Dona Thompson Missing Person Case

Mar 21, 2011

Jan 12, 2024

Dona

Thompson

79

49

64 inches

67 inches

160 lbs

170 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

In the spring of 1996, a sense of unease settled over the small community of Port Austin, Michigan, with the disappearance of 49-year-old Dona Lee Thompson. A manager at Jacobs Lakeview Manor, a local group home, Dona was known to be a responsible and dedicated employee. On April 17, 1996, she was observed loading boxes into a van belonging to the group home. She reportedly told others that she was heading to Bad Axe for a shopping trip, a plausible and routine explanation that initially raised no alarms. However, as the hours turned into days, and with no word from Dona, concern began to mount among her colleagues and the community. This concern would soon blossom into a full-blown missing person investigation, as the woman who set out for a simple shopping trip seemingly vanished without a trace. The initial stages of the investigation yielded few clues as to Dona's whereabouts. The van she was driving, a blue 1991 Chevrolet Lumina APV, was a key piece of evidence that authorities hoped would shed light on her disappearance. It wasn't until August of that same year, four long months after she was last seen, that the vehicle was finally located. It was found abandoned in Bay City, a city some distance from her intended destination of Bad Axe, adding another layer of mystery to the already perplexing case. The discovery of the van, unfortunately, did not provide the answers that investigators and Dona's loved ones were so desperately seeking. Instead, it only deepened the enigma surrounding her sudden and unexplained absence. Originally from New Jersey, Dona had made a life for herself in Port Austin, where she was an integral part of the community through her work at the group home. The circumstances of her disappearance remain a troubling puzzle. The simple act of going shopping, an everyday errand for most, marked the last time she was ever seen. The recovery of the van in a different city months later left investigators with more questions than answers. With no witnesses to her disappearance and a lack of any clear motive or evidence of foul play, the case grew cold over the years. The overview of Dona Thompson's case is one of a sudden and inexplicable departure from a normal routine, leaving behind a community to wonder and a family to hope for answers that have yet to come.

Apr 17, 1996

Port Austin

Michigan

Huron County

48467

9818

Port Austin Police Department

Port Austin

Michigan

Huron County

48467

17 West State Street, Michigan

9897385180

Local

Law Enforcement

http://www.villageofportaustin.com/index_Police.htm

90-96

Port Austin Police Department

Brown

Green

Green

No

07/17/2026