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Real Name: Angela Marie Hammond
Nicknames: Angie
Location: Clinton, Missouri
Date: April 4, 1991

Bio[]

Occupation: Bank clerk and college student
Date of Birth: February 9, 1971
Height: 4' 11"
Weight: 120 lbs.
Marital Status: Engaged
Characteristics: White female with brown hair and brown eyes. She had a scar on her upper lip and wore contacts. She was four months pregnant at the time of her disappearance.

Case[]

Details: Twenty-year-old Angela Hammond was a popular young woman living in Clinton, Missouri. She worked at a bank and took classes at Central Missouri State University. In January 1991, she became engaged to Rob Shafer, an athlete who planned to be in the military. At around 10pm on April 4, 1991, she dropped him off at his home after a barbecue. They planned to meet later after his mother got home from work because he was babysitting his brother at the time.
Angela spent some time with her friend Kyla. At 11:15pm, she called Rob from a pay phone at the intersection of Jefferson and 2nd street, seven blocks from his home. While talking to him, she noticed a suspicious man circle the block several times in a green Ford pickup truck. It then pulled up beside her. The man got out and used the phone before getting back into his truck. He took out a flashlight and flashed it around his truck, looking for something. Angela described the man's appearance and truck to Rob. She then asked him if he needed to use the phone; he replied that he would try the other one again in a minute. She and Rob then returned to their conversation.
Just a few moments later, Rob heard Angela scream. Chillingly, the man then said, "I didn't need to use the phone anyway". Rob immediately dropped his phone and ran outside to his car. He quickly drove toward the pay phone, hoping to help her. As the abductor's truck sped past him in the opposite direction, Rob heard Angela yell out to him. Rob abruptly threw his car in reverse, unknowingly damaging the transmission in the process. He followed the truck for two miles before the transmission ultimately failed as he made a sharp right turn. Unfortunately, the truck drove away and was never seen again.
An extensive search began for Angela, the abductor, and his truck. The Missouri State Highway Patrol checked hundreds of trucks matching the description, but all were ruled out. With few leads in this case, investigators questioned Rob's story. At first, no witnesses were found to corroborate his account. A polygraph examination on him indicated that he was telling the truth. Two witnesses later came forward, seeing a truck and suspicious person around the pay phones between 11:30 and 11:45pm, shortly before Angela's disappearance. Within a week, Rob was cleared.
Two days later, Angela's abduction was connected to two other unsolved cases within a 100 mile radius. The first occurred near Macks Creek, Missouri. On January 19, 1991, forty-two-year-old convenience store worker Trudy Darby called her son to report a suspicious man lurking outside. Less than ten minutes later, her son arrived at the store and found it empty. Two days later, her body was found on a riverbank ten miles from the store. She had been raped and shot twice in the head.
The other case involved thirty-year-old Cheryl Kenney, another convenience store worker in Nevada, Missouri, which is seventy miles from Macks Creek. She vanished after locking up her store on the night of February 27. Her car was found abandoned in the store parking lot. It is believed that she was also kidnapped. Angela was abducted just a month later.
Authorities now fear that a serial killer may be on the loose in West Central Missouri. Even though they hold out little hope that either Angela or Cheryl are alive, there have been unconfirmed sightings of Angela in several states and most recently, Canada.

Suspects: Rob was initially considered a suspect in Angela's disappearance. However, he was later cleared. According to him, her, and the other witnesses, the abductor is described as a filthy Caucasian man with glasses, a beard, and a mustache. He was wearing overalls. He drove an older late 60s to early 70s model two-tone green Ford pickup with the mural of a fish jumping out of water on the back window.
Serial killer Kenneth McDuff, whose killing spree spanned from 1966 to 1992, has been looked at as a possible suspect. However, he was never officially linked to her case.
Extra Notes:

  • This case first aired on the February 5, 1992 episode.
  • It was also featured on The Maury Povich Show.
  • Angela's mother, Marsha Cook, later befriended Janis McCall, whose daughter, Stacy, vanished along with her friend, Suzie, and Suzie's mother, Sherrill Levitt.

Results: Unsolved. Trudy's case was eventually solved with the convictions of half-brothers Jesse Rush and Marvin Chaney; however, Cheryl and Angela's still remain unsolved. Investigators suspect that Jesse and Marvin were involved in them. However, they have not been charged.
One rumor suggests Angela was murdered and thrown into a well in the old artesian park in Clinton, Missouri, close to the site of a very old water ride, but it is unknown if that has been explored.
In April 2021, on the thirtieth anniversary of Angela's disappearance, the Clinton Police Department announced that there was a new theory being investigated in her case. A confidential informant that helped in a narcotics operation received a "cut-and-paste" letter which read: Hello No. [redacted], We know who you are no. [redacted]. People like you deserve what you get we know where your foxy daughter is at she will see us soon tell [wife's name] she has our deepest sympathy in her further loss Goodbye
The letter correctly identified the informant's court issued number along with his estranged wife's first name. The letter was postmarked April 4, 1991 - the day of Angela's abduction. The informant's wife and daughter (who was also named Angela) were living in Clinton at the time. Investigators theorized that those involved in the narcotics operation targeted the informant's daughter, but mistakenly abducted Angela Hammond. Investigators have noted that, while the theory seems credible, they have not been able to rule it out. Also, they recently received an anonymous call from someone who may have had information about Angela's abduction; the caller specifically mentioned details involving the letter. They are hoping that the caller will call back.
Sadly, Angela's mother, Marsha Cook passed away in May of 2021 without ever finding her daughter's abductor or her remains.
A reward is being offered for leads in this case.
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