Pamela Simmons, a 35-year-old white female, vanished on October 28, 1986, in Bullhead City, Arizona. She was last seen at a local market near her home and was reported to have been withdrawing money from an ATM before she disappeared. Her car was later found abandoned near the police station, raising immediate concerns of foul play. The initial search for Pamela yielded no answers, leaving her whereabouts a troubling mystery for several weeks.
The case took a grim turn on December 13,
1986, when a Swiss tourist, who was taking photographs of the desert landscape, discovered a body. The remains were found approximately 50 feet off Highway 68, about six miles from Davis Dam. Authorities soon identified the deceased as Pamela Simmons. An investigation into her death determined that she had been beaten to death.
During the time of Pamela's disappearance and the discovery of her body, a notorious crime spree was being carried out across multiple states by Cynthia Coffman and her accomplice, James Gregory Marlow. The duo was responsible for a series of kidnappings and murders of several women in October and November of 1986. Due to the similar nature of their crimes, which often involved targeting women at ATMs, suspicion arose that they might have been involved in Pamela's case. However, Bullhead City police investigated this potential link and ultimately cleared Coffman and Marlow as suspects in Pamela's disappearance and murder. The primary reason for this was that fingerprints found in Pamela's car did not match either of the suspects. Despite this, some online sources continue to erroneously list Pamela Simmons as one of their victims for whose murder they were convicted.
As of the latest available information, no arrests have been made in connection with the death of Pamela Simmons. Her murder is officially considered one of the oldest unsolved cases in Mohave County. Law enforcement has encouraged anyone with information regarding the crime to come forward. The brutal end to the life of the 35-year-old radio station saleswoman remains an open wound for the community, a cold case still awaiting a resolution decades later.
