McDowell, circa 1953.

Marion Joan McDowell
Missing since December 6, 1953 from Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
Classification: Involuntary

Vital Statistics

• Date Of Birth: November of 1936
• Age at Time of Disappearance: 17 years old
• Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'3"; 130 lbs
• Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blonde hair; blue eyes. McDowell has a round face.
• Clothing: Marion was wearing a white blouse with black or blue trim, a black wool pleated skirt, black ballerina shoes, a silver chain with a heart worn on her wrist and a ring on her left hand initialed "MM".
• Dentals: Her teeth were in good condition

Circumstances of Disappearance
On Sunday, December 6th, 1953 Jimmy Wilson, 19, picked up his date Marion McDowell, 17, from her home about 7 in the evening. They drove Jimmy's 1942 five-passenger Plymouth coupe to a few miles within Scarborough.

They pulled off onto a quiet road. About 8 o'clock they were confronted by a person who opened the passenger side door and barked "This is a stick-up!".

Jimmy was told to hand over his wallet. The bandit took $10.00 before ordering Jimmy to turn around. Jimmy was then hit over the back of the head twice with the butt-end of a handgun which later required 17 stitches to close.

Jimmy woke in and out of consciousness. One image was being in the back of the coupe with Marion's body sprawled across him. The next image was being parked in a lot three car lengths behind another car. Jimmy saw someone close the trunk of the other car before getting in the driver's side and drive off.

After the other vehicle drove out of the lot, Jimmy crawled into the driver's seat and drove to the Scarborough Police and made his report.

The yard was a fenced-in vacant lot located a short distance from where Jimmy and Marion were parked earlier. Found in the lot was Jimmy's discarded wallet and bar of old-fashioned "Sunlight" brand laundry soap. The bar was wrapped in it's outer container but it's inner wrapping had been removed. The lot's gate had it's locks broken and it's chain cut. The chain & locks had been put in place only hours earlier.

Jimmy Wilson's 1942 Plymouth contained Marion's head scarf. Marion's scarf it was believed had been worn folded. The scarf contained cuts in it's fabric as though she might have sustained a heavy head blow. two different types of blood were found in the car, A-type and O-type.

Jimmy Wilson was considered a suspect but was cleared due to his statement and after passing a lie detector test in Buffalo, New York.

The suspect in this crime was described as about 5'8" with a narrow face. He wore a dark balaclava mask and brandished what appeared to be a Walther .38 or a Luger.

Marion was a bit of a tomboy, boisterous and outgoing. Her hobbies included tennis, swimming, roller-skating, pinball & music. Marion had previously worked at a department store and a bank. She was once an invoice typist for a printing firm.

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

Toronto Police Service
416-808-2222

Source Information:
"Disappearances" by Derik Murdoch
"Canadian Crimes" by Max Haines

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