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Crime Solvers Central
302 Cases Solved. Advancing justice for missing persons, unsolved homicides, unidentified and unclaimed remains.

Case Description

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Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP26739) and 8 other sources
On March 4, 1974, a 13-year-old girl named Brenda Sue Davidson vanished from her hometown of Woodbridge, Virginia. On that particular Monday, Brenda left the Gleaton Trailer Park, where she lived with her parents and four younger siblings, to attend classes at Fred Lynn Middle School, but she never returned home. That day, her mother reported that Brenda had taken $100 from her father's wallet before leaving for school. Brenda was last seen wearing maroon pants and a black waist-length coat or jacket. Other reports state she was wearing a denim coat with a fur collar and boots. The days and weeks that followed her disappearance yielded few answers, and Brenda was never heard from again.

The initial investigation into Brenda's disappearance was complicated by conflicting information and a lack of concrete leads. An employee at the local Greyhound bus station reported that a young girl had purchased a bus ticket on the afternoon Brenda went missing. However, the employee could not definitively say if the girl was Brenda, if she had actually boarded a bus, or what its destination was. Adding to the uncertainty, Brenda had reportedly mentioned wanting to run away to Florida. Coincidentally, two other girls from her school did run away, but when they were later located, Brenda was not with them. The case was initially classified as a runaway.

Decades have passed since Brenda Davidson was last seen, and her case remains unsolved, leaving her family with unanswered questions. Over the years, troubling details about Brenda's home life have emerged. Her younger sister described their father as an alcoholic who was physically abusive toward his children and may have sexually abused Brenda. She also recalled her mother telling contradictory stories about the day Brenda disappeared, leading her to question whether her sister truly ran away. After Brenda vanished, her family reportedly never spoke of her again, and her parents did not keep any of her belongings. Her father passed away in 1985, and her mother in 2015, taking any potential information they had with them. While it is possible that Brenda did run away, the length of her absence without any contact makes this scenario less likely. The overview of this case reveals a young girl who disappeared under ambiguous circumstances, with a home life that may have contributed to her wanting to leave, and an investigation that has been fraught with uncertainty from the very beginning.

Last Seen: Mar 4, 1974

Possible Unidentified Matches (10)

Unidentified remains cases whose details are consistent with this person, ranked by how closely they compare. Fields that are unknown in either case are left out of the score.

83%Moderate
Jane Doe — Upper Marlboro, Maryland - unidentified case UP2260
Jane Doe — Upper Marlboro, Maryland
UP2260 • Found Sep 30, 1979
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 100%Est. 18–29 vs 13 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 95%29 mi away
TimingFound 6 years after last seen
Height 100%5'5" vs 5'5"–5'7"
Weight 88%173 lb vs 135–150 lb
Hair 100%Brown vs Brown
Eyes 50%Blue vs Green
79%Possible
Jane Doe — Baltimore, Maryland - unidentified case UP5439
Jane Doe — Baltimore, Maryland
UP5439 • Found Jun 15, 1987
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 100%Est. 24–30 vs 13 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 88%56 mi away
TimingFound 13 years after last seen
Height 100%5'6" vs 5'5"–5'7"
Weight 100%138 lb vs 135–150 lb
Hair 50%Red vs Brown
Eyes 50%Gray vs Green
78%Possible
Jane Doe — Brooklyn, Maryland - unidentified case UP1856
Jane Doe — Brooklyn, Maryland
UP1856 • Found Jul 27, 2005
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 100%Est. 19–23 vs 13 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 88%53 mi away
TimingFound 31 years after last seen
Height 100%5'5" vs 5'5"–5'7"
Weight 99%120 lb vs 135–150 lb
Hair 100%Brown vs Brown
76%Possible
Jane Doe — Stafford, Virginia - unidentified case UP6150
Jane Doe — Stafford, Virginia
UP6150 • Found Nov 7, 1998
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 85%Est. 25–45 vs 13 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 98%18 mi away, same state
TimingFound 25 years after last seen
Height 100%5'8"–5'11" vs 5'5"–5'7"
Hair 100%Brown vs Brown
75%Possible
Jane Doe — Washington, District of Columbia
UP16571 • Found Feb 6, 2005
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 100%Est. 40–50 vs 13 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 97%21 mi away
TimingFound 31 years after last seen
Height 84%5'3" vs 5'5"–5'7"
75%Possible
Jane Doe — Winchester, Virginia - unidentified case UP6629
Jane Doe — Winchester, Virginia
UP6629 • Found Feb 3, 1991
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 85%Est. 20–39 vs 13 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 86%61 mi away, same state
TimingFound 17 years after last seen
Height 100%5'3"–5'6" vs 5'5"–5'7"
Weight 100%114–135 lb vs 135–150 lb
Hair 50%Blond vs Brown
75%Possible
Jane Doe — Depford Township, New Jersey - unidentified case UP1489
Jane Doe — Depford Township, New Jersey
UP1489 • Found Feb 4, 1990
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 100%Est. 16–20 vs 13 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 67%140 mi away
TimingFound 16 years after last seen
Height 100%5'6" vs 5'5"–5'7"
Weight 100%132 lb vs 135–150 lb
Hair 100%Brown vs Brown
75%Possible
Jane Doe — Doswell, Virginia
UP8579 • Found Jan 25, 1981
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 85%Est. 20–39 vs 13 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 87%56 mi away, same state
TimingFound 7 years after last seen
Height 100%5'6" vs 5'5"–5'7"
75%Possible
Jane Doe — Perth Amboy, New Jersey - unidentified case UP1522
Jane Doe — Perth Amboy, New Jersey
UP1522 • Found Apr 10, 1979
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 100%Est. 18–25 vs 13 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 55%204 mi away
TimingFound 5 years after last seen
Height 100%5'5" vs 5'5"–5'7"
Weight 100%125 lb vs 135–150 lb
Hair 100%Brown vs Brown
75%Possible
Jane Doe — Washington D.C., District of Columbia - unidentified case UP136202
Jane Doe — Washington D.C., District of Columbia
UP136202 • Found Dec 31, 2024
View case
Sex ✓Female
Age 85%Est. 60–80 vs 13 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 97%21 mi away
TimingFound 51 years after last seen
Height 100%5'4" vs 5'5"–5'7"
Weight 75%103 lb vs 135–150 lb
Hair 70%Gray vs Brown
Eyes 50%Blue vs Green

These comparisons are generated automatically from public NamUs case data and are not confirmed identifications. Only DNA, dental or fingerprint comparison by investigators can confirm an identity. If you believe two cases are connected, contact the agency handling the unidentified case.

Unidentified photos are blurred because many are post-mortem. Tap a photo to reveal it.