Account
Apr 15, 2010
Nov 08, 2022
Paulette
Webster
55
19
59 inches
110 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the late hours of a September evening in 1988, 19-year-old Paulette Webster was walking home from a friend's house in the small town of Chester, Illinois. She was last seen around 11:00 p.m. but tragically, she never reached her destination and has not been heard from since. When Paulette vanished, she left behind all of her personal belongings, including her clothing, purse, and driver's license. Also left behind were her beloved pets: a bird, a dog, and a cat. At the time of her disappearance, Paulette was wearing jeans, a light-colored sweater, and white tennis shoes. She had several distinguishing marks, including a tattoo of a cross on her hand between her thumb and forefinger, a surgical scar on her abdomen from having an ovary removed, and a scar under her chin. She also had a slight overbite and a noticeable gap between her front teeth. Paulette was known by the nickname "Smurfette." She had a history of occasionally living away from her parents' home, having spent time with an uncle in Wyoming and briefly with a roommate in Chester. However, financial constraints meant she couldn't afford to live independently for long. She was employed as a housekeeper for elderly individuals and appeared to find satisfaction in her work. Despite seeming generally happy with her life, her mother recalled that Paulette felt some anxiety because some of her friends were pregnant, and a past surgery led Paulette to believe she was unable to have children. Initially, authorities considered the possibility that she had left on her own, but as time passed with no contact, the focus of the investigation shifted to the likelihood of foul play. A potential and disturbing lead in Paulette's case points to the suspected serial killer, Larry DeWayne Hall. Hall, who is serving a life sentence for the kidnapping of another young woman, has been considered a person of interest in numerous other cases of missing girls and women. In correspondence, Hall made statements about Paulette's disappearance, claiming she was taken from a main road in Chester near a mobile home park. He described taking her to a remote location where she was sexually assaulted for hours before her body was disposed of in either the Mississippi River or a field. Although these claims contain details that align with the circumstances of her disappearance, they have been described as vague and have not led to the recovery of her remains. The investigation into Paulette Webster's vanishing remains open. The initial belief that she may have left voluntarily has long been replaced by the suspicion of a more sinister event, a theory strengthened by the potential connection to a known predator. Her family and community are left with unanswered questions and the enduring pain of her absence.
Sep 02, 1988
Chester
Illinois
Randolph County
62233
27037
Chester Police Department
Chester
Illinois
Randolph County
62233
Ryan Coffey
Chief
1330 Swanwick Street, Illinois
6188265454
Local
Law Enforcement
M8904824
Chester Police Department
Brown
Blue
Blue
05/30/2026
