Corlew, in 1974

Perry Otto Corlew
Missing since March 15, 1974 from Grayling, Crawford County, Michigan.
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

• Date Of Birth: July 5, 1956
• Age at Time of Disappearance: 18 years old
• Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 6'3"; 160 lbs thin build.
• Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; greenish/gray eyes. Glasses. He smashed his left thumb in a car door when he was young. Shoe size 12 1/2/
• Dentals: Some filling nothing major.

Circumstances of Disappearance
At about 8:30 p.m. on March 15, 1974, Perry Corlew got into a fender-bender in front of Grayling's Rialto Theater in a car he had just purchased. Instead of waiting for police, he took off. And that was the last anyone saw of him.
About 90 minutes later a passing trucker alerted police that Corlew's car was sitting on the side of I-75 about 15 miles south of Grayling. The engine was still running, the headlights were on and the driver's side door was open. But Perry Corlew was nowhere to be seen.
Police from Crawford and Roscommon counties called to the scene were baffled. There were no footprints in the snow and no witnesses to what happened.
The family has speculated that Corlew fled the scene of the accident because he was on probation for a breaking and entering and had a poor driving record.
A police report said Corlew may have gone to downstate Michigan or to Florida. And friends said he had talked of going to California.
He may be working as an auto mechanic.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Crawford County Sheriff's Department
989-348-4616

Source Information:
The Traverse City Record-Eagle
Cold Case Investigations