Eva Arehart Missing Person Case

Mar 06, 2011

Aug 01, 2023

Eva

Arehart

103

65

62 inches

135 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

In the quiet community of Plainwell, Michigan, a family was forever changed in the early morning hours of December 26, 1987. Eva June Arehart, a 65-year-old female, disappeared from her residence on Brigham Street. She was last seen between the hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m., having left her home wearing only a nightgown. The temperatures that day were cold, ranging from 29 to 37 degrees, making survival without proper shelter for an extended period highly unlikely. Eva left without her glasses and other personal belongings, adding to the distressing nature of her sudden departure. In the year leading up to her disappearance, Eva had been contending with a number of health issues that had reportedly led to a state of depression. She had been hospitalized for psychiatric treatment for three weeks in September of 1987. On the night she went missing, Eva left a note for her husband indicating she intended to take her own life. This note, combined with the circumstances of her leaving, guided the initial direction of the investigation into her disappearance, pointing towards a possible tragedy born of despair. The investigation uncovered more somber clues when Eva's coat and shoes were discovered on the nearby Hill Street Bridge, which spans the Kalamazoo River. Despite this discovery, extensive searches of the river and surrounding areas did not lead to finding Eva. Her body has never been located. In the absence of answers, and after six months had passed, her grieving family held a memorial service to honor her memory. The Plainwell Department of Public Safety has kept her case open, and it remains an active investigation. The circumstances surrounding Eva Arehart's disappearance point to a sorrowful conclusion, yet without definitive evidence, her case remains a lingering mystery, a story of a woman who walked out into the cold winter morning and was never seen again.

Dec 26, 1987

Plainwell

Michigan

Allegan County

9758

Plainwell Department of Public Safety

Plainwell

Michigan

Allegan County

49080

119 Island Avenue, Michigan

2696859858

Local

Law Enforcement

2268-87

Plainwell Department of Public Safety

Brown

Blue

Blue

07/05/2026