300:, a female witness claimed to have seen a woman matching Mays' description sitting in the back seat of a car with two unidentified men at a convenience store; according to the witness, the woman appeared to be afraid. When the witness exited the convenience store, she saw the woman again, this time talking on a payphone beside one of the unidentified men.
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bedroom window had been broken from inside the house, and discovered blood on the window; however, no one in the house reported hearing the window break during the night. The bed had appeared to not have been slept in, and Mays' personal belongings were on the nightstand. On a boat dock on the lake,
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In an official statement made by
Marshall County Police Sheriff Scott Walls, Mays' death was ruled as accidental, with claims that no foul play was suspected; investigators believed Mays had unintentionally fallen from the cliff where she was discovered. In an official statement, Walls said: "We
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as a probable cause for her death: "You know the window was broken from the inside that she went out of. She had an attack and it was something that scared her. She would just get terrified when she had these attacks. She would just be terrified of everything."
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in 1986. She was reported missing by her aunt and uncle in the early morning hours of May 12, when they found the guest room in which she was staying empty, its window apparently broken from inside. Mays' bloodied nightgown was found behind the family's home on
312:, but no sign of Mays was found. During the search, an empty canoe was discovered drifting on the water; upon inspection, blood was discovered in the canoe. Upon lab testing, the blood discovered in the canoe was confirmed to match Mays'
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have found no evidence whatsoever of any foul play. Wanda Jean Mays' death was accidental. We have concluded that Miss Mays, who was suffering at the time from a known chemical imbalance, left the home on her own accord."
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The following morning at 5am, May 12, the
Dormans, while attempting to wake Wanda for her job, found the guest bedroom Mays had stayed in was locked. After accessing the room, the Dormans found the double-paned
275:. Mays decided to spend the night at her aunt and uncle's home rather than drive back to her apartment that evening, and went to bed at approximately 10:30pm. This was the last time she was seen alive.
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near
Guntersville, wearing oversized jeans. The witness stated that the woman's hair was wet, as if she'd been swimming. The following day, May 13, approximately 30 miles (48 km) away in
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One of Mays' brothers, John, made a public statement after the discovery, agreeing with the police's determination, citing his sister's frequent and unprovoked
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After meeting her parents for dinner on the evening of May 11, 1986, Mays stopped by the home of her aunt and uncle, Tyrus and Betty Dorman Sr., located on
316:. A homicide investigator, Edward Teal, was subsequently brought in to examine the case, and deemed it the "most mysterious case" he had ever worked on.
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Initially believing Mays had drowned in the lake, Marshall County rescuers sent search divers to look for a potential body. Additionally, the lake was
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plants discovered human bones at the foot of a 150 foot (46 m) cliff approximately 1.8 miles (2.9 km) from the
Dormans' home in
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231:, where her father had been stationed in the military. Mays grew up in Arkansas, Alabama and Texas. She attended Arab High school in
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The unusual details surrounding Mays' disappearance led her case to receive national attention, and it was profiled on the series
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that formerly unidentified skeletal remains discovered in 2003 were those of Mays. Her death was officially ruled accidental.
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On the morning of May 12, 1986, a local resident reported seeing a young woman matching Mays' description walking along
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536:. Anniston, Alabama: Associated Press. May 16, 1989. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
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for testing; the FBI confirmed in
January 2008 that the remains matched Mays.
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A year after her disappearance, Mays' case was featured on the network series
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twice beginning in 1987. With no leads, however, her disappearance became a
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In 2008, twenty-two years after her disappearance, it was confirmed by the
604:. Selma, Alabama. January 24, 2008. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
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239:. At the time of Mays' disappearance, she was working as a secretary at
195:, as was an empty canoe, also covered with blood, floating in the lake.
646:"Police say woman who disappeared in Guntersville in 1986 died in fall"
345:. The remains were unidentified until 2008, when they were sent to the
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572:. Atlanta, Georgia: Associated Press. January 23, 2008. Archived from
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Wanda Jean Mays was born in 1959 to Jim and
Dorothy (Dot) Mays in
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Mays' torn nightgown was discovered with bloodstains on it.
178:(August 19, 1959 – May 12, 1986) was an American woman who
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Woman who disappeared on
Georgia Mountain, Alabama in 1986
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from the original on
October 28, 2019 – via AL.com.
410:"Skeletal remains belong to woman missing for 22 years"
435:"Search continues for Arab woman missing for 2 years"
554:. Poughkeepsie, New York. May 25, 1987. p. 14A.
566:"Case Of Woman Who Disappeared 22 Years Ago Solved"
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671:"Wanda Mays' brother talks to WAFF 48 News"
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518:. Season 1. Episode 2. May 25, 1987. NBC.
644:Times Staff Reports (January 23, 2008).
618:Times Staff Reports (January 24, 2008).
596:"22-year-old cold case announced solved"
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337:In October 2003, a hiker searching for
743:Wallace State Community College alumni
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476:. Huntsville, Alabama. January 2008.
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380:Lists of solved missing person cases
408:Laughlin, Budd (January 23, 2008).
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620:"Missing woman died accidentally"
169:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
728:Missing person cases in Alabama
347:Federal Bureau of Investigation
213:Federal Bureau of Investigation
71:Remains identified January 2008
271:" that had been attributed to
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723:Accidental deaths from falls
718:Accidental deaths in Alabama
530:"Marshall women buying guns"
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713:1980s missing person cases
468:"Wanda Jean Mays Obituary"
738:People from Arab, Alabama
439:The Anniston Star Details
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552:The Poughkeepsie Journal
261:Marshall County, Alabama
87:Marshall County, Alabama
733:People from Panama City
483:(subscription required)
548:"Where is Wanda Jean?"
294:Alabama State Route 62
237:Wallace State College
235:, and graduated from
188:Guntersville, Alabama
473:The Huntsville Times
414:The Huntsville Times
108:Brookwood Cemetery,
601:Selma Times-Journal
576:on January 29, 2008
298:Huntsville, Alabama
132:34.3359°N 86.4553°E
128: /
95:Cause of death
516:Unsolved Mysteries
351:Quantico, Virginia
322:Unsolved Mysteries
269:chemical imbalance
245:United States Army
217:Quantico, Virginia
201:Unsolved Mysteries
63:May 11 or 12, 1986
677:. 25 January 2008
650:The Gadsden Times
624:The Gadsden Times
534:The Anniston Star
288:Alleged sightings
265:Guntersville Lake
215:'s laboratory in
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156:Known for
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83:(aged 26)
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681:December 29,
679:. Retrieved
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653:. Retrieved
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578:. Retrieved
574:the original
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81:(1986-05-12)
79:May 12, 1986
708:1986 deaths
703:1959 births
629:January 21,
580:January 21,
445:January 22,
419:January 22,
327:Karl Malden
180:disappeared
148:Nationality
135: /
60:Disappeared
52:Panama City
697:Categories
386:References
325:with host
314:blood type
223:Early life
123:86°27′19″E
120:34°20′09″N
44:1959-08-19
333:Discovery
206:cold case
478:Archived
374:See also
151:American
54:, Panama
675:WAFF 48
339:ginseng
310:dragged
273:dieting
263:, near
570:WSB-TV
357:Ruling
247:post.
229:Panama
166:Height
112:, U.S.
89:, U.S.
68:Status
186:near
683:2016
657:2016
631:2017
582:2017
447:2017
421:2017
243:, a
76:Died
38:Born
259:in
182:on
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
