Where Is Beth? The Ongoing Search for Elizabeth Gill After Six Decades

In June 1965, Elizabeth Ann Gill mysteriously vanished from a quiet neighborhood in Missouri.

Her disappearance has left her family searching for answers for almost 60 years, making her case one of the oldest unsolved mysteries in America. 

Was she abducted? 

Did she wander off? 

Or is she still alive, unaware of her true identity?

Her family strongly believes she’s alive and they hope to be reunited with her one day.

Let's get into the details 

Who is Elizabeth Ann Gill? 

Elizabeth Ann Gill, affectionately called Beth by her family, was born on August 21, 1962.

She was the 10th and youngest child of her parents, Harry and Anola Gill.

The large family happily lived together in the quiet town of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

At the time of her disappearance, Beth was just two years old and her siblings were between the ages of 2 - 19.

She was really cherished as the baby of the family.

Beth’s siblings remember her as a happy toddler who loved playing with the family cats in their backyard. 

Her sister Martha Gill Hamilton described her as a bright, curious little girl who was deeply loved by everyone. 

On the day she vanished, Beth was wearing a green-and-white checked blouse and diapers.

She had blonde hair, striking blue eyes, and a small chickenpox scar on her right elbow.

While these minor details seemed irrelevant before her disappearance, they have become very crucial in the ongoing search for Elizabeth Ann Gill.

The Day Beth Vanished

On June 13, 1965, Beth mysteriously disappeared from her family home at 824 South Lorimier Street in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Her parents weren’t around that fateful day, so her older siblings were in charge of looking after the younger ones, including Beth. 

Her father, Harry Gill, was working in St. Louis where he often traveled for his job as an electrician.

Beth's mother Anola Gill was returning from a trip with two of Beth's sisters, leaving her at home with seven of her other siblings.

Later that day, Beth went outside their home to play with some of her siblings. 

Around 4:15 p.m., Beth’s 13-year-old sister, Jeannie told her siblings to go in and get ready for church.

She clearly saw Beth playing with the family cats in the backyard area of the house at this time. 

Fifteen minutes later, when everybody was ready for church, Beth was nowhere to be found.

She mysteriously vanished without a trace. 

Her siblings immediately started searching the yard and surrounding neighborhood, hoping to find her.

When they couldn’t find her, the family contacted the Cape Girardeau Police and filed a missing persons report. 

Officers arrived quickly and started an official search of the neighborhood with help from neighbors. 

Soon, nearly 300 people—police, firefighters, and volunteers—were looking for Beth, as reported by NBC.

They looked through nearby yards, homes, and even along the banks of the Mississippi River, which was only a few blocks away from the Gill home.

Despite the extensive search, no sign of Beth was found. 

Police printed flyers with Beth’s picture and details about what she was wearing. 

They also offered a $1,500 reward for tips, but no solid leads came in.

RELATED: Missouri Girl Sent on a ‘Calming Walk’ by Her Mom Vanishes Without a Trace. See details here

The Investigation into Beth's Disappearance 

When there was no sign of Beth in the neighborhood, the local police department began to suspect foul play.

Officers quickly started talking to neighbors and family members to gather any helpful information.

When Beth's mother was interviewed, she recalled seeing a strange woman talking to Beth a week earlier. 

She said this woman was middle-aged, heavyset, and was driving a new 1965 Ford Thunderbird.

Detectives eventually traced the Thunderbird to a couple of travelers, a man and a woman, who were in the area at the time.

Several residents reported that the couple had been going from house to house in the neighborhood, trying to sell purses. 

While selling purses wasn't a crime, their door to door movement raised some red flags among detectives. 

Further investigation showed that the travelers were staying at the Downtowner Motel, just a few blocks from the Gill home. 

When officers got to the motel, they found out that the travelers had checked out the same day Beth disappeared. 

This made the police even more suspicious, so they decided to track the license plate of the Thunderbird.

Shockingly, they found out the suspects had been using different license plates on their car.  

A gas station worker later confirmed seeing the same Thunderbird with different plates on separate days

This suggested that the couple were trying to hide their real identity or avoid being tracked.

Despite extensive efforts to find these travelers, investigators reached a dead end. 

The suspects had used fake names, switched license plates, and were known to travel between states, making it difficult to trace them.

Eventually, the case went cold.

Other Potential Leads The Police Explored Aside the travelers 

Over the years, police have also looked into other major leads to find out what really happened to Beth.

