JOAN RISCH -- MISSING 10/24/61 from LINCOLN, MA

JOAN RISCH -- MISSING 10/24/61 from LINCOLN, MA
Joan Risch Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance Missing Since: October 24, 1961 from Lincoln, Massachusetts Classification: Endangered Missing Date Of Birth: August 4, 1931 Age: 31 years old Height and Weight: 5'7, 120 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Risch's blood type is O. Clothing/Jewelry Description: A gray coat, a sweater and a skirt. Details of Disappearance Risch was a homemaker in Lincoln, Massachusetts in 1961. She was married and had two young children. She was last seen by a neighbor during the afternoon of October 24, 1961. The neighbor told authorities that Risch was walking outside of the family's residence and seemed dazed; the neighbor initially believed Risch was chasing after one of her children. Risch's daughter ran to another neighbor's home later during the day and said that her mother was missing and "red paint" covered the kitchen walls. The "paint" turned out to be blood. The Risches' telephone had been ripped from the kitchen wall and thrown in a wastebasket, and a nearby telephone book was found opened at the emergency numbers section. There was a single bloody thumbprint on the phone mount; it was never identified. The blood trail led outside to the Risches' driveway, where it stopped near Risch's parked car. Blood drops were found on the outside of the car itself, but there were no bloody footprints on the home's kitchen floor. There was no sign of Risch herself inside the residence. Investigators later determined that the blood had probably come from a superficial wound, as there was not very much of it. Someone had made efforts to clean the blood up with rags and paper towels. Witnesses reported seeing an unidentified blue/gray sedan in the Risches' driveway the day of the disappearance, but authorities believe they were looking at an unmarked police vehicle. Drivers also reported observing a woman walking along the road where Route 128 was under construction later in the day. No one stopped to assist the unidentified female, who was reportedly bloody and appeared confused or dazed. After these initial reports, sightings of Risch ceased. She has never been heard from again. Risch's husband was in New York on October 24 for a business trip. He was questioned by investigators but was cleared of any involvement in her disappearance. Authorities did learn that Risch checked out over 25 library books during the previous summer, all of them related to murder or unexplained disappearances. Some people theorized that Risch chose to stage her own disappearance because she was unhappy with her life. Risch had worked in the publishing field in New York prior to her marriage. She chose to end her career to raise her family. Some friends claimed that Risch was very ambitious and was not fulfilled with her home life. Others speculated that Risch was attacked and was suffering from amnesia as a result. Another hypothesis in the same vein states that Risch was not assaulted at all, but simply suffered an episode of some type and left her residence. Both of these theories could suggest the possibility that Risch wandered into a pit on the Route 128 construction site the night she disappeared and was unknowingly buried. Newspaper reports from 1961 state that Risch may have been sexually abused as a child. Another account stated that her parents died in a strange fire in New Jersey when Risch was nine years old in 1940. Both of these reports suggest that Risch may have had personal reasons for wanting to stage her disappearance. She has previously lived in Ridgefield, Connecticut and Brooklyn, New York. Her case remains open and unsolved. Investigating Agency If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Lincoln Police Department 781-259-8111 PHOTO AVAILABLE AT LINK http://charleyproject.org/cases/r/risch_joan.html

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