Marjorie Knox, a 14-year-old White and Asian female of Thai descent, disappeared on February 14, 1987, while visiting friends in El Paso, Texas. She had attended a Valentine's Day party at Veterans Park and was last seen in the company of individuals familiar to her. Marjorie lived in Chaparral, New Mexico, and was known to enjoy horses and sports. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a purple shirt and blue jeans and may have bleached her hair blond.
There were reports suggesting she might have been pregnant. Her disappearance was part of a disturbing pattern of missing young women in the El Paso area during 1987.
Authorities suspect that Marjorie Knox was one of the victims of David Leonard Wood, a convicted serial killer known as the 'Desert Killer.' Wood was linked to the disappearances and murders of nine women and girls in El Paso in 1987. Six of the victims were found buried in shallow graves in the desert, while three—including Marjorie Knox—were never located. Witnesses reported seeing Marjorie with Wood on several occasions before she vanished. She also rode the same school bus as another victim, Desiree Wheatley, in Chaparral.
David Leonard Wood, born in 1957, had a history of violent crimes against women and girls. He was first arrested at age 19 for the attempted rape of a 12-year-old and later convicted of raping a 13-year-old and a 19-year-old. He was paroled in January 1987, just weeks before the string of disappearances began. Wood was arrested in October 1987 after multiple women identified him as the man who had assaulted them in the desert near the burial sites. He was convicted of kidnapping and rape in 1988 and sentenced to 50 years in prison. In 1993, he was convicted of capital murder for six of the killings and sentenced to death.
Despite the conviction, Wood has maintained his innocence and has not provided information about the missing girls, including Marjorie Knox. Her remains have never been found, and her family continues to seek answers. Her sister expressed frustration that Wood's execution would not bring closure without knowing what happened to Marjorie. Authorities presume Marjorie, a 14-year-old White and Asian female, was murdered, but her case remains officially classified as a disappearance.
