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Missing

Mary Patricia Burns










Missing Person Case September 2021


Burns, approximately 1977




Date reported missing : 12/13/1977

Missing location (approx) :
Bothell, Washington
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White


DOB : 03/28/1947 (74)
Age at the time of disappearance: 30 years old
Height / Weight : 5'2, 115 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : Caucasian female. Light brown hair, green eyes. Burns has pierced ears. She wears eyeglasses, but they were left behind.





Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Burns was last seen working in a boutique in the 18800 block of Bothwell Way northeast in Bothell, Washington on the evening of December 13, 1977. Because of a scheduling mixup, there was no one working with her that day.
At 9:00 p.m., when Burns's sister-in-law came to help her close the store for the night, Burns was gone. The store's lights were out, the doors were unlocked and 29 rounds of .22-caliber ammunition were scattered around the building's interior.
Burns's car was found undisturbed in the parking lot. Her eyeglasses and one of her earrings were inside the store fitting room, and her purse was missing. She has never been heard from again.
Authorities announced they were seeking a person for questioning; he was described as 6'3 to 6'4 tall, with dark brown hair, brown eyes and an angular face. He had been witnessed talking to Burns at the store before she disappeared.
Robert Elmore Taylor is the prime suspect in Burns's disappearance. A convicted murderer, he had escaped from a Michigan prison and in January 1978, he robbed a Bothell massAge at the time of disappearance: parlor at gunpoint and abducted two of its female employees. One of them was able to get the gun away from him and shot him twice in the abdomen, and he was arrested.
When police searched his residence, they found clothing that had been stolen from Burns's store hanging in his closet, as well as merchandise which had been purchased with Burns's credit cards. Sales clerks identified Taylor as the person who bought the items, signing Burns's husband's name on the credit card slips, and the writing on the receipts matched Taylor's.
Taylor was convicted of kidnapping and robbery in the massAge at the time of disappearance: parlor case and sentenced to 240 years in prison. He was never charged in Burns's disappearance because authorities couldn't find her body and because the other charges ensured he would spend the rest of his life behind bars. He was murdered by another inmate in 1979. The investigation into Burns's case stagnated after Taylor's death.
Burns's body has never been found, but foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved.


Other information and links : ncy

Bothell Police Department
425-487-5100



September 2021 updates and sources

Washington State Missing Persons Information
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Idaho Spokesman-Review
The Seattle Times
The Spokane Daily Chronicle




October 12, 2004. December 1, 2013; .