Ruth Severance, 24, of Houston was last seen on December 11, 1982. That afternoon she left work with her ex-husband, Pete Severance, to buy Christmas presents for their son. They stopped at the Swiss Colony shop in Memorial City Mall and left about 7:00 p.m.; Pete says an argument erupted on the drive to another store and he let Ruth out of the car near a Target. She never returned and her roommate reported her missing the next morning.

Pete was questioned early in the investigation and had visible injuries when he came back from the shopping trip — a black eye and facial scratches he said Ruth inflicted during the argument. He initially agreed to a polygraph but declined the test the day before it was scheduled. Ruth had custody of their son, was engaged to be remarried, and friends said it was out of character for her to disappear, especially so close to her child’s birthday. Investigators suspect foul play; the case remains open.

Did anyone in the Houston area remember seeing Ruth the evening of December 11, 1982, or notice the couple near Memorial City Mall or the Target?