Elizabeth Ann Gill – Beth – was only 2 years old when she vanished. She was born on August 21, 1962, and was the youngest of 10 siblings.

Her family describes her as sweet-natured, trusting, and approachable. Their family grew up in Cape Girardeau and the family felt like they could trust the people there. They lived in a home that had belonged to their family since the 1860s. With a population of approximately 70,000 people, many people still remember Beth’s case.

On Sunday, June 13, 1965, Beth was home with one of her siblings. Her mother was traveling home from Chicago back to Missouri, and their father was out of town for work. By 4:00 p.m., it was discovered that Beth had disappeared. Her siblings and other neighborhood children looked around, and one of them contacted the police. A short time, Beth’s mother returned home to a small crowd of people and police. The search for Beth began immediately, which included canvassing the local neighborhood and dragging the Mississippi River.

The next morning, Cape Girardeau police received a tip from a local mechanic. The unidentified mechanic informed police that there had been a couple who were waiting for a car part for their 1965 Chevy truck to arrive. It was set to arrive on Monday, June 14, and the couple was okay with staying in town until the part could be fixed. When the part arrived, and the mechanic called the motel where the couple was staying was informed that the couple had checked out – right around the time of Beth’s disappearance. The police would later learn that this couple had a history of using fake names and switching license plates.

The vehicle was able to be tracked back to a dealership in Lake Orion, Michigan.

Elizabeth also answers to the nicknames Beth or Betsy. She is described as a white female with brown hair and blue eyes. At the time of her disappearance, she was 2’6” and 22 pounds. Today, she would be 60 years old. She was last seen wearing green blouse and white shorts. Beth does have a chicken pox scar on her right elbow.

Where the case stands today.

During Christmas 1966, Beth’s father wrote a letter to President Lyndon B. Johnson asking the FBI to help with the investigation. In January 1967, the family received a letter back from FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover. In the letter, he states that Beth’s case was added to their missing person file, but because there was no clear evidence of a kidnapping, the FBI didn’t intervene. With the help of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a familial DNA sample was obtained from one of Elizabeth’s surviving siblings in hopes that a match can be made.

Thankfully, in 2010 the FBI reopened and reclassified the case as a kidnapping. Authorities did interview an elderly woman, but she was hesitant to discuss what she knew but did mention that two of her own family members had been involved in Beth’s investigation.

In 2023, season 2 of Dateline: Missing in America podcast covered Elizabeth's case.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Elizabeth Ann Gill, please contact the Cape Girdardeau police department at 573-335-6621.