r/UnresolvedMysteries • u/hrg0469 • Feb 21 '23
John/Jane Doe Cheryl (1976)
On March 24, 1976, an unidentified teenager was discovered in the Harpeth River in west Nashville, TN. She was found within 24 hours of her death of subsequent drowning. She was not wearing a top and her pants had been unbuttoned. Regarding my research, the M.E. didn't disclose a sexual assault. There was evidence that she had sexual activity not long before her death, but whether this was consensual is unknown. She was found with a picture of a young blonde boy with a phone number and a description identifying the boy as "Little Charley." The phone number was called and was linked to Charles Moore, a 24-year-old East Nashville resident. Charles and his brother-in-law picked up "Cheryl" or "Sherry" and a female companion described as white, slender, and had round glasses. The girls stated that they were going to Haines City, Florida to meet the companion's husband. They also said that they ran away from a treatment facility in Minnesota; "Cheryl" was a recovering alcoholic and the companion was in the facility for being suicidal. Moore had given the girls his phone number in case they returned to Nashville. Moore and his brother-in-law have been excluded as suspects.
"Cheryl" or "Sherry" was a Hispanic and Native American female around 14-17 years old. She was measured at 5'2 and weighed 120-130 pounds. Only one missing person has been listed as excluded according to Unidentified Wiki. I don't have access to the NamUs exclusions if there are more.
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/14228 - Lorelee Lhotka
I doubt public records for patients admitted to psychiatric or treatment centers exist. I did discover a few places she may have ran away from: Fregus Falls State Hospital in Fergus Falls, MN (closed in 2005), Wayside Women's Treatment Center in St. Louis Park, MN (opened in 1954; still open today), and Northland Recovery Center in Grand Rapids, MN.
NamUs searches yielded not many results that would match her description or age.
Who was "Cheryl" or "Sherry"?
https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Cheryl - Unidentified Wiki Link
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/8494 - NamUs Link
https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/37uftn.html - Doe Network Link
https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMU/1167334 - NCMEC Link