A man from upstate New York drove his wife to her doctor’s appointment and reassured her that he would be back to pick her up afterward. As promised, at the end of her appointment he was there to get her. However, he couldn’t help but worry when he heard what the receptionists told him. She was nowhere to be seen, so where exactly did she go?
Nowhere In Sight
As they had discussed early in the day, he was there waiting for his wife. He waited and waited but still, she did not show up. Where was she? Did something happen to her? It was only 42 years later that all the missing pieces of the puzzle were put together.
Nowhere In Sight
Nothing More Than A Cold
One day, in the early morning he took his wife to her appointment, but as he recalled nothing unusual had happened. The only trouble was that she thought she had a bad cold. So, being the husband that he was he took her to the clinic and agreed to be back in an hour or so.
Nothing More Than A Cold
Florence Stevens
The woman we are talking about is none other than Florence “Flora” Stevens. On the 3rd of August 1975 was the last time that her husband saw her. At the time, the 36-year-old was full of life and adventure. You won’t believe what happened next…
Florence Stevens
A Resort In The Catskills
During the summer of 1975, she had been working at a resort in the Catskills. Her place of employment was called The Concord, which was a luxurious 1,200-room resort. The venue was a huge hit amongst many tourists.
A Resort In The Catskills
Educated
Later on, the detectives learned that she attended Lincoln High School in New York. They did not have much information about her, but what they did know was that her husband was Robert Stevens.
Educated
Opening The Case
None of the detectives on the case had any idea about what could have happened. An investigation arose, and many people tried to help out with the search. They were all absolutely bewildered by the unexpected disappearance of this woman. Many knew her as a pleasant lady, so this was something no one would have thought of.
Opening The Case
The End Of The Road
There were no clues to help them solve this mystery. To make things more difficult Flora did not have any living relatives that they knew about, so trying to figure out where she was born and raised was not easy. So needless to say it seemed impossible back then.
The End Of The Road
No One Could Have Known
Sadly, the tracks went cold. No one could come up with a solution for her disappearance. And no doubt did they think the case would only be resolved almost half a century later.
No One Could Have Known
Senior Investigator Yan Salomon
During 2017, a senior investigator by the name of Yan Salomon, from the New York State Police, was informed something very interesting. These facts were exactly what was needed to help clear a few things up about this bizarre case. What exactly were these details?
Senior Investigator Yan Salomon
Looming Questions
You guessed it, it had to do with vanishing of Florence “Flora” Stevens. Did he really find her? What was she doing all this time? Did she get hurt? There were so many questions going through the minds of the people who followed this case.
Looming Questions
Skeletal Remains
Unfortunately, the news was not good at all. Yan Salomon did indeed find a woman, that part is without question true. Regardless, she was not alive. But why? Well, he did find human skeletal remains! However, he needed to first figure out who she could be.
Skeletal Remains
Make Some Calls
Thereafter, he needed to quickly get onto the phone and start making a few calls. His first call was to the sheriff’s office at Sullivan County, where he spoke to a detective. He told them that he found the skeletal remains of a woman in the Catskills area but needed more help to identify who it was exactly.
Make Some Calls
Too Hard
In the United States, 70,000 female adults go missing each year. So, yes it was going to be challenging to solve something like this by himself. He was mindful of this and knew the best way to get around this.
Too Hard
Information At Their Disposal
As of January 2016, there were 21,894 cases of missing women that were considered active across the United States. The records were kept for safekeeping, so getting access to this information was a bit problematic too.
Information At Their Disposal
Looking For Her
Salomon realized that this was not going to be easy, so he made sure to put together a team to help him examine as many open cases as possible. The representatives were meant to look for any correlation to the remains.
Looking For Her
Welcome To Sullivan County
Despite it being unlikely, he also drove to Sullivan County and tried to do some research of his own. He wanted to make it a little easier by doing these local searches. Salomon anticipated that this was going to make it simpler to find the woman.
