Disappearance of Joan Risch
42°27′17″N 71°17′56″W / 42.45475°N 71.29897°W
Joan Carolyn Risch | |
|---|---|
Risch in 1960 | |
| Born | Joan Carolyn Bard May 12, 1930 |
| Disappeared | October 24, 1961 (aged 31) Lincoln, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Status | Missing for 64 years, 4 months and 21 days |
| Other names | Joan Carolyn Nattrass |
| Alma mater | Wilson College (BA) |
| Occupations | Editor, homemaker |
| Employer(s) | Harcourt Brace World Thomas Y. Crowell Co. |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Spouse |
Martin Risch (m. 1956) |
| Children | 2 |
On October 24, 1961, Joan Carolyn Risch (née Bard; also known as Joan Nattrass), a 31-year-old housewife, disappeared under mysterious circumstances from her home in Lincoln, Massachusetts. That afternoon, a neighbor discovered a trail of blood leading from the house to the driveway after Risch's young daughter returned from a playdate to find her mother missing. Several unconfirmed sightings of a disoriented woman matching Risch's description were reported nearby later that day, but she has not been seen since.
Initial evidence suggested a possible abduction, though her two-year-old son was found safe inside the house. Later discoveries revealed that Risch had borrowed library books about disappearances and unsolved murders, prompting speculation that she may have staged her own disappearance. Other theories suggest she may have suffered an accident near a nearby construction site. Her fate remains unknown.