Disappearance of Susan Pearson

Susan Elizabeth Pearson was born October 1, 1935 in Portland, Oregon,[2] the daughter of David and Agatha Pearson.[3] Her father was a prominent insurance agent in Portland.[4] She was the granddaughter of Oregon Democratic senator Walter Pearson.[3] She had one younger brother, David,[5] and younger sister, Virginia.[6]

In 1966, then-30-year-old Pearson was working as a part-time instructor at the University of Montana (UM) in Missoula, and working toward completing her doctoral thesis through the University of Oregon.[7]

The University of Montana campus, where Pearson was last seen

Pearson was last seen March 13, 1966[2] by friends on the UM campus.[8] She was scheduled to administer a business administration exam that day, but failed to arrive.[9] At the time of her disappearance, Pearson had been last seen wearing slacks, a green car coat with plaid lining, and two diamond rings.[7] Susan King, a nightclub singer and friend of Pearson, told law enforcement that Pearson had visited her on March 12, the night before she disappeared, and stated that she seemed to be in a nervous, agitated, and depressed state.[10] "It was just a different Sue," King recalled.[10] King also alleged that Pearson had told her in the past that she had considered leaving and starting a new life.[10]

On March 17,[11] Pearson's vehicle was found abandoned in a business district of Missoula, with her purse, car keys, and identification inside.[2][12] Pearson was reported missing the following day, March 18.[3] It was reported that she was also scheduled to turn in her doctoral thesis, though her father later stated it was an anthropology essay that was due.[10] Two checks for Pearson totaling $1,200 were left unclaimed.[9]

Upon inspection, Pearson's apartment at 160 Strand Avenue[1] was found undisturbed,[2] though her brother, David, stated that it appeared to him as though his sister had left in a hurry, as a teakettle had been left boiling on the stove, and an exterior porch light—which Pearson had typically left on in the evenings—had been turned off.[13] King told law enforcement that "one or two boys" who had received poor grades in one of the courses Pearson was teaching had "threatened to wreck her car."[10] On March 31, local police officers investigated a claim that Pearson had been sighted at the top of Lolo Pass, but found no evidence she had been there.[10]

In May 1966, Pearson's family hired Burleigh Allen, a former FBI agent and private detective from Billings, to investigate Pearson's disappearance.[14]

On October 29, 1970, bones from an arm and hand[15] were discovered in the Blue Mountain region south of Missoula by several UM students.[16] The sheriff who examined the bones at the scene suspected they may have been "four or five years old."[16] Investigators initially suspected the bones belonged to Pearson.[17] However, it was reported that pathologists believed the bones were not human, and instead belonged to a bear.[17] Dr. Buchanan, a pathologist examining them, stated: "Just looking at the bones, we thought the wrist bones were too large in comparison to the length of the fingers."[17] Missola County Attorney Harold J. Pisoneault stated after the discovery of the bones that it had been suspected that Pearson may have been murdered in the Blue Mountain area, though no suspect had been formally named.[16]

In 2017, it was reported that Pearson's disappearance was one of the oldest cold cases in the state of Montana.[18]

• Susan Elizabeth Pearson at the Charley Project