Dona Mae Bourgeois Bayerl was 38 and a mother when she was last seen at her Muskego, Wisconsin, home on May 6, 1979. Family reports say her husband, John Bayerl, told police she left after an argument and drove off in the family car; the vehicle was reportedly returned that same night, but Dona was gone the next morning. Her husband reported her missing on May 9, 1979.

Relatives found the circumstances troubling from the start. Dona’s clothing was said to have remained at the house, and family members said she would not have walked away from two young daughters, ages 7 and 4, especially with the younger child reportedly ill. One account says Dona’s sister found what appeared to be blood on clothespins in the garage; additional possible blood was described on a child’s bicycle seat and a rear service door. The Muskego Police Department has been listed as the investigating agency and her case is in NamUs as MP19994. She was later declared legally dead in 1986, though her remains have not been recovered.

What details about that night or later evidence might still help locate Dona or explain her disappearance? If anyone knew her, her family, or had information about Muskego in 1979, please share what you can.