Investigators are hoping to figure out a mystery behind a girl missing for more than four decades.
Beverly Ward was last seen on July 4, 1978. She was 13 years old when she vanished from Junction City, Kan.
It’s believed that Beverly was kidnapped sometime between 3 and 5 a.m. at her home in the 200 block of W. 11th Street. The single-story house is no longer there. It was torn down.
According to a January 2018 article in the Junction City Union, police believe a suspect cut through a screen and came through a bedroom window of the home. Evidence suggests she was taken through the window.
Three or four people were in the home when she disappeared. There were some suspects looked at in the case, but nothing could link them to the crime. Junction City, in prior reports, was described as a transient community then — people didn’t live there for long.
Within the past couple of years, Junction City Police asked the FBI to help with the case. Though there is no actual reason to include them now, the hope is to close the case that’s remained open for decades.
“Several Detectives over the years have looked at the case,” Police Capt. Trish Giordano told the newspaper in 2018. “When I took over investigations, I made it one of my goals to see if anything more could be done to try and solve the case.”
Beverly was not considered a runaway. She was getting ready to go to summer camp. Her bags were packed and money was exactly where she placed it, according to an October 2014 Associated Press report. The only thing missing was Beverly and the green nightgown she wore to bed.
The National Institute of Justice shares one thing people may have noticed: Beverly was born with an extra bone, which investigators describe as a partial finger with her little finger. She also has moles on her face and a mark on her chest.
BEVERLY WARD
Missing from: Junction City, Kan.
Missing since: July 4, 1978
Age when reported missing: 13
Height then: 5’1’’
Weight then: 60 pounds
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Distinguishing marks: born with an extra bone, which investigators describe as a partial finger with little finger; also has moles on her face and a mark on chest.
If you have information that could help the case, contact the Junction City Police Department at (785) 762-5912;or the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (785) 296-4017 or anonymously online by clicking here.
If you have a person you’d like for us to share a story about, please contact Anchor Annette Lawless at annettelawless@hotmail.com.