In the autumn of 1978, sixteen-year-old Anthony Ross Allen, known to his friends and family as Tony, vanished from Fort Smith, Arkansas, leaving a void that has spanned decades. At the time of his disappearance, he was a sophomore at Southside High School. He had recently moved out of his mother’s home to live with friends in the nearby town of Cedarville.
Accounts from his friends suggest that a few months later, he and a friend traveled to Oklahoma, staying in either Hartshorne or McAlester. Their time there was reportedly cut short when the friend's uncle, with whom they were staying, asked them to leave upon discovering that police were looking for them. Following this, it is believed Tony found refuge with a man known for sheltering runaways. A visit from law enforcement to this residence on an unrelated matter reportedly caused Tony to flee, under the mistaken belief that they were there for him. Despite these accounts, authorities have never been able to confirm that he was ever in Oklahoma.
Initially, Anthony's case was treated as a runaway situation. He was known for his independent nature and had a history of disappearing for short periods, although he had always maintained contact with his family in the past. The prolonged silence following his disappearance in October 1978 was uncharacteristic and alarming to his loved ones. By 1980, the Fort Smith Police Department reclassified his case as that of a missing person, and as time went on, the possibility of foul play became a growing concern. The investigation into his disappearance was hampered by a significant setback in 1996 when a tornado destroyed the police department's records storage facility, losing valuable information related to the case. Despite this, the case was reopened in 2004 at the request of his family.
Decades have passed since Anthony Allen was last seen. He was described as being between 6'1' and 6'2' and weighing around 135 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He had a small mole near his nose, a cyst on his calf, and was last seen wearing Levi's jeans and a western-style shirt. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain a painful mystery for his family and community. While there were rumors he may have returned to Fort Smith after his time in Oklahoma, these sightings were never confirmed. The lack of any communication from him since 1978 is a stark departure from his previous behavior. His case holds the distinction of being the first entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. The investigation remains open, a long-standing and poignant search for answers.Last Seen: Oct 1, 1978
