Debra Ann Wilhite vanished from Evansville in 1974. 50 years later, her daughter is still searching for answers.

October 16th, 1974, The Day Debra Went Missing

The day started like any other for 19-year-old Debra Ann Wilhite.  According to The Doe Network, Debra had to work, so she dropped her two young daughters off at her mom's house before going to her job as a waitress at the old Windmill Restaurant.  The last time Debra was seen, she was leaving work in her green 1966 Ford Galaxy.  That is the last known sighting of Debra.

The Unknown Man Who Asked for a Ride

According to the Indiana State police, before leaving work, Debra was seen talking to a man who was asking for a ride from the restaurant.  I spoke with Debra's daughter, Misty, and she went into more detail, saying that two witnesses overheard the conversation where the man told Debra he had gotten to the restaurant by hitching a ride on a cattle truck.

Out of the two witnesses, one stated Debra talked to the man as if they'd previously met, the other witness stated they did not believe she knew the man. The two left at the same time, but it is not known if Debra agreed to give him a ride. - Misty Lynn 

 

The Details of Debra's Disappearance

Here's what has been confirmed with this case, according to Indiana State Police:

• Debra was last seen at her job at the Old Windmill Restaurant on October 16, 1974
• The restaurant was located at Highway 41 and Highway 57 (From Misty, Debra's daughter, "Hwy 57 was later rerouted; today's current intersection is Highway 41 and Petersburg Rd" current map of location pictured below)
• The vehicle she was driving at the time was her green 1966 Ford Galaxy, which was a hard-top, two-door car with the license plate number 26B2953 OR 26B2952* (more info on this discrepancy below)
• The vehicle has not been located

* The discrepancy between the license plate numbers comes from an update from the Debra Ann Wilhite - Missing 1974 Facebook page. In a recent update, the page, which is run by Debra's daughter, Misty,  shared that the Indiana State Police Cold Case Unit informed her this year that both of those license plate numbers appear in the case file, and since the DMV doesn't keep records that far back, they cannot confirm which plate number is the right one.

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Debra's Daughter is Still Searching for Answers

Debra was the mom of two young daughters when she went missing: Misty, who was 18 months old at the time, and Amy Sue, who was 3. Sadly, Amy Sue passed away in 1979 at the age of 7 after a battle with Leukemia.  Misty now runs the Debra Ann Wilhite - Missing 1974 Facebook page in an effort to find answers. I spoke with Misty and learned she recently spoke about her mom's case on The Murder Sheet podcast, you can find that episode here.

Misty is also currently looking for divers who would be willing to help with searches as well, so if you or someone you know is a diver who could help, you can reach Misty through the Debra Wilhite - Missing 1974 Facebook page, her personal Facebook page, Misty Lynn, or by emailing her at  MissingDebraWilhite@gmail.com.