Timothy Guthrie Missing Person Case

Apr 15, 2010

Dec 05, 2023

Timothy

Guthrie

52

3

39 inches

30 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the quiet town of Katonah, New York, a heart-wrenching mystery began to unfold on February 5, 1977, with the disappearance of 3-year-old Timothy Guthrie, his 6-year-old sister Julie, and their 29-year-old mother, Leslie. The last time anyone saw them was around 1:30 p.m. that afternoon. Leslie had picked up her children from the home of their father, Timothy Guthrie Sr., on Grandview Avenue. The three of them drove off in a white 1974 Ford Maverick with a distinctive green roof, bearing the New York license plate 636-WNA, and vanished without a trace. Leslie and Timothy Sr. were separated but maintained a friendly relationship for the sake of their children. When Leslie and the children didn't return, Timothy Sr. initially assumed they had gone to stay with Leslie's mother in White Plains, where Leslie had been living. It wasn't until the following day, February 6, that he reported them missing. The investigation into the family's disappearance began promptly, but clues were scarce. Authorities looked into Leslie's life and found no indication that she had planned to leave. She had not taken any personal belongings, clothing, or withdrawn a significant amount of money from her bank account. This led investigators to believe that she did not vanish voluntarily. Timothy Guthrie Sr. cooperated fully with the police investigation and was ruled out as a suspect. He even went to the great expense of hiring a private investigator to aid in the search for his children and their mother. Over the years, various theories have been considered, including the possibility that Leslie may have started a new life with her children or joined a religious group. However, the most enduring theory, and the one that investigators have come to believe is most plausible, is that the family was involved in a tragic car accident. The weather at the time was cold and snowy, and it is thought that their car may have skidded off the road and into one of the many nearby bodies of water, such as a lake, pond, or reservoir. Despite the passage of decades, the case of Timothy, Julie, and Leslie Guthrie remains an active and haunting mystery. Law enforcement agencies, including the Bedford Town Police Department and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, have continued their efforts to find answers. In recent years, specialized search teams have used sonar technology to scan the depths of local bodies of water, including Wampus Pond in Westchester County, in the hopes of locating the submerged Ford Maverick. Unfortunately, these searches have not yet yielded any results. To aid in the ongoing search, age-progressed images of Timothy and Julie have been periodically released to the public, showing what they might look like as adults. The disappearance of the Guthrie family is a deeply sorrowful case that has left a lasting impact on their loved ones and the community. With no signs of foul play and no evidence of a planned departure, the prevailing belief is that a terrible accident likely claimed their lives. The lack of any trace of them or their vehicle has prevented any sense of closure, leaving their fate an agonizing question mark for nearly half a century.

Feb 05, 1977

Katonah

New York

Westchester County

26607

Bedford Town Police Department

Bedford Hills

New York

Westchester County

10507

307 Bedford Rd, New York

9142413111

Local

Law Enforcement

www.bedfordny.info

KWBE00360

1977-02-06

Bedford Town Police Department

Brown

Blue

Blue

09/09/2026