Catherine Cathy Ford was 19 when she disappeared from Gorman, Maryland on February 17, 1988. That afternoon she took a call at the family restaurant from a man claiming to be a magistrate and later from someone posing as an undercover officer, both asking her to meet or warning of an investigation. She left about 2:00 p.m. in her father’s silver Ford Bronco to meet the caller and was never seen again.

On March 8, 1988 the Bronco was found burned near a river off Bismark Road; investigators treated the fire as deliberate but Cathy’s body was never recovered. Paul Ferrell, a local deputy sheriff who had a secret relationship with Cathy, became a prime suspect after blood stains were discovered in his trailer and he admitted sending an anonymous letter to Cathy’s parents saying she had run away. DNA testing on the stains was inconclusive. Ferrell was convicted of Cathy’s murder in 1989 largely on circumstantial evidence; the lack of a body and questions about the investigation and testimony have fueled controversy and appeals.

Did anyone in the Gorman area have contact with Cathy on February 17, 1988 or information about the callers who asked her to meet?