In 1970, convicted murderer Phillip Odell Clark claimed responsibility for Beth's disappearance. 

Clark told authorities he had accidentally hit Beth with his car and buried her body. 

Criminal investigators took Clark to the location he claimed to have buried Beth.

However, after an extensive search, no remains or evidence in connection to Beth's  disappearance were found. 

Police later discovered that Clark had made up the story, probably in an attempt to gain prison benefits or secure temporary release.

Another promising lead emerged in 1975, when a woman came forward and claimed to have seen Beth on the day she disappeared.

The witness said she saw a couple with a crying toddler who resembled Beth at a general store, about 45 minutes away from Cape Girardeau.

According to her account, the child was upset and calling for her mother while the adults bought new clothes for her. 

Most notably, the witness said the couple was driving a late-model Thunderbird - the same type of car the travelers were seen driving. 

However, this tip came nearly ten years after Beth's disappearance, making it impossible for investigators to follow up and verify.  

After nothing concrete came up, the case went cold again.

Recent Developments 

The case saw renewed attention in the early 2000s when Detective Jimmy Smith reopened the investigation. 

He submitted DNA samples from Beth's family to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

This led to several women coming forward believing they might be Beth.

Due to this, several DNA tests were conducted in multiple state but none of them matched.

In 2010, the FBI officially reclassified Beth's case as a kidnapping.

They also started tracking down potential relatives of the original traveling suspects for interviews.

This led investigators to a woman in a nursing home who was believed to be connected to the Thunderbird’s occupants.

However, due to her advanced Alzheimer sickness — a disease that affects memory —she was unable to provide any helpful information.

Advancements in DNA technology has  allowed investigators to compare Beth's family DNA with unidentified remains and adoption records nationwide. 

Though this has yet to produce a match, it remains an active avenue of investigation. 

Potential Theories in Beth's Disappearance

Several theories have emerged over the years to explain what may have happened to Beth Gill:  

1. Abduction by the Traveling Couple  

   The strongest theory suggests Beth was taken by the nomadic salespeople seen near her home. 

A week before her disappearance, Beth's mother witnessed a woman in a 1965 Ford Thunderbird speaking to Beth. 

A local car dealer also revealed the couple had ordered a vehicle part and left a contact number at the motel.  

However, when the part arrived on June 14, 1965, the couple had already checked out on June 13—the same day Beth vanished.  

 

A gas station attendant noted the Thunderbird had switched license plates, making them harder to track.  

Despite extensive efforts, the couple are still unidentified till today. 

2. Accidental Death (Wandered Off)

   Some people considered if Beth may have wandered toward the Mississippi River and drowned. 

However, searches of the riverbanks and nearby areas found no evidence supporting this.  

3. Family Involvement:  Police briefly looked into whether someone in the extended family could have been involved, but no credible evidence or motive was ever found.  

All family members were cleared. 

4. Stranger Abduction by Unknown Perpetrator: 

Another possibility is that an unrelated predator took Beth, though no other similar cases were reported in the area at the time.  

The traveling couple theory remains the most plausible due to their suspicious behavior before and after Beth's disappearance. 

The case is still considered an abduction by law enforcement officials. 

Ongoing Efforts in Beth's Case

The search for Elizabeth Gill is still ongoing nearly 60 years later. 

Both the police and her family are still working hard to solve this mystery and find out what really happened to Beth in 1965.

Detectives have sent some of the old evidence for new DNA testing using modern technology. 

However, since the evidence is from 1965, there isn’t much forensic details to work with, which makes things more difficult.

The Cape Girardeau Police Department works closely with the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) team to review Beth’s case from time to time and look for any new leads.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children have shared age-progression images of what Beth might look like as an adult. 

These images are updated as technology gets better, helping to show what Beth might look like today.

Beth’s siblings have also taken active steps to keep her case in the public eye.  

They created a dedicated Facebook page to share updates and raise awareness. 

Thanks to their efforts, the case has gained renewed attention through true crime podcasts and TV shows—like Missing in America by Dateline.

Also, a 2021 episode of "Disappeared" featured Beth's story, generating tips that investigators are still following up on. 

The Gill family maintains contact with the original investigators while working with new generations of detectives assigned to the case. 

Even after all these years, Beth’s family hasn’t given up. 

With better forensic technology and continued help from the police, there’s still hope that the truth will come out one day.

For any information about Beth Gill's case, contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department at (573) 335-6621 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).