The Missing: Janice Marie Hannigan

This month’s missing persons case is emblematic of a much larger problem in the world of crime and investigation. Janice Marie Hannigan was only 16 when she vanished on Christmas Eve of 1971. However, records of her disappearance are inconsistent at best and there is little information available. It seems like her case wasn’t taken seriously. Why could that be? Could it be because she was a young indigenous woman? Let’s explore.

Case Basics

Name: Janice Marie Hannigan
Missing Since: December 24, 1971
Age: 16
Location: Wapato, Washington
Status: Endangered Missing

Who Is Janice?

As with many of the cases we cover here at the library, not a lot of information is known about who Janice was before she disappeared. We know that she was born on March 23, 1955. She is a member of the Yakama Nation. At the time of her disappearance, her parents were separated, and she was living with her father in Harrah, WA while the rest of her siblings lived with her mother. Janice is the oldest of seven children. She was a sophomore at White Swan High School, and enjoyed doing beadwork, cooking, and watching football in her spare time.
According to missing persons reports, Janice stood at about five feet tall and weighed around 100 to 105 pounds at the time of her disappearance. She has a mole on her chin. Strangely, reports note that her ears may be pierced. She has brown eyes, and dark hair that she wore long at the time she was last seen.

*(A contemporary photo of Janice. via the Yakima Herald)*

The Disappearance

On December 21, 1974, 16-year-old Janice Marie Hannigan was admitted to a hospital in Yakima County, Washington. The exact hospital is not known, and no records have survived to date. It is known, however, that Janice had bruises on her head and chest. The cause of her injuries is also unknown, though they had to be relatively serious, as she was held at the hospital for treatment until December 24, 1974, when she was deemed healthy enough to be discharged. No sources list if she left the hospital alone or with someone escorting her. There appears to not even be a record of what she was wearing that day.
Janice left the hospital and has not been seen since.

The Investigation

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any information online about the investigation into Janice’s disappearance. She was obviously reported missing, and the Yakima Sheriff’s office does have her listed on NamUs, with comparisons – meaning she is actively being compared to unidentified decedents. Beyond that, the only thing I can find is that Janice’s younger sister has been advocating for movement on her case – as in the time since her disappearance, Janice’s parents have both sadly passed.

Theories

Cases like these are so difficult to try and think of what happened – there are just so many unknowns and so many variables. I think it would be irresponsible to just throw a ton of sensationalist ideas at the way for the sake of trying to satisfy some sort of what if, so let’s consider what we do know: Janice had just been released from the hospital after sustaining some sort of injuries to her head, she was living away from most of her family, and she was a young woman of color.
Looking at those factors, a few theories surface for me.
First, I think it may be possible that Janice was not ready to be released from the hospital, and that her condition was worse than originally thought. It’s not exactly unheard of for women of color to not get excellent medical care, after all. If she had a head injury, she could have been or become disoriented and lost her way, wandering off and succumbing to the elements. Looking at a map of the area – despite not knowing which hospital Janice went to – there is a lot of undeveloped land between Harrah, Wapato, and Yakima.
Second, I think the fact that Janice had those bruises could possibly be the key here. Getting bruises around the head and chest is something that typically happens when you get assaulted or into a fight. Otherwise, there would be bruises on the arms or the torso as well. I think it is absolutely possible that Janice had been assaulted by someone prior to being admitted to the hospital, and that she had an altercation with that person after being released. This, however, is based on nothing more than the placement of the bruises, as no coverage of this case mentions the cause of her injuries.
Lastly, I think there is always the possibility that Janice tried to hitchhike or was offered a ride home by someone. I can’t speculate on whether she knew this individual or not, but hitchhiking was far more common in 1971, and looking at maps of Washington, hospitals were far afield of where Janice was living with her father. Hitching a ride may have just made sense to her. Again, speculation.

Investigating Agencies

If you or anyone you know has any information regarding the disappearance of Janice Marie Hannigan, contact the proper authorities. The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office currently has jurisdiction over her case. They can be reached at 509-574-2500 in reference to case number 17C00300. Janice’s NamUs case number is MP30849.