The Missing
Elsie Mae Roane
West Point, Virginia
💔🕯️ STILL MISSING: What Happened to 16-Year-Old Elsie Mae Roane? 🕯️💔
On the night of May 20, 1957, 16-year-old Elsie Mae Roane was seen walking along the streets of West Point, Virginia, carrying two suitcases. It was around 11:00 p.m., and a police officer was the last known person to see her. After that moment, Elsie vanished without a trace.
She was nearing the end of her sophomore year at West Point High School. Described as an above-average student, Elsie was just a teenager with her future still ahead of her. But behind the scenes, she was facing difficulties at home. Her adoptive mother had died of breast cancer two years earlier, and people who knew the family described her relationship with her adoptive father as troubled. Before disappearing, Elsie had even written to relatives in North Carolina asking if she could come live with them.
Her father worked nights and did not realize she was missing right away. He reportedly assumed she was following her usual school routine, and it took three days before she was reported missing.
There were people in Elsie’s life whose names would later become part of the investigation. One was Lloyd Hodges, a former classmate who reportedly attended school and participated on the rifle team with Elsie. Some classmates said the two were dating and rumored to be planning an engagement. Years later, investigators questioned Hodges several times. According to the detective who worked the case, Hodges initially said he did not remember Elsie before eventually acknowledging that he knew her. He denied having a relationship with her, and no involvement in her disappearance was established. Hodges died in 2023.
Another person connected to Elsie’s final known sighting was police officer Billy Haigler. He was the officer who reportedly saw her walking with the suitcases that night. Why she was out so late, where she intended to go, and what happened after he saw her remain unknown. Haigler left the police department three months after Elsie’s disappearance and died in 1969.
In 2015, nearly 58 years after Elsie vanished, authorities announced they had identified a person of interest. Investigators said the individual was close to Elsie’s age and had been interviewed multiple times, but they did not publicly identify him.
Today, Elsie’s case remains unsolved. Investigators have expressed the belief that she may never have left the West Point area, and they hope to one day learn what happened to her and recover her remains.
Elsie’s adoptive father and several people connected to her life have since passed away, but the questions surrounding her disappearance remain. Somewhere, there may still be information that could help explain what happened to a 16-year-old girl who was last seen carrying two suitcases on a Virginia street.
🕯️ Elsie Mae Roane deserves to be remembered. She was more than a name in an old missing-person report. She was a daughter, a student, and a young girl whose life was interrupted before anyone could learn how her story would unfold.
📍 Missing from: West Point, Virginia
📅 Last seen: May 20, 1957
🎂 Age at disappearance: 16
📏 Height: Approximately 5’8″–5’9″
⚖️ Weight: Approximately 115 pounds
👁️ Eyes: Blue
💇 Hair: Brown
👓 May have worn eyeglasses
🧳 Last seen carrying: Two suitcases
Anyone with information about Elsie Mae Roane is urged to contact the West Point Police Department at 804-769-0999 or 804-843-2800.
💔 More than six decades have passed. Elsie’s story still deserves answers.
Sources:
Have you seen this child? Elsie Mae Roane
Missing Person / NamUs #MP28519 | NamUs
Elsie Mae Roane (1940-1957) – Find a Grave Memorial
Elsie Mae Roane – The Charley Project
Leave a Reply