Monday, June 15, 2015

Strange Hospital Story For Monday Mystery...!

Here is a tale I know we haven't had before: a hospital disappearance!

How can someone disappear from a hospital, you ask? Good question! Strange story ahead!

The Disappearance Of Joan Gay Croft

Whenever a natural disaster occurs, it’s almost inevitable that some victims will never be found. However, the disappearance of four-year-old Joan Gay Croft is unlike any other.

On April 9, 1947, an F5 tornado ravaged its way through Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, causing hundreds of deaths and devastating several towns. One of these towns was Woodward, Oklahoma, where 185 people were killed and many more injured. Joan Gay Croft lived in Woodward and wound up losing her mother that day. Joan’s stepfather was critically injured, and both Joan and her eight-year-old half sister, Jerri, suffered minor injuries. The two girls were taken to the local hospital to stay in the basement, which was being used as a shelter for refugees.

Sometime during the night, two unidentified men dressed in khaki army uniforms entered the basement and grabbed Joan. When Joan protested that she didn’t want to leave her sister, the two men assured her everything would be okay and that they would return for Jerri. Hospital staff members confronted the men, but they claimed they were taking Joan to another hospital to see her family. The two men were allowed to leave with Joan but did not return for Jerri. Joan was never seen again. Strangely, the men had specifically asked for Joan when they entered the room, indicating that they knew her.

The case received national mainstream attention over the next several decades, but Joan was never located. In 1999, a newspaper editor for The Oklahoman received an e-mail from a woman claiming to be Joan Gay Croft, who said she had been living under a different name with her family’s knowledge. The woman agreed to a meeting but ceased communications and never came forward. Joan Gay Croft’s disappearance remains unsolved and is one of the most unusual child abductions on record.

This story is especially sad to me. I can't imagine why the hospital would allow someone to just come and walk off with a child without a note from the parents...or some kind of authorization, can you?

Coffee out on the patio again today. Brother, it's hot and humid!

5 comments:

Mamahen said...

Wow....That is strange.So many questions!

linda m said...

That is indeed strange. Back then hospitals and schools weren't as stringent with their rules. So it doesn't surprise me that during a crisis someone could just walk in and take a child. Not saying it is right but doesn't surprise me. The security of people just doesn't seem that important to some - take the TSA for example. Sure would be nice to find out where the little girl is. Hot humid and thunderstorms here.

Chickenmom said...

That would be a good one for the Cold Case people to delve into. Very humid here, too.
Yucky!

Dizzy-Dick said...

I bet things like that happen more than we know. Thanks again for an interesting and thought provoking post. Keep them coming.

HermitJim said...

Hey Mamahen...
It does pose a few, doesn't it?

Thanks for stopping by today!



Her Linda...
One can imagine the outrage if something like that happened in our age.

Thanks for coming by today!



Hey Phyllis...
Certainly sounds like a good case for them, doesn't it?

Thanks for stopping by today!



Hey Dizzy...
I think you're probably right about that. Pretty scary!

Thanks for dropping in today!