Welcome To Sullivan County
An Open Case
By applying his deduction skills, Salomon knew that the woman likely came from this area. He just had to go dig a little deeper to find the explanation he was looking for. Within the Sullivan County area, they found an open case that looked somewhat similar to his findings! But was this what he needed?
An Open Case
Looking For Answers
Could this be what he was waiting for? He requested that the detectives check for any living relatives of the missing woman in the case they found. But as we already understand, they were not able to find any.
Looking For Answers
It All Came Together
The file on this missing woman had been collecting dust in storage for a real long time. In 1975, the case was opened but did not give them a lot of information. However, he knew that they were on to something.
It All Came Together
New Information
Salomon chose to waiver the case to the Sullivan County detectives. It then went under the authority of Det. Rich Morgan. He was the one who had to look for a way to connect the two women. After some time, he was able to discover a new piece of information. What could it be?
New Information
Connecting The Dots
They succeeded in finding her work ID! It showed that she had been working at the Catskill Mountains at the time of the disappearance. This was also where Salomon found the remains of another woman…
Connecting The Dots
Fascinating News
In 1975, Flora Stevens vanished out of the blue. Now, believe it or not, we hope you are ready for what you are about to learn about this case. Its something incredible! Trust us, your jaw will hit the floor.
Fascinating News
The Missing Woman
Detective Morgan could tell that they were onto something extraordinary here. Was there really a link between the missing woman and the deceased one? He was determined to dig deeper into the case of Flora Stevens.
The Missing Woman
Looked Far And Wide
When Flora basically vanished without a trace, her husband worked hard to look for her. He merely dropped her off for her doctors appointment, so how exactly did she just not return afterward?
Looked Far And Wide
Another Dead End
Following this, her husband reported her missing and an investigation soon began. They did not find anything related to the case. Her husband also died a decade after this. It was one false trail after another.
Another Dead End
How Would He Do It?
Det. Morgan was informed that things were not going to be simple for them. For one thing, they did not locate any relative who they could talk to about this woman. He did not know how he could confirm their idea.
How Would He Do It?
Her Social Security Number
Searching through both the local and national databases, he came across something mind-boggling. He discovered that someone else was using the social security number of Flora Steven this whole this time! Shocking, right? But that isn’t the end of it
Her Social Security Number
250 Miles From There
This detective took responsibility to track it down to a town north of Boston. He was absolutely flabbergasted that there was an individual using this missing person’s social security number. Even better… it was at an assisted living facility.
250 Miles From There
A Different Last Name
Once giving the facility a call, he was able to talk to one of the staff members, who eventually told him that the record went to a woman called Flora. However, her last name was not Stevens but Harris. She had been living there since 2001. But how is this even possible?
A Different Last Name
Identity Fraud
What exactly was going on? Det. Morgan went to the facility with a colleague to try get a better understanding. They were extemely disturbed by what they learned. This bizarre cold case took them in a whole new direction altogether!
Identity Fraud
Possible Identity Theft
What did Det. Morgan have to say to CBS Boston about it? He said, “Same first name, different last name, but the same birth date and social security.” They urgently needed to speak to this lady. Was this an identity theft case?
Possible Identity Theft
Just Her Photograph
They wanted to connect the dots, so they brought the sole photo of the missing woman that they found in the database. It was the photo that came with her work ID during the time she worked at the Catskill Mountains. Doing the right thing, the detectives drove up to the facility to talk to her.
Just Her Photograph
Found Her
They were able to speak to her, but what she did to the photo stunned them the most. She took the photograph and pointed at it. Det. Morgan said, “She says that’s me, or me, she responded with one word, me.” What was even scarier was when they showed her a photo of the husband. They knew they had landed on the jackpot when she said, “Robert.”
Found Her
She Couldn’t Remember
Unfortunately, even though they thought they were so close to solving the case they were unable to get answers from her when it came to the facts of the disappearance. She had dementia, which was the reason she could not tell them what happened all those years ago.
