In the late winter of 1970, in Canton, Ohio, a 34-year-old mother of four named Charlotte Estelle Rexroad vanished, leaving behind a life and a family that would be forever altered by her absence. On March 11, she and her boyfriend of five years, Freeman 'Red' Wyne Jr., left their residence at the McKinley Hotel, intending to go to a laundromat. They left their children in the care of a babysitter.
However, their plans changed, and the couple instead went for drinks, ending up at Benny Petsy's Hub Cafe on Tuscarawas Avenue. It was from this location that Charlotte was last seen. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a gray coat, a pink blouse, a blue skirt, a blue scarf, and brown slippers.
The events of that evening, as recounted by Wyne, were inconsistent and raised immediate suspicion. He provided police with conflicting stories. In one version, he claimed Charlotte was dancing with other men and left with one of them while he was in the restroom around 8:55 p.m. Another account suggested she left with a man and a woman, and he was unable to persuade her to stay. Wyne returned to the hotel alone and intoxicated, causing a disturbance that led to his arrest for public intoxication. He was released the following morning after paying a fine. The same day, Charlotte's eldest daughter, then fourteen, reported her mother missing, expressing a fear that Wyne had harmed her. Wyne, however, maintained that he believed Charlotte had simply left him.
Following Charlotte's disappearance, her four children were placed into foster care. The eldest went to live with an uncle, while the younger three were eventually adopted by another family. Wyne was interviewed by police twice in the days following the report but had no further contact with law enforcement regarding the case. Years later, in 1996, two of Charlotte's daughters located Wyne in West Virginia. By then, he had suffered a stroke and was using a wheelchair. When they questioned him about their mother's disappearance, he claimed to have little memory of that night. Freeman 'Red' Wyne Jr. passed away in 2008, taking any secrets he held about Charlotte's fate with him. The case of Charlotte Rexroad's disappearance is a poignant story of a mother who vanished without a trace, leaving a legacy of unanswered questions and a family still searching for closure. Foul play is suspected, and her children continue to believe that Wyne was responsible for her death. Her case officially remains an unsolved and endangered missing person investigation.Last Seen: Mar 11, 1970
