Theresa Burns Missing Person Case

Mar 06, 2011

Aug 03, 2022

Theresa

Burns

66

28

66 inches

120 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

On a Friday afternoon in September 1987, 28-year-old Theresa "Terry" Lu Burns vanished from Cheboygan, Michigan. She was a married mother of three young children, and her sudden disappearance left her family searching for answers. On September 11, 1987, Theresa had an appointment with her attorney, which she attended. Later that day, her car was found abandoned on the Mackinac Bridge. This discovery initiated a long and painful period of uncertainty for her loved ones. Theresa was described as a woman with brown hair and brown eyes. At the time she went missing, she was wearing a distinctive wedding ring with a criss-cross design. The circumstances surrounding Theresa's disappearance have led investigators to believe she may have jumped from the Mackinac Bridge. Her purse, containing her identification, was discovered in her unlocked vehicle on the bridge's causeway. Despite extensive searches of the Straits of Mackinac and the surrounding areas, Theresa's body has never been recovered. The lack of physical evidence has made it difficult for authorities to definitively close her case, leaving a sliver of hope, however small, for her family. Over the years, her children have grown up without their mother, grappling with the unknown and the profound loss that has shaped their lives. The investigation into Theresa Burns' disappearance remains open. Her case is a somber reminder of the many individuals who go missing each year, leaving behind families caught in a state of perpetual grief and unanswered questions. Dental records and DNA from her son have been entered into national databases in the hope that they might one day lead to her identification should she be found. The official theory remains that Theresa tragically ended her own life, but without the recovery of her remains, a definitive conclusion cannot be reached. Her family has endured decades of not knowing for certain what happened to her on that September day, a painful ambiguity that highlights the lasting impact of a missing person's case.

Sep 11, 1987

Cheyboygan

Michigan

Cheboygan County

9764

Michigan State Police

Gaylord

Michigan

Otsego County

49735

David Hart

D/Sgt.

Gaylord Post, Michigan

9897322778

State

Law Enforcement

72-1370-87

Michigan State Police

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/27/2026