Missing 37 Years: Mary, Jessie and Fannie Stuart

 Mary Stuart (L), Jessie Stuart (M) and Fannie Stuart (R). (Photo Credit Jenniferjslate.com)

ON December 10, 1977, 32 year-old Mary Elizabeth Stuart left her home at 10:00 AM in Honeydew, California with her two daughters, 2 year-old Jessie Flo and 1 year-old Fannie Fawn Stuart to run errands. Mary was headed to a television repair shop in Eureka or Fortuna, California, along with errands to the grocery store and possibly the optometrist. She was driving a red Opel Station Wagon with license plate number 456-AII, and was supposed to be home before dark. Mary and her two daughters were never seen or heard from again.
On January 19, 1978, the family's station wagon was found a few miles from their home on an old logging road. Groceries were still in the car, and upon examination it was discovered that the car's gas line had been broken. According to investigators, there was no sign of a struggle or foul play near the vehicle. The discovery of the vehicle did not give many clues as to the trio's whereabouts, but the idea of Mary leaving of her own free will with her daughters seemed even more certain then ever before.

In 1977, Mary weighed 135 pounds and was 5'5" in height. She has brown hair and blue eyes, and may possibly go by the last name of Danckert. Jessie Flo was 2 years-old when she went missing, and had blond hair and hazel eyes. She was 2'8" in height and 26 pounds in 1977. Fannie Fawn was 1 year-old when she vanished, and had red hair and hazel eyes. In 1977, she weighed 20 pounds and was 2'4" in height.

At the time of their disappearances, Mary was living in Honeydew, California with Byron McCray Stuart, who was her husband and the father of Jessie and Fannie. However, he would not be the one to report the girls and Mary missing, even though he should have noticed that they never returned home for the evening. Instead, one of Mary's friends reported that the three were nowhere to be found, and filed a missing persons report the following Tuesday. On the following Friday, 25 volunteers would comb through Windy Nipn Panther Gap, Bull Creek, Honeydew and up by Ferndale. The four-wheel drive club, mounted posse and Marine posse would also join the search that would turn up nothing. It would be a month later until the next clue, Mary's red Station Wagon, would turn up off of an old logging road close to her home.
From the start, Mary's husband, Byron Stuart, would be the prime suspect in the investigation. He had a history of violence and was described as having no problem starting fights due to his very hot temper. His failure to report his daughters and his wife missing was also a red flag. However, back in 1977, authorities did not have enough evidence to prosecute him in the presumed murders of Mary, Jessie and Fannie. Sadly, they would never get the chance to bring him to justice. In 1991, Byron was diagnosed with AIDS. In 1996, he would succumb to Hepatitis, taking with him to the grave the answers to what really happened that day to his beautiful family.

An example of the station wagon Mary drove at the time of her disappearance (not the actual one). (Photo Credit: justacargeeks.com)

In 2009, the case was reopened, and police mentioned they believed Mary, Jessie and Fannie are deceased. Their prime suspect was still Byron Stuart. This time, they were able to interview people with information that they did not get to decades back. Despite not being able to bring Byron to justice, they believe there are other individuals who were involved with the disappearances of Mary, Jessie and Fannie. They made a plea to the public for anyone with even the smallest shred of information to come forward. Their main focus is to find the burial site, which they believe is in the Honeydew, Panther Gap or Petrolia areas. They also want to find closure for Mary's daughter from a previous marriage, who wants to know what happened to her mother and sisters that day.

This is a case that seems pretty cut and dry. Given Byron's history of violence, he seems capable of committing this crime. Byron also knew Mary's destinations for the day, so it would have not been to difficult to cut the gas line to the station wagon in the parking lot while she was grocery shopping. Also, why did he not report his wife and daughters missing when they failed to be home by that evening? Wouldn't he have been worried about them? My question is, was Mary thinking of leaving him? Did the violence and fighting escalate to the point she was fearful for her safety and that of her children? Byron did not seem like the type of guy who would be too happy about having to split his assets, not have custody of his children and possibly the responsibility to pay child support. If this was the case, it would be a great motive. Other questions I wondered about are where was he that day? Since he is the prime suspect as of 2009, it's doubtful he has a dependable alibi. If others were involved, who would have helped him commit such a horrific crime? Were his closest friends and family interviewed? Was Byron into drugs or the world of crime that drugs bring? Was he an alcoholic? If he committed this crime, there has to have been someone out there he mentioned it to. Perhaps they are too scared to come forward because they think they will get in trouble for having information all along, but it is the right thing to do!

Cindy vanished after her car got a suspicious flat tire. (Photo Credit: Charley Project.org)

Of course, there is also a slim possibility a stranger saw Mary and her two daughters as vulnerable targets. Mary's case is not the only one where suspicious car trouble was a method of abduction for a criminal. On January 20, 1970, 19 year-old Cindy Mellin was last seen at 9:40 PM in the Buenaventura Shopping Center parking lot in Ventura, California. An unknown Caucasian man between 30-40 years old who drove a light-colored vehicle appeared to be assisting her in changing her rear tire. She never came home. The next morning, her father came to the shopping center to search for Cindy, and he found her car, still up on the bumper jack with the flat tire attached. Upon examination of the tire, it appeared someone had purposely puncture the car's tire with a sharp instrument. Cindy's disappearance remains unsolved. The disappearances of Robin Graham in 1970 and Rose Tashman in 1969, both near Los Angeles, are also two cases from the 1970s where the girls were vulnerable (and probably abducted) due to car trouble. I bring these cases up only because we never know. Was there someone out there targeting girls and luring them by car trouble? Yes. Was Mary a victim of a predator like this? It seems unlikely, but until we get more answers, it's one that's hard to rule out. Her husband being the perpetrator seems the most likely, and it's hard to imagine the predator(s) who took Robin, Cindy and Rose targeting a woman with two kids along. It's just a possibility, but definitely not the most likely one in this situations. All these cases remain unsolved.
I also wonder if Jessie and Fannie could still be alive? Could Byron have set up a new place for them with someone else raising the girls? They would have not been old enough to remember anything at the time, so it would have been easy to give them a new identity. It's a hopeful thought.
Mary's oldest daughter still keeps in touch with the DA in hopes one day she can find out what happened to her mother and sisters. The case is still open, and hopefully those who were involved or who have information will come forward. Almost 40 years later, they deserve peace and their loved ones do as well. Please do the right thing.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Mary, Jessie or Fannie Stuart, please contact

  Mary Stuart (L), Jessie Stuart (M) and Fannie Stuart (R). (Photo Credit Jenniferjslate.com)

 Humboldt County District Attorney's Office

1-707-445-7251 

Sources:
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/stuart_fannie.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/stuart_jessie.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/stuart_mary.html
http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/ar/t43667.htm -News Articles
http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_13156941
http://deaniepeters-missingangels.blogspot.com/2011/12/robin-ann-graham-missing-over-42-years.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/mellin_cindy.html