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Family holds out hopes missing woman still alive after 20 years
The family of a Lawton woman who vanished in 1999 is holding out hope that she is still alive — nearly 20 years later.
Michelle Deanne Crawford, who was a 21-year-old Cameron University student at the time of her disappearance, went to the movies at 11 p.m. June 8, 1999, and never returned home to 2219 Northwest Lincoln, where she lived with her parents, John and Kathy Crawford, according to a missing person report filed June 9, 1999, by the Lawton Police Department.
Michelle’s cousin, Jackie Melton, of Kansas City, recently contacted The Lawton Constitution and requested that awareness be raised of Michelle’s disappearance. Michelle was born Sept. 26, 1977.
According to the 1999 missing person report, at the time of her disappearance, Michelle was described as a blonde-haired, blueeyed white woman standing 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighing about 120 pounds.
The 1999 report states that when Michelle didn’t come home, Kathy Crawford, Michelle’s mother, called Gibson’s, where Michelle worked part-time, and was told that she didn’t show up to work or call, the 1999 report states.
“Michelle has never done anything like this before,” Kathy Crawford told police, according to the 1999 report.
An article about the oneyear anniversary of Michelle’s disappearance was published in The Lawton Constitution on June 14, 2000, after Constitution reporter McNelly Torres interviewed Kathy Crawford.
Kathy Crawford told the Constitution that she and her husband, John, were already tucked into bed for the night when their daughter came into their bedroom to tell them she was headed out to see a movie, the 2000 article states.
The conversation between Michelle and her parents was “casual,” and Kathy Crawford “didn’t think there was anything strange,” according to the 2000 article.
Lawton Police Capt. Bill Mathis told The Constitution that there was “no evidence that points to foul play so far,” and the “lack of leads makes cases extremely difficult for investigators” who are trying to find the truth, the 2000 article states.
Kathy Crawford told The Constitution in 2000 that her daughter’s disappearance didn’t make sense — Michelle left everything behind, including her clothes, money, ID and vehicle.
“It just doesn’t seem good,” Kathy Crawford said. “I have played so many scenarios that I don’t know what to think.”
The 2000 article states that Kathy and John Crawford set out to find their daughter, but instead of finding her, they found her 1986 four-door gray Honda Accord on June 13, 1999, in front of an apartment complex at 1127 E. Gore Blvd.
“The car wasn’t well parked, and the driver’s door was the only door that was unlocked,” according to the 2000 article.
In the back seat of the car was Michelle’s purse, which still contained its contents. Her bank account was also not touched, the 2000 article states.
Police entered Michelle’s information into the National Crime Information Center’s missing persons list, the 2000 article states. In April 2012, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System created a missing person case for Michelle, which is available to read at NamUs.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/14428.
Case remains an ‘open investigation’
Det. Charlie Whittington of the Lawton Police Department said on Friday that the case is not “cold” — nor is it “closed.”
“It’s still an ongoing investigation,” Whittington said.
Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 355-INFO (4636) or submit a tip online at lawtoncrimestoppers.com . Those whose information leads to an arrest and charges being filed may be eligible for a cash reward.