Janice L. Beck, 52, was a patient at Western State Mental Hospital in Lakewood, Washington, when she was last seen on September 12, 2001. She was described as a white female with graying white hair, blue eyes, and normally wore eyeglasses, though she did not have them when she vanished. Observers reported she was wearing a white blouse and dark-colored pants that day.

Janice’s health was poor: she had diabetes, arthritis, bipolar disorder and problems with her knees and vision, which would have limited how far she could walk unassisted. The hospital did not notify her family until five weeks after she was last seen, delaying early search efforts. An unknown person later told the Social Security Administration that Janice had died on February 22, 2002, but investigators have not located a death certificate and she remains officially missing. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office is handling the case.

Did anyone see Janice around Western State Hospital in September 2001 or have information about the unverified death report?