Katherine Lyon, a 10-year-old girl from Wheaton, Maryland, was last seen on March 25, 1975, along with her 12-year-old sister, Sheila Lyon. The two sisters had gone to the Wheaton Plaza Shopping Center, a popular local destination, to see the Easter exhibits and have lunch. The girls were last seen around 2 p.m. walking home from the shopping center, but they never arrived.
Their disappearance sparked one of the most extensive missing person investigations in Maryland’s history, with hundreds of volunteers, law enforcement agencies, and even the FBI participating in the search. Despite the exhaustive efforts, there were no immediate leads, and the case went cold for many years. The case took several turns over the decades, with multiple persons of interest being considered, but no arrests were made.
In 2013, investigators reopened the case and focused on Lloyd Lee Welch, a convicted sex offender who had been seen at the Wheaton Plaza on the day the girls disappeared. Welch was eventually charged with their kidnapping and murder, although their bodies have never been found. In 2017, Welch was convicted and sentenced to 48 years in prison for his role in the girls’ deaths. Despite this resolution, the Lyon sisters’ disappearance remains a haunting case, with their family still seeking closure regarding the location of their remains.Last Seen: Mar 25, 1975
