KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — There are more than 200 people missing in East Tennessee, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. The oldest six cases listed in the database range between 1964-1980.
The youngest individual went missing at 6 years old and the oldest was 46. In one case, if the person was found today, they would be 102 years old. Here is what is known about each case.
Linda Kay Sanders
Sanders’ case is the oldest of the six cases. She went missing in May 1964 at just 16 years old, according to NamUs. According to the profile, her brother says she went missing from her residence that May after she left her home in Kingsport and was never heard from again.
The report on her disappearance was discovered while reviewing cold case files at a law enforcement department, NamUs says. No photos were attached to her profile.
If found today, Sanders would be 75 years old. When she went missing, she was five feet tall and 110 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes.
Anna Francis Leatherwood
Leatherwood’s case is one of the more peculiar listings in the NamUs database. Her profile says she went missing from Sevierville on May 20, 1966, at 45 years old, however, the circumstance notes do not list any information on when she was last seen.
If she were found today, Leatherwood would be 102 years old. When she went missing, she was estimated to be between five feet tall and five foot-three inches and 160 pounds. She had deep brown hair with some gray mixed in and blue eyes. The NamUs profile added that she was last seen wearing a white house gown and that she did not drive.
Photos of her linked to her profile show Leatherwood with and without glasses.
A request was made to Sevier County Sheriff’s Office for more information about the circumstances of her disappearance, but the sheriff’s office has not yet responded.
Dennis Lloyd Martin
NamUs says Martin’s family was visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when he went missing at 6 years old. On Saturday, June 14, 1969, he was playing Hide and Seek between 2-4 p.m. in Spence Field, near the Appalachian Trail. The profile says he disappeared behind a bush in the area and was never seen again.
According to Google Maps, the field lies very close to the North Carolina border. NamUs says the case was contributed to by both the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Extensive searches of the area were done, but they were unable to find any evidence of his whereabouts.
When he went missing, Martin was wearing a red T-shirt, green shorts, white socks, and oxford shoes. He had dark brown, wavy hair and brown eyes. NamUs also attached an age progression to his profile from 2014 showing what he might have looked like at age 51. If he were found today, he would be 60 years old.
William Bradford Bishop, Jr.
NamUs gives quite an extensive background on Bishop, explaining that he was an avid outdoorsman, camper, and hiker who had extensive camping experience in Africa.
“He enjoyed canoeing, fishing, swimming, jogging, tennis, skiing and riding motorcycles. He enjoyed working out several times a week and was also a licensed amateur pilot who learned to fly in Botswana, Africa,” the NamUs profile reads.
The 39-year-old was last seen alive on March 2, 1976, at a sporting goods store in Jacksonville, North Carolina around 4:30 p.m., the profile says. According to NamUs, Bishop’s vehicle was found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg on March 18, 1976.
The profile also lists one interesting detail. It advises if Bishop is found, not to approach him or contact him. Instead, notify law enforcement immediately.
If he were found today, Bishop would be 86 years old. When he went missing, Bishop was 6 feet 1 inch tall and 180 pounds. NamUs says he had brown hair, brown eyes, and a scar on his lower back that may have been from back surgery.
Hubert Hansel Larkins
Larkins was last seen leaving his home in Kingsport around Christmas 1977, NamUs says. His family reportedly said the 26-year-old may have been traveling to New Orleans with friends, however, it is not known if he ever returned.
NamUs also says that his family reported that his brother, Albert “Bud” Larkins, who has since died, confessed to killing him at the Kingston home. The basement of Albert Larkins’ home was searched by the Knoxville Forensic Anthropology Center in 1981, but they did not find Hubert Larkins’ remains, NamUs says.
Larkins was roughly five-and-a-half feet tall and 130 pounds when he went missing according to his NamUs profile. He had brown hair and brown eyes. If he were found today, he would be 92.
Carson Jerome Casteel
July 15, 1980, was the last time Casteel was heard from. He was 26 years old.
His NamUs profile does not give many details about the circumstances around his disappearance. According to the profile, there was a burglary at his Blountville residence with no trace of the owner.
Casteel was around 5 feet-8 inches tall and 135 pounds. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and a scar on his left shoulder.
