Ellan Townsend Missing Person Case

Sep 13, 2010

Jan 08, 2024

Ellan

Townsend

83

55

69 inches

125 lbs

Black / African American

Female

In the spring of 1998, a sense of unease settled over a Chattanooga, Tennessee community with the disappearance of 55-year-old Ellan Townsend. On March 30th, she was last seen leaving her residence on Glenwood Parkway on foot. At the time of her disappearance, Ellan was described as a Black female, standing at five feet nine inches tall and weighing approximately 125 pounds. She had black, graying hair that she wore in a bun or a short to medium-length afro, and she wore eyeglasses with large frames. When she was last seen, she was reportedly wearing a brown outfit with matching brown shoes. Her departure was unsettlingly quiet, with no indication of where she was going or when she might return. The circumstances surrounding Ellan's disappearance are shrouded in mystery. She did not have a vehicle and left behind all of her bank and medical cards, suggesting she did not plan to be gone for an extended period. There were no signs of a struggle or any clear leads for investigators to follow in the immediate aftermath of her vanishing. Her case is further complicated by the fact that she reportedly suffered from depression, a detail that adds a layer of concern for her well-being at the time she went missing. The lack of any confirmed sightings or communication since the day she walked away from her home has left her family and the community with more questions than answers. Decades have passed since Ellan Townsend was last seen, and her case has grown cold. The Chattanooga Police Department has investigated her disappearance, but without new information, the trail has seemingly ended. The absence of any concrete evidence has made it impossible for authorities to determine what happened to her after she left her home that day. The case remains an open and unsolved missing person investigation, a lingering source of pain and uncertainty for those who knew and loved her. The overview of this case is one of a sudden and unexplained departure, leaving a void in the lives of her loved ones and a lingering mystery in the city of Chattanooga.

Mar 30, 1998

Chattanooga

Tennessee

Hamilton County

37406

No

9039

Chattanooga Police Department

Chattanooga

Tennessee

Hamilton County

37406

Vincent Holoman

Investigative Sergeant

3410 Amnicola Highway, Tennessee

4236435000

Local

Law Enforcement

http://www.chattanooga.gov/police-department

98-037964

1998-03-31

Chattanooga Police Department

Black

Brown

Brown

07/15/2026