Audrey Alta Moate disappeared on November 24, 1956, her 31st birthday, from Frenier Beach near Laplace, Louisiana. A divorced mother of three, she was last seen with 46-year-old Thomas Hotard, a married engineer with whom she had been having a two-year affair. The pair often met secretly on Saturdays.

That morning a hunter and his son saw Hotard’s blue 1953 Nash Rambler parked by Lake Pontchartrain with a man and woman inside. When the car was found the next day, Hotard was inside, shot in the back by a shotgun fired through the rear window; his wallet and ID remained on him. Audrey was missing. Women’s clothing, shoes, eyeglasses, purse contents, and small bare footprints believed to be a woman’s were found leading into the woods, with boot tracks and signs of a struggle nearby. Audrey’s Oldsmobile keys were also recovered at the scene. Foul play is strongly suspected; searches and investigations have not produced Audrey’s body.

If anyone knew Audrey, Thomas Hotard, or was in the Frenier Beach area that weekend, can you share what you remember or any information that might help explain what happened?