Francis Loretta Heath, also known by her married name Wells, was 45 when she boarded a Trailways bus in Crossett, Arkansas, on August 13, 1974, bound for family in El Paso, Texas. She was expected to return the following Sunday but never arrived. The bus company later returned her luggage; there is no evidence she reached El Paso. At departure she was described as wearing a green shirt, a yellow and purplish plaid overshirt, and jeans, with black hair possibly in a ponytail.

Family say they reported her missing in 1974, but no contemporaneous official report has been located, which has complicated later inquiries. The case was entered into NamUs in March 2014 and is now handled by the Ashley County Sheriff’s Office. The only known photo dates from about 20 years before her disappearance, and details about her movements after boarding the bus remain unclear.

If anyone remembers seeing Francis, her bus, or has information about her travel to or from Crossett or El Paso in August 1974, please come forward.