SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – More than 40-years after young Shirley Jane Rose was taken from her home and later found dead the case remains cold. Family, friends and law enforcement are hopeful there will be justice Rose.
On the night of October 17, 1975, nine-year-old Shirley Jane Rose went missing about a block away from her home on Scenic. A few months later she was found dead at McDaniel Lake on December 13, 1975.
“She was just out on the sidewalk and someone just took her from there,” said Lt. Culley Wilson, Springfield Police Department.
Wilson said the Springfield Police Department began working the case as an abduction until her body was found.
“Found in a shallow grave. At the time detectives gathered quite a bit of evidence for 1975,” said Wilson.
Wilson said there were persons of interest but never enough good evidence to file charges and make an arrest.
“They would use polygraph was one of the tools they would use. Fingerprints which were not good evidence at the time,” Wilson said.
Now Linda Stovall, who was 14-years-old when her cousin went missing, is hopeful new technology and information will close the case.
“Social media and they have that new DNA technology now,” said Stovall.
Wilson said DNA wasn’t a thing back then but DNA analysis was done in 2006 when the case was reopened. Unfortunately, he said nothing was found.
“For me just looking at the case I believe there’s still someone out there that knows something. If not the suspect who did it someone else who he’s spoken to about it,” said Wilson.
“Hoping her case gets solved because her mother and father died without even knowing what happened to their daughter and her siblings deserve justice or at least answers,” Stovall said.
Wilson asks for any and all tips to be reported to Springfield police at 417-864-1810.
