Carol Jean Pierce, aged 35, was last seen at her home in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, on September 8, 1975. According to official records, she was observed between roughly 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., in the vicinity of West Elm Street and North Hudson Avenue, where she lived with her husband, Richard Gale Pierce.
Her husband, a U.S. Coast Guard crew member aboard the cutter *Mesquite*, said he had coffee with Carol that morning before leaving for work.
When he returned home between 4:00 and 4:30 p.m., Carol had vanished along with their savings, though her purse, makeup, and pet cat remained behind. The couple had only one vehicle, which Richard had taken to work, making an unassisted departure unlikely.
Friends and neighbors described Carol as a homebody who loved gardening. At the time of her disappearance, she was planning to move with Richard to Cheboygan, Michigan—where they owned property—after his retirement. She had been saving to buy him a commemorative Coast Guard Warrant Officer’s ring, and reportedly obtained a loan from her mother in secret to that end.
Robert developments: while Richard did report Carol missing, he waited until seven days later, on **September 15 1975**, to file the official report. Soon after, in September 1975, he moved to Michigan, retired from the Coast Guard, and ultimately divorced Carol in 1977 in an uncontested proceeding—remarrying shortly thereafter.
Investigations over the years uncovered troubling details. Carol had allegedly once confided to a neighbor, "I think he’s going to kill me,” and was seen with bruises. A neighbor trained as an X‑ray technician later said a black eye she saw did not appear accidental.
Although no body was ever recovered, authorities suspected foul play and scrutinized Richard’s actions. For decades he had benefited financially—receiving control of their property titles, including their truck and mobile home, which Carol had signed over shortly before vanishing. He also took inconsistent positions about her disappearance; for instance, he repeatedly visited a safety‑deposit box before she disappeared, even though that meant being away from duty aboard the *Mesquite*.
In October 2018, at age 82, Richard was formally charged with first‑degree murder and disinterment of a corpse. Prosecutors argued that he had both motive and opportunity to kill Carol, pointing to his financial gains and alleged long‑standing domestic abuse. They further asserted he hid her remains under the crawl space of his Michigan home and later moved them, with a cadaver‑sniffing dog detecting possible human remains at six locations in the crawl space.
During his trial in April 2022, Richard did not testify, and his defense did not introduce witnesses. The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence, including statements from neighbors and coworkers and testimony about Carol’s plans and his behavior following her disappearance. After roughly ten hours of deliberation, the jury convicted him on both counts. In August 2022, he received a life sentence for first‑degree murder plus an additional three years for disinterment. Carol’s remains have still not been located.
Physical description details from law enforcement and advocacy records list Carol as approximately 5′5″, 115 pounds, with blond hair, hazel eyes, a surgical pin in her right femur, and a small scar on her upper lip. Investigators classify her case as an endangered missing adult under NCIC case M‑081358844 and local Sturgeon Bay Police case number 82‑0083.
Despite the conviction, the location of Carol’s body remains a mystery. No verified activity—financial, travel, legal, social—has been recorded under her name since her disappearance. Authorities believe she is deceased, and the case remains officially regarded as resolved through Richard's conviction, even as her remains remain unrecovered.Last Seen: Sep 8, 1975
