Elizabeth Betty Turvey Brown, 53, of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, was last seen February 21, 1977, after stopping in Kitty Hawk to ask for directions to Virginia Beach. She had recently separated from her husband and planned to stay with a friend in Virginia, but never arrived and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

Some time after her disappearance a distinctive red, white, and blue 1976 Limited Edition Chevrolet Vega registered to Brown was found unlocked in a parking lot near the Southern Shores Hotel by the Kitty Hawk fishing pier. Her purse, glasses, coat and the car keys were inside the vehicle, suggesting a sudden departure from the scene. Her description at the time was a white female with auburn or medium brown hair, hazel eyes and a fair, freckled complexion.

Investigators suspected foul play. Her husband was at one point listed as a person of interest because he waited a week to report her missing, though their daughter says he was recovering from surgery and does not believe he was involved. Original police reports from the disappearance could not be located by the Rocky Mount or Manteo police departments, which has complicated the inquiry.

Did anyone in the Kitty Hawk or Virginia Beach area remember seeing Betty Turvey Brown or that Chevrolet Vega around February 21, 1977?