Disappearance Of Marjorie West

On May 8, 1938, the West family, including four-year-old Marjorie, attended a church service in their hometown of Bradford, Pennsylvania. Afterward, they planned a Mother's Day picnic in the White Gravel area, located about 40 minutes away by car via U.S. Route 219. They took an old railroad grade from Custer City to Marshburg before entering the White Gravel area from Chapel Fork Road in McKean County.

Upon arriving at the White Gravel area, the West family separated to pursue different activities. Marjorie's father, Shirley West, went fishing in the nearby stream, while her mother stayed in the car along the Morrison-Marshburg Road. Marjorie and her eleven-year-old sister, Dorothea, picked wildflowers in the area. Dorothea later remembered that their parents had warned them to stay away from a large boulder near the flowers, as there may have been rattlesnakes hiding nearby. Despite her father and brother checking the area, the possibility of snakes remained.

Marjorie was left alone by her sister Dorothea at around 3:00 p.m. when she went to speak to their mother. When Dorothea returned, Marjorie was nowhere to be found. The family searched for her before driving to the nearby town of Kane to seek help.

According to witnesses, two vehicles drove past the West's picnic site before Marjorie's disappearance. These vehicles were identified, but neither was found to be connected to her case. Initially, it was believed that Marjorie may have wandered into the woods and gotten lost, or been taken in by a passerby and brought to a nearby town. However, as the search continued and she was not found, hundreds and eventually thousands of people joined in the search, including oil lease workers, Civilian Conservation Corps staff, the Pennsylvania State Police, other police officers with bloodhounds, National Guard troops, and even volunteers in airplanes.

Many people searched the forest around the clock for Marjorie for several days, but no indications of her whereabouts were ever found. There were stories about searchers finding what appeared to be a freshly dug grave deep in the woods, but it turned out to be a buried cask of wine. Another story is about a scrap of lace being discovered, but Marjorie did not have any lace on her clothing when she disappeared. There was also a story about someone finding a handful of violets, a small footprint, and a single galosh, but nothing led to Marjorie's whereabouts.

Marjorie's disappearance received widespread attention across the nation. A taxi driver in Thomas, West Virginia claimed to have seen a girl matching Marjorie's description and wearing similar clothes, weeping in a dark green sedan with an unidentified man in his thirties on the night of her disappearance at 11:38 p.m.

According to the taxi driver in Thomas, West Virginia, a man and a girl matching Marjorie's description were in his taxi on the night of her disappearance. The man claimed that the girl was his daughter and asked the driver for directions to the nearest motel. The driver directed him to an establishment across the street, but there were no vacancies. The man then asked for directions to a local liquor store, which the driver directed him to. The taxi driver identified Marjorie as the passenger several days later. An attendant at a gas station outside of Thomas reported seeing a bundle wrapped in a gray blanket in the backseat of the man's car.

Investigations revealed that the approximate travel time along U. S. Route 219 between the White Gravel area and Thomas, West Virginia was eight hours, suggesting that if the individual had abducted Marjorie around 3:00 p.m., they would have arrived in Thomas by 11:00 and 11:30 p.m. that evening. However, authorities were never able to confirm the identity of the man or the child. On May 12, 1938, the City of Bradford Police Chief Edward Edmonds told that this theory was discounted by the West Virginia State Police as the man was a "motorist accompanied by an adopted daughter."

Many theories emerged regarding Marjorie's disappearance. Some suspected that she was taken away by other family members to Canada, while others believed she was abducted and taken somewhere else. The possibility of her falling into an abandoned oil well near White Gravel was also considered as the area was heavily drilled for oil and had numerous abandoned wells.

Marjorie West's disappearance was shrouded in mystery and theories about her whereabouts abounded. Some believed she had been taken to Canada by family members, while others thought she may have been abducted and taken somewhere else. Another possibility was that she may have fallen into an abandoned oil well in the White Gravel area, which was heavily drilled for oil and had numerous abandoned wells scattered throughout the region.

Additionally, some suspected that Marjorie may have been taken to the Tennessee Children's Home Society near Memphis, which was operated by Georgia Tann, who was later found to have kidnapped over 1,200 young children between 1932 and 1951. None of these theories were proven, and no one has been implicated in Marjorie's disappearance. Interestingly, 28 years earlier, two young boys from nearby towns, Michael Steffan and Edward Paul Adams, had also disappeared without a trace while fishing in the nearby areas. Neither of them was ever found.