In the early spring of 1979, Linda Lou Taylor, a 23-year-old White female, vanished from her new life in Reno, Nevada. Having moved from Minnesota the previous fall, she was working as a bartender and was known by her family to be responsible and independent. On March 7, 1979, Linda visited a local bank where she met a man who introduced himself as a self-employed locksmith. The two made plans to have lunch. Later that day, she was seen buying a pair of shoes.
Receipts show she purchased groceries on March 8, and there was a possible, but unconfirmed, sighting of her at her apartment complex on March 9. After that, she was never seen or heard from again.
Her family grew concerned when she missed a car payment, an act they described as entirely out of character for the organized young woman. Their fears were amplified on March 18, when Linda's station wagon was discovered abandoned in a parking lot, about 23 miles from where she was last seen. Inside the vehicle were her workout clothes. The discovery of her car, coupled with her sudden silence, led authorities to suspect foul play. Her body has never been found, and her case is considered a suspected homicide.
The investigation into Linda's disappearance soon focused on a man named Charles Gary Sullivan. A tip led police to question him, and while he initially denied knowing Linda, he later admitted to having gone on a date with her. Shortly after this interview with police, Sullivan abruptly quit his job, shaved his beard, and fled Nevada. Though he was a person of interest, the case went cold for decades. Years later, Sullivan was arrested in Arizona in connection with the 1979 murder of another young woman in Reno, Julia Woodward, after DNA evidence linked him to the crime. Law enforcement has stated they believe Sullivan may be a serial killer and have named him as a suspect in Linda Taylor's disappearance and the murder of another woman, Jeannie Smith. Despite these suspicions, Charles Gary Sullivan has never been formally charged in connection with the disappearance of Linda Taylor.
