The mystery of a missing woman was partially solved when she was discovered by police in 2017, 43 years after her disappearance was reported to authorities.
However, despite the fact that the woman, Florence “Flora” Harris, was discovered alive, no information about the cause of her unexpected disappearance has been revealed due to her dementia.
Florence’s discovery was accidental. In reality, the authorities were notified to the skeletal remains of a lady who matched Florence’s basic description, prompting them to do additional investigation. In their hunt for living relatives, they discovered that someone at the CareOne senior care home in Lowell, Massachusetts, was using her social security number, according to People.
Staff at the institution confirmed that the number belonged to Flora Harris, who has lived there since 2001.
She couldn’t remember anything about her background, but when given a picture of herself from her younger days working at The Concord resort, her face smiled and she said “me”. When given a photo of her husband, Robert Stevens, she simply said, “Robert.”
After researching her medical records for approximately 30 years, officials discovered that she had been in both a nursing home in New Hampshire and St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan.
Florence vanished one day after her husband drove her to the doctor in Monticello and was scheduled to pick her up two hours later. When he arrived, she was nowhere to be found.
Unfortunately, her health condition prevents her from sharing any details about her life during the 43 years she was labeled a missing person.
Festus Mbuva, a healthcare worker at the facility where Florence lives who has cared for her for over a decade, told the Associated Press, “To be honest, I don’t think she ever really wanted to be found,” adding, “You can tell something happened in her past that she didn’t want any part of.”
He claims she rarely discussed her life, but he was able to piece together her story, at least partially. Mbuva testified that Florence once admitted to being abusive to her husband Robert, who was already dead by the time she was apprehended. She also stated that she grew up in Yonkers, worked as a hairdresser, and attended the 1969 Woodstock concert, according to People.
Officials have yet to contact any of Florence’s living relatives.
The good news is that she is safe and sound.
Solving a missing person case involving someone who has been missing for more than 40 years is not something we see every day.
