Dorothy Mae Hendricks, 38, vanished from Wilson, North Carolina, in the winter of 2002. On December 5 she left her apartment at the former Woodard’s Motel and accepted a ride to Trade Mart No. 11 at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Ward Boulevard. The last confirmed sighting was about 8:00 p.m. in the 100 block of Tuskegee Street. She is Black with a light complexion, about 5 feet 1 inch tall, roughly 170 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. That evening she wore a black and white sweater, blue jeans, and black boots.

Dorothy’s mother reported her missing on December 13, 2002. Family members say Dorothy sometimes lived an unstable life and could drop out of sight, but it was uncharacteristic for her to break all contact. The person who gave her the ride to the store was interviewed and is not considered a suspect. The investigation has remained open with no significant leads to explain what happened after she was last seen. If anyone knew Dorothy, her movements that night, or saw her in Wilson, the family and investigators would welcome new information.