Left: Janet circa, 1971
Right: Age Progressed to age 61
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: January 1, 1971
Missing From: Willmar, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota
Classification: Endangered Runaway
Date Of Birth: June 3, 1957
Age: 13 years old
Height and Weight: 5’0″ and 120 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Female, Brown hair, Hazel eyes, Janet previously broke her right arm at the elbow and she is possibly wearing glasses
NCMEC Number: 1222039
Details of Disappearance
Janet was last seen in Willmar, Minnesota at some point during the year 1971. She was staying in a group home for girls due to an unknown offense and or problem that occurred prior to her staying there. She left the home to go visit family members and was never seen or heard from again afterwards.
It’s unclear if she was reported missing in 1971. Her sister asked authorities about her case in 2015 and an official investigation started and Janet’s information was entered into the missing persons databases. Investigators believe she ran away.
Investigators don’t know where Janet might have gone after allegedly running away. There’s some speculation that Janet was alive and in the company of another girl in 1976. On March 24th 1976, the body of an unidentified girl was discovered in the Harpeth River in Nashville, Tennessee. The girl had been deceased for a matter of hours. Two men would come forward and state that the unidentified deceased girl was one of two girls they picked up on March 15th 1976, 9 days before the body was found.
The men, Charles Moore and Milton Collins, said the deceased girl told them her name was “Sherry” or “Cheryl”. She’s been dubbed as “Cheryl” Doe. Cheryl Does companion physically resembles Janet. The other girl was described as having sandy brown or blonde hair, thin, and was wearing wore rimmed glasses at the time.
The two girls told the men that they had run away from a treatment center in the St. Paul or Minneapolis, Minnesota area. The deceased girl said she was being treated for alcoholism. Her companion said she was there for suicidal tendencies and even showed them the scars on her wrists to prove it. The two girls said they were heading for Florida.
Moore claimed he dropped the girls off at a highway exit about 85 miles southeast of Nashville and saw them get into another vehicle. They continued going southeast. The girls body was discovered about 90 miles away from where Moore dropped them off and in the opposite direction of her supposed destination. She remains unidentified to this day.
There’s no evidence that Janet was the girls companion and she would’ve been 18 years old when the murder took place and it’s quite possible that the girls were recent runaways in 1976. There’s much speculation that the companion was in fact Janet.
Investigators still believe Janet ran away on her own accord and her family is actively searching for her and hope to locate her. Janet’s disappearance remains unsolved and her current whereabouts are unknown.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Kandiyohi County Sheriffs Office 320-235-1260
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children