MISSING: Mary Frances Gregory - 02/15/78 - Parry Sound, ON
By: S.M.
Last Updated: 08/05/20
Missing since February 15, 1978
Parry Sound, OntarioAge at Disappearance: 19The Disappearance of Mary Frances Gregory
4,024 km.
If you believe the story, that’s how far 19-year-old Mary Frances Gregory was from her home in Parry Sound, Ontario, when she disappeared.
If you believe the story, then the male acquaintance who picked up Mary on February 15, 1978, crossed the U.S. border with her three days later and drove through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada.
If you believe the story the man told authorities, then Mary Frances Gregory was last seen on February 28, 1978, when he dropped her off at a bus station in Las Vegas, Nevada - ten days after leaving Ontario, 4,024 km from home, and 8 hours away from her intended destination of Palo Alto, California.
The true story of where, when, or why Mary disappeared remains a mystery 42 years later. Whether or not you believe the one told by the man who last saw her, Mary could be anywhere.
The only facts in Mary’s case are that she left home on February 15, 1978, with luggage that’s never been found, to travel to Palo Alto. The reason for her trip is unclear. Mary never arrived in California and has not been heard from since she left home. The male acquaintance has never been publicly identified.
Mary’s family believes that she may have suffered some type of memory loss immediately after her initial disappearance.
Investigators suspect foul play.
What happened to Mary?
There are countless questions and few details available in the disappearance of Mary Gregory. Why Palo Alto? Was she meeting someone? What was her plan? Did she have work lined up, or a place to stay? Did she have many - or any - friends in the area? If she did board a bus, why did she? Why in Las Vegas, only 874 km from her destination? Did she try to get to Palo Alto alone, or go somewhere else?
Was Palo Alto ever the real plan?
While there are many questions about Mary Frances Gregory’s disappearance, one remains impossible to ignore: why should we believe the story we were told?
Mary is listed as a missing person in Ontario and in California. She is not listed as a missing person in the state of Nevada, where she was allegedly last seen before she vanished.
Mary Frances Gregory is nearsighted and wore contacts at the time of her disappearance. She has a birthmark on right side of her chest by the ribcage and a mole on her wrist. She previously had an overbite which was corrected by braces, and her teeth were in good condition at the time of her disappearance.
Somewhere, in the vast expanse between a small cottage town in Ontario and the City of Sin, something happened to Mary Frances Gregory. Someone knows exactly what happened - and where.
Maps of Key Locations + Timeline:
Las Vegas to Palo Alto:
Physical Characteristics & Details:
Contact Information:
The Ontario Provincial Police urges anyone with information regarding the disappearance and/or death of Mary GREGORY to communicate immediately with the Director of the Criminal Investigation Branch, Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122 or (705) 329-6111, their nearest police authority, or Crime Stoppers.
Links & Sources: Last updated: 08/05/20
07/20/20