The disappearance of 67 year old Ruth Dorsey has perplexed her family, friends and Lee County, Alabama law enforcement for half a century. In the summer of 1974 investigators launched what would become one of the most extensive searches to date in the east central part of the state. Ruth’s disappearance remains one of Alabama’s most baffling mysteries.

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Episode Sources

• The Charley Project: Ruth Purcell Murphree Dorsey


• Encyclopedia of Alabama: Opelika


• Opelika-Auburn News: Dorsey Family Needs Closure After 30 Years, April 16, 2006


• Opelika-Auburn News: Only Spooky May Know What Happened, Aug 17, 1975


• Opelika-Auburn News: Ruth Dorsey Still Missing After Seven Years, Aug 16, 1981


• Opelika-Auburn News: E.S. (Pete) Dorsey, Lee Cattleman Dies at Home, June 22, 1965


• Opelika-Auburn News: Opelika Missing After Car Found, Aug 19, 1974


• Opelika-Auburn News: Helicopter Used to Search Area for Mrs. Dorsey, Aug 27, 1974 


• Opelika-Auburn News: Aerial Search for Proves Fruitless In Search for Missing Opelikan


• Opelika-Auburn News: Ruth Dorsey’s Disappearance, Aug 21, 1977


• Opelika-Auburn News: After 3 Month Search, Dorsey Case Unsolved, Dec 3, 1974


• Opelika-Auburn News: Reward Up to $1400, Aug. 30, 1974


• RootsWeb: Dorsey Ancestry

Episode Music

Not Forgotten by Dan Lebowitz. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.