jun 14, 1976 - Elaine Faye Lehtinen DISAPPEARANCE

Description:

On either Monday, June 14, or Tuesday, June 15, 1976, Elaine Lehtinen, 31, was last seen gardening in the front yard of her residence, which was in the 1500 block of Parkwood St in Napa, Napa County, CA. NamUs and Charley Project disagree on the date, and Doe Network uses both dates. The National Missing Person Directory specifically states that Elaine was last seen at 8:30pm on June 14.

When Elaine didn't show up for work at the Mare Island Naval Base in Vallejo, CA -- where she was a naval officer -- her supervisor became concerned and called one of her neighbors, who went to her house to check on her. While the doors to the house were locked, the neighbor gained entry though an unlocked window and discovered that Elaine was not there. She was promptly reported missing.

There were no signs of a struggle in her home, which was in neat and orderly condition. Her Navy uniform was found laid out for work. Her car, bicycle, keys, purse, and identification were left behind. She also did not leave a note of any kind. There was no indication that she was suicidal at the time of her disappearance: Charley Project notes that, "she wasn't having any financial problems or personal problems that might have made her want to leave on her own. Her career in the Navy was going well; she had enlisted at age eighteen and had risen to officer status, with secret clearance."

The Navy initially listed Elaine as a deserter, though they eventually reclassified her as deceased. She was declared legally dead in 1986. She has not accessed her bank accounts since she went missing. Foul play is suspected in her case. She is classified as Endangered Missing on the Charley Project and Doe Network.

Elaine is a white female with blue eyes. At the time of her disappearance, she was 31 years old, 5'0, and 110 lbs. Her hair is straight and was cut short. She wears prescription wire-framed glasses. Elaine has a mole on the side of her neck, as well as another mole under her left breast. Her date of birth is April 5, 1945; if alive today she would be 80 years old.

Elaine's NamUs case was created on October 24, 2011 and last updated January 18, 2024. Her Charley Project and Doe Network profiles were last updated on April 1, 2012 and May 18, 2022, respectively.

Elaine's dental x-rays and DNA are available, while her fingerprints are not. She has ten UID exclusions on NamUs, none of which are featured on this timeline. Anyone with information regarding Elaine's disappearance should contact Napa PD at (707) 253-3351. The agency case number is 76-12448.

Two years before Elaine's disappearance, a 17-year-old girl named Deana Hooper went missing from the Mare Island Naval Base's enlisted men's club; less than a year later, Deana's body was found in a field near Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo. Deana case is being treated as a murder. It is unknown if a connection between Deana's murder and Elaine's disappearance has ever been looked into.

A user on a Zodiac forum has brought up Elaine's case as a possible Zodiac victim, and she has also been brought up once in the Zodiac Killer subreddit, though the idea was largely discounted. However, some who believe that Paul Doerr may have been the Zodiac have brought up the fact that he may have been working at Mare Island at the same time that Elaine went missing.

JUNE 14-15
LUNAR PHASE: waning gibbous
ZODIAC SIGN: gemini
DAY OF WEEK: Monday-Tuesday

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