Name: Marjorie West
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: May 8, 1938
Location Last Seen: White Gravel, McKean County, Pennsylvania.
Date of Birth: June 2, 1933
Age: 4 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 3'3"
Weight: 35 lbs
Hair Color: Red/Auburn, short & curly
Eye Color: Blue
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown
Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown
Clothing: A blue dress, a red hat and a navy blue mid-length coat with the collar edged in pink.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Marjorie attended a church service with her family members in Bradford, Pennsylvania during the morning hours of May 8, 1938. Her parents decided to have a Mother's Day picnic afterward in the White Gravel area, which was a 40-minute drive from Bradford. They drove south along US Route 219, following an old railroad grade from Custer City to Marshburg, Pennsylvania. The Wests entered the White Gravel area from Chapel Fork Road in McKean County.
Marjorie picked wildflowers with her older sister Dorothea later during the day. Dorothea left Marjorie alone while she spoke to their mother at approximately 15:00. Marjorie disappeared by the time her sister returned to the area. She has never been heard from again.
The girls' mother called the police after an initial search of the area by family members produced no evidence as to Marjorie's whereabouts. Police searched with bloodhounds around the rock and down to the road where the scent trail stopped; there near the road were the violets that Marjorie had picked earlier were found.
A taxi driver in Thomas, West Virginia claimed that he saw a girl matching Marjorie's description riding in a dark-colored sedan with an unidentified man. The sighting took place at 11:38 PM on the night of her disappearance. The driver said that the individual asked him where the nearest motel was located. The driver directed him to an establishment across the street, which did not have any vacancies. The man returned and inquired about a local liquor store. The driver instructed him to stop at a bar down the road. The driver identified Marjorie as the man's passenger several days later, but man's identity remains a mystery.
Investigators determined that the approximate travel time along US Route 219 between the White Gravel area and Thomas, West Virginia was eight hours. If the individual abducted Marjorie around 3:00 PM, they would have arrived in Thomas by 11:00 - 11:30 PM that evening. Authorities were unable to confirm the child's identity.
There was speculation that Marjorie was taken to Canada by other family members, while others theorized that she may have fallen down an abandoned oil well near White Gravel. Some people believed that Marjorie may have been abducted and taken somewhere in the south or southwestern United States. Additional speculation pointed towards the Tennessee Children's Home Society near Memphis, Tennessee. The facility was operated by Georgia Tann, who was initially lauded for placing at-risk children in adoptive homes. Authorities eventually learned that Tann had kidnapped over 1200 young children during the years 1932 through 1951. The majority of victims were abducted from states bordering Tennessee, although some children resided in Connecticut. Judge Camille Kelly approved Tann's custody bids for the majority of the victims. Tann placed most of the children with childless couples in New York City, New York or Los Angeles, California. None of the theories have been proven and no one has been implicated in Marjorie's disappearance.
Dorothea strongly resembles Marjorie and her photos are posted below. Marjorie's case remains unsolved.
Left : Dorothea West at age 12, circa 1940s; Right : Dorothea at age 65, circa 1990s .
Agency Name: Pennsylvania State Police
Agency Contact Person: Trooper Neil Ginther
Agency Phone Number: (814) 938-0535
Agency E-Mail: tips@pa.gov
Agency Case Number: C05-1091880
NCIC Case Number: M230884949
NamUs Case Number: 7033
NCMEC Case Number: 1176415
NamUs
NCMEC
The Mountain Laurel Review
Added: Prior to 2011; Last Updated: 12/12/2023 - By: kc
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
Return Home