Susan Pearson

Susan Elizabeth Pearson (October 1, 1935 – disappeared March 13, 1966) was an American heiress who went missing under mysterious circumstances in Missoula, Montana. A native of Portland, Oregon, Pearson was a graduate student and instructor at the University of Montana (UM) at the time of her disappearance. She disappeared days before she was scheduled to submit her doctoral thesis, as well as administer an exam for a business course she was teaching.

Searches for Pearson proved unsuccessful, and her apartment was undisturbed. Her car was discovered abandoned in a business district of Missoula with her purse, keys, and other belongings inside. In 1970, bones were recovered in a rural area south of Missoula and initially suspected to be potentially be those of Pearson, but were subsequently determined to be animal bones. Pearson's disappearance is among the oldest cold cases in the state of Montana.

Background Pearson was born October 1, 1935, in Portland, Oregon, the daughter of David and Agatha Pearson. She was the granddaughter of Democratic state senator Walter Pearson. and younger sister, Virginia.

In 1966, then-30-year-old Pearson was working as a part-time instructor at the University of Montana (UM) in Missoula, Montana, and was working toward completing her doctoral thesis through the University of Oregon.

Disappearance

Pearson was last seen March 13, 1966 She was scheduled to administer a business administration exam that day but failed to arrive. Pearson's vehicle was found abandoned in a business district of Missoula, with her purse, car keys, and identification inside. Pearson was reported missing the following day, March 18. It was reported that Pearson was also scheduled to turn in her doctoral thesis, though her father later stated it was an anthropology essay that was due. Two cheques for Pearson totaling $1,200 were left unclaimed. They were never cashed, which contributed to the theory that she didn't leave of her own accord.

Investigation Upon inspection, Pearson's apartment at 160 Strand Avenue King told law enforcement that "one or two boys" who had received poor grades in one of the courses Pearson was teaching had "threatened to wreck her car."

On October 29, 1970, bones from an arm and hand were discovered in the Blue Mountain region south of Missoula by several UM students. The sheriff who examined the bones at the scene suspected they may have been "four or five years old." However, it was reported that pathologists believed the bones were not human, and instead belonged to a bear.