She Couldn’t Remember
An Abusive Husband
Det. Morgan said, “We really don’t know the circumstances of why or how she disappeared. She had psychiatric problems leading up to that point”. Mbuva, her caregiver, was able to accumulate a few things about her old life. According to him, she had a bad marriage and an abusive husband a long time ago.
An Abusive Husband
Maybe She Ran
Many detectives suppose that she simply got a bus ticket and left town to get away from her husband. “Most of the secrets are locked inside of Flora, and I don’t think we’ll ever get them,” said Det. Morgan.
Maybe She Ran
She Didn’t Want To Be Found
Mbuva has been caring for her for a long time now. He said, “To be honest, I don’t think she ever really wanted to be found. You can tell something happened in her past that she didn’t want any part of.”
She Didn’t Want To Be Found
She’s Safe
She was raised in Yonkers and says ‘none of your business’ a lot. Eric Chaboty, the Undersheriff of Sullivan County, said, “It’s a neat feeling [to find someone]. The main thing is we know that Flora is safe.”
She’s Safe
Solved But Unsolved
Sullivan County managed to eventually solve a cold case! They did so when they confirmed that she was Flora Harris. Sheriff Mike Schiff said, “It is not too often that you get to solve a 42-year-old missing person case.”
Solved But Unsolved
A Smile And Wave
At long last after 42 years, everybody now knows what happened to Flora Stevens. They successfully tracked down the missing person, but we really hope that she could be answered all our questions. After just a wave and a smile, the investigators left 78-year-old Flora at the facility but thankfully they were able to find her. If you think that’s amazing, wait until you read this next story….
A Smile And Wave
Only Time Will Tell
When trying to relocate someone you may have lost touch with two many years ago may not be the easiest thing to do. Often times with the help of social media it becomes a little easier. So would pre-school sweethearts Laura and Matt ever find each other again after being separated apart for so many years? Only time would tell…
Only Time Will Tell
From A Young Age
Nearly 25 years ago in Phonix, Arizona, Laura, and Matt met at preschool. At only 3 years old, Matt spotted Laura on the playground and instantly become friends. In the beginning, both of their parents didn’t really think much of their children’s friendship, but the two kids became an inseparable pair!
From A Young Age
The Early Days
During an interview with Today, Matt acknowledged “I don’t exactly remember the first time I saw her, but she was always a girl who let me follow her around.” That eventually led to something awesome.
The Early Days
Safety Buddies
The duo got the opportunity to know each other while on a school trip. Each child needed to pair up with another child as their “safety buddy”. Matt and Laura found stuck to each other for the entire trip.
Safety Buddies
Silly Matt
It was instantly that Laura understood just how compassionate and warm Matt was – He really wanted to be friends with her. In no time, they were best friends. They did absolutely everything together, from playing hide-n-seek to taking naps during school.
Silly Matt
Not Just At Preschool
But for the two of them, the time they spent at preschool was not enough for them. Their parents realized just how close the duo was becoming and decided to organize a playdate. Some of their dates also included watching movies together at the cinema.
Not Just At Preschool
Protecting Laura
Matt would show how much he cared for Laura by holding her hand during the movie whenever things got scary. The Lion King was one of the Disney movies that Matt loved the most. Matt tried to impress Laura by reciting lines from his favorite film.
Protecting Laura
The Teacher
There is no question about it – Laura was amazed at how Matt recited lines from The Lion King. Despite this, Matt was actually the one that ended up being impressed with Laura. The adorable little girl taught him how to play on the swings, to draw cars, and surprisingly to eat string cheese the correct way. He was always so overwhelmed by his amazing best friend.
The Teacher
Winning Her Over
Matt continued to look for ways to impress Laura during a celebration of Cinco De Mayo at their preschool. While all the children failed to break the piñata open, Matt tried to give it his best shot and successfully cracked it open. Matt reminisces, “Luckily, I was the kid who was able to do it and I guess that got her attention.”
