Mary Ann Ruth Switalski was 16 when she was last seen at about 10:15 p.m. on July 15, 1963, at a carnival at St. Priscilla’s Catholic Church in Chicago. She was with friends and wearing a black sleeveless blouse, white shorts, and straw sandals. Her family, who lived on the 6200 block of West Cornelia Avenue, said she had no known troubles, was a good student at Notre Dame High School, held a part-time job, babysat, and had paid a deposit for her senior yearbook and class ring.

Two days later her parents received a letter postmarked from Oak Park saying she was okay, having a strange but educational experience, and that she would send money but did not want anyone to interfere; the family believed the handwriting looked like hers but the tone did not. Investigators later established she had joined a door-to-door magazine sales organization and was reportedly en route to California around the time she disappeared. The couple who ran the group were questioned in 1965 and admitted hiring her but gave conflicting accounts about whether she left the group or remained in Chicago.

Mary Ann’s whereabouts since July 1963 remain unknown. Did anyone who knew Mary Ann, her classmates, or neighbors on West Cornelia Avenue have contact with her or see the magazine sellers around that summer?