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Missing

Darlene Conklin

Nearly 41 years after she vanished, police believe Darlene to be a victim of homicide

  • Last updated: September 7, 2022
  • Monsey, NY
  • April 19, 1981

Overview of Darlene Conklin

Darlene Ellen Conklin was last seen on April 19, 1981, leaving the home that she shared with her boyfriend in Monsey, New York.

According to her boyfriend, Darlene would occasionally take off and spend some time alone, however in April of 1981, she never came home. Darlene's mother, however, was worried when she couldn't get in contact with her daughter and later told police that Darlene always kept in contact with her family.

Sometime after Darlene's disappearance, officers from an unknown police agency visited a moving and storage company in Mount Kisco, NY named 'Whalen's Moving and Storage', where Darlene's boyfriend had worked at the time of her disappearance, looking for information about remains they had found. These officers brought a Polaroid picture of an unidentified woman who had been recently killed and was found wrapped in a 'Whalen's Moving and Storage' moving blanket. This visit was not learned about by local police investigating Darlene's disappearance until nearly 30 years later.

Darlene's case was officially reopened and relabeled as an "unknown-death investigation' in 2010 after police received a credible tip.

This tip included information from an unnamed individual, explaining that an acquaintance of the tipster described killing a woman in Monsey, NY, in 1981 and disposing of her body. Unfortunately, this tipster did not have any information about the name of this woman or the location where her body was disposed of.

Around this time is when local investigators learned about the unidentified police department's trip to Whalen's Moving & Storage nearly 30 years earlier. Through questioning employees of the company, investigators learned about the photograph, which, according to statements by employees, seemed to match Darlene's description, with light brown hair, although every employee gave different descriptions of the young woman from the picture.

Unfortunately, there isn't much information available about who Darlene was as a person.

Darlene grew up in Franklin, New Jersey, approximately an hour's drive from where she was living at the time of her disappearance. Darlene had seven siblings, and her brother would later explain in interviews that it was very odd for Darlene to not be in contact with family, especially their mother. He stated, "she always called our mom, no matter what. They were very close".

Darlene is further described as someone who really enjoyed life, a fun girl, and not someone who would hide, especially not for her family. Darlene enjoyed spending time at a nearby waterfront with friends. Darlene remains a constant thought in her growing family's minds, with memories of her always finding their way into a conversation.

Today, over 40 years after Darlene was last seen, her investigation remains open, and detectives continue looking for the police agency with information about the young woman in the photograph. Investigators believe that Darlene was killed and that the woman in the photo is Darlene, however, they have been unsuccessful in their attempts to identify the agency.

Darlene Ellen Conklin is described as a Caucasian woman with brown hair and green eyes. Darlene was 21 years old at the time of her disappearance in 1981, weighed 110-130 lbs, and was 5'8" tall. Darlene has the following tattoos on her hands: "love" on one hand, and "terry" on the other. The "terry" tattoo may have been changed to "hate" or may appear to be "jerry".

There is currently a $2,500 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for Darlene's disappearance or death.

Information

  1. Date Missing:April 19, 1981
  2. Birthday:October 15, 1959
  3. Current Age:64
  4. Age at Incident:21
  5. NAMUS Number:MP10336
  6. Race:Caucasian / White
  7. Gender:Female
  8. Height:5'8
  9. Weight:110-130 lbs
  10. Hair Color:Light Brown

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