Margie Ranshaw Missing Person Case

May 21, 2012

Apr 17, 2019

Margie

Ranshaw

68

29

62 inches

66 inches

130 lbs

140 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

On a spring day in May of 1987, a 29-year-old woman named Margie Ann Ranshaw vanished from her home in Barryton, Michigan. A mother to a two-month-old daughter, Margie was living with her parents at the time. The last time she was seen was on May 17, 1987, when she left the house to make a simple trip to the store for a gallon of milk. She departed in her car and was never seen or heard from again. Margie was a woman who contended with personal challenges; she lived with schizophrenia and would sometimes hear voices. Physically, she had a small scar near her eyebrow, blonde hair, and brown eyes. Weeks after her disappearance, a significant but puzzling discovery was made approximately two hours away from her home. Margie's vehicle was found abandoned at a hotel situated off Interstate 96 in Howell, Michigan. The discovery of the car, however, provided no answers as to Margie's whereabouts. It was known that she had left home on previous occasions, sometimes for months at a time, and would travel by hitchhiking. However, in the past, she had always returned. This time was different. The circumstances surrounding Margie Ranshaw's disappearance have led investigators to suspect foul play. In the absence of their mother, Margie's infant daughter was adopted and raised by her aunt and uncle. The case remains an open and unsolved missing person investigation. Despite the passage of time, the hope of finding answers for Margie's family endures. The Mecosta County Sheriff's Office continues to be the point of contact for any information regarding this long-unsolved case. The story of Margie Ranshaw is a somber reminder of a young mother who went out for a gallon of milk and never came home, leaving behind a family to grapple with her absence and an enduring mystery.

May 17, 1987

Barryton

Michigan

Mecosta County

22004

Mecosta County Sheriff's Office

Big Rapids

Michigan

Mecosta County

49307

225 S Stewart Ave, Michigan

2315920150

County

Law Enforcement

2435-87

Mecosta County Sheriff's Office

Blond/Strawberry

Brown

Brown

07/26/2026