playing near her home as she usually did. She found Ilene’s roller skates in the front yard of their trailer home but she couldn’t find her anywhere. She has never been seen or heard from again. Lois contacted police and reported her as missing.
Following Ilene’s disappearance, an extensive search commenced in the area. Volunteers and over 40 deputies searched the trailer park and surrounding areas for the child. The search was also assisted by six tracking dogs and a helicopter while Lois and others performed a door-to-door search of the trailer park. Despite the various efforts, no trace of Ilene was ever found.
Investigators initially suspected Ilene had simply wandered away from her home but Lois discounts this possibility since her daughter had no habit of doing this and never did it prior to her disappearance. It was once considered that Lois’s boyfriend at the time, Harry Jolly, might’ve been involved in the child’s disappearance.
Harry was thirty six years old in 1980. He was arrested by police on the same day that Ilene vanished but it was unrelated to her disappearance. Harry had a warrant out of Orange County, California and was wanted on charges of theft and burglary. According to Lois, Harry and Ilene did not have a good relationship and didn’t like each other.
Despite this, authorities have no evidence that Harry was involved in the case and he denied any knowledge of her whereabouts at the time. He along with Ilene’s relatives have been ruled out as suspects in the investigation.
Investigators now suspect that Ilene was abducted by a non-family member while she was playing outside on the day she went missing. Her mother said Ilene would’ve talked to almost anyone who approached her but she would never go willingly with a stranger. She would’ve asked first. There’s been no evidence of an abduction in the case.
Very little information is available about Ilene’s case but authorities suspect foul play is possible in the case and it’s largely assumed she’s deceased. Her family continues to search for her and hope Ilene will be recovered someday. Her disappearance remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (323) 890-5502
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
California Department of Justice
The Hanford Sentinel 12/22/1980
The San Bernardino County Sun 12/23/1980
The Los Angeles Times 12/23/1980
The San Francisco Examiner 12/27/1980