George Owens Missing Person Case

May 14, 2021

Jun 29, 2021

George

Owens

119

79

70 inches

72 inches

155 lbs

165 lbs

Black / African American

Male

In the summer of 1985, a feeling of unease settled over the family of 79-year-old George Owens, a respected associate minister from Nashville, Tennessee. On July 22nd, he was expected to pick up his wife, Alene, from the bus station following her trip to Ohio. However, George, a man of routine and dedication, never arrived. After an hour of waiting, Alene contacted George's brother for a ride home, likely assuming her husband had merely overslept. Upon their arrival, they discovered George's car was gone from the garage, and he was nowhere to be found. Inside their home, the dining table was set with their Sunday dinnerware, seemingly awaiting a meal that was never shared. His hat, a daily accessory, was in its usual place, and their dog was hungry. The days that followed George's disappearance brought a series of perplexing sightings that only deepened the mystery. After a local television station broadcasted a report on his case, several individuals from other parts of Tennessee came forward, recognizing his photograph. Hours after he was supposed to be at the Nashville bus station, he was seen approximately 80 miles away. He had stopped at a service station in Santa Fe, Tennessee, to get a flat tire repaired. The owner of the station later recalled that George seemed a bit confused. George had reportedly asked for directions to Nolensville, but it's believed the station owner may have misheard him and instead provided directions to Lobelville, which was in the opposite direction. The following day, he was seen in a convenience store in Lobelville, where he bought ice cream and cigars. The clerk noted that he appeared disoriented and mentioned that he couldn't find his wife. Six days after he was last seen, George's 1972 Dodge Dart was discovered on a remote hilltop in Perry County, over a hundred miles from his home. The scene was unsettling; the keys were in the ignition, the driver's side window was down, and the battery was dead. His cane, which he used for walking, was propped against the car. Inside the vehicle, his suit jacket was found, along with a box of matches on the dashboard, which was odd as his family stated he had quit smoking long ago. Piles of brush and tree limbs were arranged around the car, with kindling stacked in the back seat, as if someone had intended to start a fire. A witness later reported seeing George's car being followed by a pickup truck up the logging road where the car was found; the truck was seen driving back down alone a short time later. Despite extensive searches of the surrounding woods, no trace of George Owens has ever been found. The circumstances of his disappearance, including his apparent confusion and the strange state in which his car was found, have left his family and investigators with many unanswered questions. While there has been speculation about a possible medical issue, such as a stroke, that may have led to his disorientation, the full story of what happened to George Owens remains an unsolved and sorrowful mystery.

Jul 22, 1985

Nashville

Tennessee

Davidson County

No

104515

Perry County Sheriff's Office

Linden

Tennessee

Perry County

37096

Rosanna Weems

Investigator

121 East Main Street, Tennessee

9315892216

County

Law Enforcement

https://gov.perrycountytn.com/perry-county-sheriff

0607-0535

Perry County Sheriff's Office

6700

Gray or Partially Gray

Brown

Brown

No

07/10/2026