Jean Simmons Abla, 35, went missing after an evening at a San Jon, New Mexico bar on October 6, 1982. Her car was found the next day with keys and wallet inside and in working order, and her family said she would not have simply walked away from her dog and loved ones.

On May 3, 1983, teenagers hunting rabbits north of San Jon discovered a human skull with signs of trauma in an Interstate 40 construction burrow pit. A later search recovered additional skeletal remains and a bloody dress. Dental records and DNA identified the remains as Jean’s, and the cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma to the head.

Notorious confessed killer Henry Lee Lucas claimed responsibility and gave details including mention of a C-section scar. An anonymous caller had also reported seeing a woman matching Jean’s description abducted at gunpoint. Lucas later recanted and his pattern of false confessions has cast doubt on his claim; some investigators still found his details persuasive while Jean’s daughter, Samantha Thompson, did not believe he was responsible.

The case remains officially unsolved. Anyone who knew Jean, saw her in October 1982, or has information about the area north of San Jon is asked to come forward.