Hartley, circa 1953

Evelyn Hartley
Missing since October 24, 1953, from La Crosse, Wisconsin
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

• Date Of Birth: November 21, 1937
• Age at Time of Disappearance: 15 years old
• Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'7"; 126 lbs.
• Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blue eyes; brown, straight hair. Hartley wears eyeglasses, but did not have them on when she disappeared.
• Clothing: She was last seen wearing size 16 red denim White Stag jeans, a size 34 plain white Ship n' Shore blouse, and white bobby socks.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Hartley, a 15-year-old Central High School student disappeared October 24, 1953, from the home of a La Crosse State College professor where she was baby-sitting. She was supposed to call her parents during the evening but did not. Her father tried to call several times that day and never got an answer. He became worried and went to the house to check on his daughter.
Hartley's father found all the windows in the house locked except a basement window in the back. Bloodstains were found around that window and in the grass of the yard, and there was a bloody handprint on the side of the house next door. The furniture inside the living room was disarranged. Hartley's eyeglasses, which were broken, and one of her shoes were on the living room floor. Her other shoe was found in the basement. There was no other trace of Hartley inside the home. The twenty-month-old girl she had been baby-sitting was found unharmed, sleeping in her crib.
Tracker dogs traced Hartley's scent as far as the street, leading authorities to believe she had been taken away in a car. They believe she disappeared at approximately 7:15 p.m. She never was found though there was an intensive search. Foul play is suspected.

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

La Crosse Police Department
608-785-5962
Or
FindEvelynHartley.org

Source Information:
La Crosse Tribune
FindEvelynHartley.org
The Charley Project