Winning Her Over
Young Love
By the time they turned four, Laura and Matt were as some people like to call them, “love birds”. Regardless of their age, Matt did not want to keep his feelings for Laura a secret.
Young Love
Declaring His Love
Actually, Matt made sure to declare it to all his classmates that one day he knew he was going to marry Laura. Of course, they all thought this was hilarious, but he shouted, “Just you wait!”
Declaring His Love
Birthday Parties
The pair stayed as close as ever and enjoyed standing side by side at each other birthday parties. They continued to go on many adventures together and often spent time at each other’s houses. However, preschool was coming to an end, and kindergarten would soon bring a lot of changes for them.
Birthday Parties
Fearing The Future
When the twosome realized that they would soon be going to kindergarten, they began to worry. There was a possibility that they would not be in the same class, which would lead to utter devastation for them both. They were afraid that they may not be by each other sides any longer.
Fearing The Future
Different Schools
But actually, the situation landed up being worse than they had thought. Not only were they not in the same class, but they were now in different schools. The decision was not made by their parents but they had been enrolled in a school according to their region. However, their parents promised they would make playdates and meet up as often as possible.
Different Schools
Shaky Promises
Just as their parents had promised, Laura and Matt spent time on the weekends and always had a lot to catch up on! Even though they both had new friends and new adventures every day without each other, they were always happy to see one another.
Shaky Promises
Drifting Apart
Unfotneuelt, the weekly visits soon started happening less often. As they saw each other less and less, Christmas was really the only time they were in touch with each other. The photo below shows them spending time together at Christmas.
Drifting Apart
Just Christmas
As time went by, Laura and Matt’s communication decreased a lot. It only happened to be Christmas cards every year. The two were losing touch because of being out of touch, even though they always used to play together. , but now, they were losing each other due to such infrequent contact. Naturally, as years went by they both made new friends but it was obvious that no other friendship was close enough to what the pair used created and shared.
Just Christmas
Growing Up
Sadly, the yearly Christmas cards also became less frequent and even more rare. But regardless no one was to blame for the shift in their relationship – Matt and Laura just simply grew apart. Despite having an awesome childhood together, they were maturing now.
Growing Up
High School
Both of them were really enjoying high school and it seemed as though, kindergarten and preschool were so long ago. It’s no surprise that they both didn’t think of each other that much anymore. However, on one particular day in high school, something happened that changed everything.
High School
An Accident
During Laura’s first year of high school, she was scrolling through her friend’s phone and suddenly came across a name that she used to know very well. She was actually blown away…
An Accident
Heartwarming Memories
As soon as Laura read the name “Matt Grodsky,” she could not believe what she was seeing. It was the name of her childhood sweetheart. Instantly, memories of their close-knit friendship came rushing back and completely bewildered her. Laura’s friend had no idea as to why she was speechless.
Heartwarming Memories
A Different Plan
The moment she caught her breath, Laura described to her friend how exactly she knew Matt. She explained how their young romance blossomed, but Laura was puzzled as to how her friend knew Matt as well. Laura’s friend explained that she had met Matt during middle school. Laura decided not to fixate on what she just discovered but her friend’s mind went elsewhere…
A Different Plan
Setting Them. Up
Laura’s friend was really surprised by the connection that was just made. But she really wanted the two to reunite. It’s easy to understand that Laura actually wasn’t too keen about the idea as she and Matt had not been in contact for so many years. They would probably feel like total strangers to one another. Their relationship would not be the same as when they were little kids.
Setting Them Up
Going Ahead
In spite of Matt being Laura’s “first love”, she believed that right now maybe wasn’t the best time to have a boyfriend. She explained to People, “I was a freshman in high school so I was like, ‘I don’t think so!’” Laura was so anxious about the idea. But that didn’t stop Laura’s friend from giving Matt her number.
Going Ahead