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Sheryl Tillinghast

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Sheryl Ann Tillinghast was a teenager who vanished in 1973.

Background[]

Sheryl was originally from Phelps, New York, but she was sent to a reform school after pleading guilty to a charge of the possession of marijuana. She was then sent to the Wassaic State School in Wassaic, New York, after the reform school burnt down. After graduating, Sheryl did not want to leave Wassaic due to issues within her family, including suffering through physical and verbal abuse. As a result, at the time of her disappearance, she lived at the Wassaic State School and worked in the laundry room there.

Despite this, Sheryl had a very good relationship with her sisters and would write to them often. Before her disappearance, she said she would be coming home for her mother's birthday and that she'd got a car. Sheryl and her older sister were also planning to move to California together. Just before her disappearance, she had written to a judge, asking for a case worker to go to her former home and check on her younger siblings.

Case[]

Sheryl is believed to have vanished from Wassaic, New York, around September 24, 1973. However, the exact date and circumstances surrounding her disappearance are unclear. It became apparent she was missing when she didn't return home as scheduled. Her mother called the Wassaic State School, who explained that Sheryl didn't want to go home. Since Sheryl appeared to have left on her own accord, her mother did not put much effort into finding her.

Sheryl's siblings were all under the impression that their mother had reported her missing. However, she had never been reported missing at all. It wasn't until November 2, 1998, that a missing person report was finally filed for Sheryl.

An older man who worked with Sheryl at the laundry is considered a possible suspect in her case. In August 1973, Sheryl called the police and informed them that he had assaulted her. The man was arraigned, but a relative posted his bail. A court date was set in October 1973. However, by then, Sheryl was already missing.

Sheryl left all of her belongings behind, including two paychecks, which were worth over $150 in total. Her social security number, band records and Department of Motor Vehicle records have all been inactive since her disappearance. There have also been no reported sightings of Sheryl or records indicating that she ever married. Her case remains unsolved.

Characteristics[]

  • Brown hair.
  • Brown eyes.

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