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302 Cases Solved. Advancing justice for missing persons, unsolved homicides, unidentified and unclaimed remains.

Case Description

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Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP50556) and 7 other sources
In the autumn of 1963, a 16-year-old girl named Phyllis Marie Corbin was a resident at the House of Good Shepherd, a juvenile shelter located on Gravois Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. Sometime in early November of that year, she and another girl from the home made the decision to run away together. The two were reportedly given a ride to a Greyhound bus station with the intention of traveling to New Orleans, Louisiana. While it's believed the other girl may have returned to St. Louis about three weeks later, this has not been definitively confirmed, and Phyllis was not with her. Although the staff at the House of Good Shepherd supposedly reported her as a missing person, Phyllis's family has been unable to verify that a report was ever filed.

Following her departure from St. Louis, there was a period of uncertainty regarding Phyllis's whereabouts. However, records eventually surfaced indicating her presence in Marrero, Louisiana, in Jefferson Parish, in January of 1965. During an arrest in or near Gretna, Louisiana on January 25, 1965, she was fingerprinted. It was noted that when signing her name, she appeared to start writing 'Corbin' before changing it to 'Sommers.' It is also believed that she altered her birth year to 1945, presumably to appear as an adult and avoid issues related to being a minor. This arrest provides the last confirmed record of Phyllis's location. After this point, there are no further known arrests or confirmed sightings.

The disappearance of Phyllis Marie Corbin has remained unsolved for decades. At the time she went missing, she was described as a white female with brown or reddish-brown wavy hair and blue eyes, standing between 5'5' and 5'8' tall. The case is a collection of fragmented moments: a troubled teenager in a shelter, a spontaneous decision to run away with a friend, a bus ride to a new city, and a brief brush with the law under an assumed name. After her arrest in Louisiana in 1965, the trail goes cold, leaving her family with unanswered questions. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is the investigating agency for her case.

Last Seen: Nov 1, 1963

Possible Unidentified Matches (3)

Unidentified remains cases whose details are consistent with this person, ranked by how closely they compare. Fields that are unknown in either case are left out of the score.

77%Possible
Jane Doe — St. Louis, Missouri
UP7362 • Found May 20, 1988
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 85%Est. 20–40 vs 16 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 100%6 mi away, same county
TimingFound 25 years after last seen
Height 100%5'5" vs 5'5"–5'8"
Weight 100%110 lb vs 100–155 lb
76%Possible
Jane Doe — St Louis, Missouri
UP15034 • Found May 15, 1968
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 55%Est. 25–45 vs 16 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 100%8 mi away, same state
TimingFound 5 years after last seen
Height 100%5'8" vs 5'5"–5'8"
Weight 100%140 lb vs 100–155 lb
Hair 60%Black vs Brown
75%Possible
Jane Doe — Brooklyn, Illinois - unidentified case UP12167
Jane Doe — Brooklyn, Illinois
UP12167 • Found Jan 21, 2006
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 100%Est. 18–30 vs 16 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 100%6 mi away
TimingFound 42 years after last seen
Height 84%5'3" vs 5'5"–5'8"

These comparisons are generated automatically from public NamUs case data and are not confirmed identifications. Only DNA, dental or fingerprint comparison by investigators can confirm an identity. If you believe two cases are connected, contact the agency handling the unidentified case.

Unidentified photos are blurred because many are post-mortem. Tap a photo to reveal it.