On September 21, 1978, 73-year-old Nan Cecile Dixon departed from her residence in Grass Valley, California, for a planned visit with her brother, Harry Leighton, and his family in the remote mining community of Seven Troughs, Nevada. The primary purpose of her trip was to reclaim a $6,000 investment she had made in her brother's gold mining venture back in 1961. Dixon was traveling alone in her yellow and green 1976 Datsun B210. She never reached her destination, and her husband reported her missing the following day.
Initial investigations into Dixon's disappearance yielded few leads. Law enforcement in Pershing County, Nevada, where Seven Troughs is located, stated there was no evidence to suggest she had even made it to the county. A significant piece of early evidence was a credit card receipt for a $4.18 gasoline purchase made by Dixon at a Texaco station in Lovelock, Nevada, a town near Seven Troughs. This confirmed she had been in the vicinity of her destination. Despite this lead, extensive searches of the surrounding desert areas by her family and law enforcement found no trace of Dixon or her vehicle.
The case remained cold for four years until 1982, when coyote hunters discovered Dixon's Datsun in a ravine below a turnoff for Seven Troughs, approximately 27 miles north of Lovelock. The location was on the property of the Eagle-Picher Mining Company and had been previously searched by air and ground crews without success, leading some to believe the car may have been moved there after the initial searches. The vehicle's tires were scuffed but still inflated, and the gas tank was half-full. Inside the car, investigators found several peculiar items, including four empty cartons of a brand of cigarettes Dixon did not smoke, as she was a light smoker. They also discovered pieces of black electrical tape, one of which reportedly had a hair and what appeared to be human tissue attached. Apparent bloodstains were observed on the trunk mat, a tire, and a rim.
An unsigned suicide note was also found inside the vehicle. However, Dixon's family did not believe she was suicidal, describing her as "strong and lively". Despite the family's beliefs and the suspicious evidence found in the car, the authorities ultimately ruled her death a suicide, and the case was closed. The car was subsequently sold at a sheriff's auction, and the evidence was lost. Nan Cecile Dixon's body has never been found, and the case officially remains unsolved. Theories of foul play persist, with her family and some investigators believing she may have been murdered and the scene staged to look like a suicide. One theory suggests she may have stumbled upon a criminal operation in the remote area.
Last Seen: Sep 21, 1978
