Dorothy Harriet Camille Arnold, 25, vanished from New York City on December 12, 1910, after leaving her family’s East 79th Street mansion to shop for an evening gown. She was last seen near Brentano’s bookstore on Fifth Avenue and 27th Street around 2 p.m., saying she planned to walk in Central Park. She carried about $25 to $30 in cash and left her passport, jewelry, and other personal effects at home.

The family delayed notifying police, hiring private investigators including the Pinkerton Detective Agency to avoid scandal. Searches of hospitals, morgues, jails and a room search that found burned papers and liner pamphlets produced no trace. Theories considered included elopement with a secret suitor, George C. Griscom Jr., suicide after a rejected story, a fatal illegal abortion, or murder with disposal in a park reservoir. Various confessions and leads were later discredited.

Despite extensive publicity and investigation, no credible evidence of Dorothy Arnold’s fate has been found.