Maria De Lourdes Pahl, 35, was last seen on August 1, 1980, in Vinton, Texas, after an argument with her husband. She told family she was going to take a bus to Anthony, New Mexico, to buy groceries and never returned. At the time she had six children; her eldest daughter was away and later returned to care for the younger siblings, one under a year old.

Her disappearance was largely uninvestigated for many years and yielded no significant leads. The case was reopened in 2000; investigators performed actions including an excavation at her former home but found no evidence of foul play. Maria was described as a devoted mother and was not believed to have willingly abandoned her children. Her case remains an endangered missing person investigation.

Does anyone in Vinton or Anthony from that era remember Maria or have information that could help locate her?