Ruth Dorsey, a 69-year-old widow and retired teacher and bank employee, vanished after an ordinary Saturday on August 17, 1974. Active in her church as a Sunday school teacher and organist, she lived alone on a large 350-acre farm and was described as independent and well liked by nieces, nephews and neighbors. That afternoon she was seen buying gasoline for her 1972 Ford Galaxy at Spring Villa Grocery between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m., saying she was on her way to pick up a relative. A neighbor later saw her car turn into the long, secluded driveway about 6:00 p.m.; that was the last confirmed sighting.

The next morning, family found the front door open and a side door unlocked. Her Bible and Sunday school materials were laid out, her bed seemed unslept in, laundry remained on the line, and her three dogs were confined to the bathroom. Her car turned up later in downtown Opelika near First Baptist Church, parked in front of a duplex where she and her late husband had lived; keys were in the ignition and her eyeglasses and purse with eleven dollars inside were on the front seat. There was no sign of a struggle and no withdrawals from her accounts. Extensive searches, including aerial efforts, found no trace of her. Does anyone who knew Ruth or who has information about Opelika in August 1974 have details that could help explain what happened?