SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - It was 42 years ago today that 26-year-old Ellabeth Mae Lodermeier of Sioux Falls vanished under suspicious circumstances.
Detective Pat Mertes says police are renewing efforts in the cold case and hope someone can shed light on it.
Mertes says officials suspect Ellabeth is deceased but the family would like to find her remains and get some closure in the case
Ellabeth's husband Gene was a person of interest in her disappearance but he passed away a few years ago.
She was last seen by Gene at her residence on North Indiana Avenue on March 6, 1974.
Both Ellabeth and Gene traveled throughout the region including all of South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota.
On March 7, 1974, after Ellabeth failed to show up for work, her fellow employees and her husband went to her home. There they found the house locked and Ellabeth’s car in the driveway. A partially eaten pizza and flour spilled on the kitchen floor were found inside the home. Ellabeth’s purse and jacket were missing.
On September 20, 1974, Ellabeth’s credit cards were found in the women’s bathroom at the Canadian National Railway in Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada. The cards were reportedly turned in by a woman in her 50’s. A check of the Dauphin area turned up no evidence that Ellabeth had ever been there.
On April 26, 1992, Ellabeth’s wallet containing her checkbook and credit cards were found in a hole along the river banks of the Big Sioux River in the area of Highway 42 and South Riverview Avenue.