Katharina Buczek
In 2018, Lauralyn Palmer of Fall River Mills, California, was a 71-year-old retired nurse. She and her husband of 20 years, Bob Palmer, were living together in a home located in the 23000 block of Cassel Fall River Road.
Lauralyn is regarded by her family as a very active, social, and caring woman. In her free time, she volunteered at a thrift shop, and on Tuesday evenings, she went bowling with her friends.
“My mom was known really well in the community because she was the hospice nurse and had worked at the hospital. So a lot of people knew her because she was taking care of their parents or family members,” said Lauralyn’s son, Dave Crotwell.
“She went bowling with friends every Tuesday night. And she was very proud that she could go on a four-mile walk and be fine, as well as volunteer four to five times a week.”
According to loved ones, she was also reportedly showing early signs of dementia leading up to her mysterious disappearance.
It all began on April 20, 2018. That Friday, Lauralyn was last seen at home by her husband. It was about 4:30 p.m., and she’d just gotten back from the thrift store where she volunteered.
Upon arriving home, Lauralyn reportedly said hello to her husband, got a lite beer out of their fridge, and left to walk her stepdaughter’s dog – a Blue Heeler named Lucy – in the woods located southeast of her house. Apparently, she and her husband were caring for the dog for a few days.
Since Lauralyn lived in a less populated area, she normally walked Lucy without a leash. The route the pair often walked also usually took about 15 minutes. Yet, after Lauralyn left and 25 minutes passed by, neither she nor Lucy returned home.
“My stepdad wondered why she wasn’t back yet because he always looks out for her. So he went searching for her. But after she’d been gone 45 minutes, he started calling the neighbors to ask if they’d seen her,” Dave recalled.
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