Marie Ann Watson
| Marie Ann Watson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marie Ann Baxter In December 1949 |
| Disappeared | 22 November 1977 |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Jimmy Watson |
| 👶 Children | Sandi Taranto and a son |
Marie Ann Watson (December 3, 1949) is an American woman that went missing in Emmet, Idaho on November 22, 1977[1] while in the midst of a custody battle involving the foster parents (Michael “Mike“ Rogers and Dorothy Rogers) of her two children.[2] She is presumed to have been taken against her will. Her disappearance gained public attention in 1996 after it was discovered that a former foster child of the Rogerses (Ramon Rogers) had murdered and dismembered an ex–girlfriend.[3] Authorities believe that the Rogerses might have been involved in Marie Ann Watson‘s disappearance, however, no arrests related to her case have been made and no remains belonging to her have been identified.
Background[edit]
Marie was born to parents Lucille and Leon Baxter on December 3, 1949 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her parents were practicing Seventh Day Adventists. According to her daughter Sandi, Marie ran away from home at around age 16 to escape her mother‘s oppressive nature and soon turned to prostitution and drug abuse.
After leaving her first husband, Marie moved to Colorado together with her two children where in 1975 she was sentenced to one year for prostitution and possession of illegal substances. She placed her children in the care of Michael and Dorothy Rogers who were foster parents to five other children as well.[2]
After being released Marie made attempts to regain custody over her son and daughter, Michael and Dorothy however wished to keep the children, going as far as changing their names and making them refer to their mother as „Aunt Marie“. A custody battle ensued lasting until Marie‘s disappearance in 1977.
Disappearance[edit]
Marie disappeared on November 22, 1977. The last person to be in contact with her was Dorothy Rogers. According to Dorothy, both had gone from Emmett,Idaho to a town in Oregon in order to obtain records from a psychiatrist who had evaluated Sandi, Marie’s daughter, to determine whether she was being sexually abused. They had, according to Dorothy, taken her car rather than Marie's.
On their way home, according to Dorothy, they went off of the road into a snowbank because of "snowy conditions" after which a "dark colored, run-down old black car" came to a halt in front of them. Marie simply ran up to the car, jumped in, and rode away with them. According to her, Marie was never seen again after this.
However, Marie's identification, uncashed paycheck, car keys, wallet, etc. were left in her vehicle,[4] which was parked at a local diner in Emmet.
In June 1978, Michael Rogers was charged with raping his fourteen-year-old adopted daughter. He and Dorothy fled, taking Watson's children and two of their other foster children with them. They were later located in Arkansas, the Rogerses were arrested and the children were taken into protective custody. Michael later pleaded guilty to the rape of his daughter, and he and Dorothy divorced. There were allegations that they abused their other foster and adopted children as well.
Investigation[edit]
In 1977 the investigation did not come up with any helpful leads and soon went quiet.
In 1996 Ramon Rogers, the oldest foster child of the Rogerses was convicted of murdering two of his girlfriends and a former roommate in California.[5] After his arrest, Ramon became a primary suspect in Watson's disappearance which led to a police dig at his former home in Idaho. His involvement, however, could not be proven.
Citations[edit]
- ↑ "Missing Persons". isp.idaho.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://charleyproject.org/case/marie-ann-watson
- ↑ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-15-mn-47415-story.html
- ↑ Taranto, Sandi (2019-05-25). "Pair asks custody of missing daughter's children". Dandelion Child. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ↑ "San Diego Police Search for More Body Parts". Los Angeles Times. 1996-03-15. Retrieved 2020-08-08. Unknown parameter
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