Account
Jul 15, 2009
Jun 19, 2024
Ida
Anderson
87
21
62 inches
110 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the late summer of 1958, a young mother named Ida Dean Anderson, aged 21, was navigating a period of immense personal challenge in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After separating from her husband, Kenneth "Jerry" Anderson, in February of that year, Ida fell ill with rheumatic fever and was hospitalized. During her illness, her three young children were placed in a boarding home by their father, which led to them becoming wards of the state. Despite her hardships, Ida was determined to regain custody of her children. She was last seen on September 18, 1958, a day before a pivotal court date where it was expected she would be awarded custody. The circumstances leading up to Ida's disappearance paint a picture of a mother's love and determination. Originally from Florida, Ida had married a musician and settled in the Detroit area, where they had three children. The marriage was troubled, and after their separation, Ida and her children lived for a time in Ann Arbor. While she was in the hospital, her estranged husband placed the children in a boarding home and reportedly left the state. This action resulted in the state of Michigan taking custody of the children. For months, Ida fought to get them back, maintaining contact with her family in Florida through letters that expressed her struggles and her love for her children. Arrangements had even been made for Ida and her children to fly to Florida to be with family after the court hearing; plane tickets were purchased but were never used. The day of her scheduled court appearance came and went, but Ida was nowhere to be found. It remains unclear if she ever made it to the courthouse. In the years that followed, her children were adopted into different families. It wasn't until 1995 that Ida's three children, now adults, were reunited and began the arduous search for their mother. Their investigation revealed that an initial missing persons report filed in 1958 seemed to have vanished. The family's search for answers has been fraught with difficulties and dead ends. Despite extensive searches of hospital records, there is no indication that Ida was admitted to any facility after her disappearance. The case of Ida Anderson is a deeply sorrowful mystery, a story of a young mother on the cusp of being reunited with her children who seemingly vanished without a trace, leaving behind a family to grapple with decades of unanswered questions. Her family holds out hope that she may have been institutionalized or is perhaps homeless and unaware of her own identity.
Sep 18, 1958
Ann Arbor
Michigan
Washtenaw County
No
20582
Ann Arbor Police Department
Ann Arbor
Michigan
Washtenaw County
48104
301 E Huron St, Michigan
7347946920
Local
Law Enforcement
09-24134 (CFS 09-3520)
2009-05-18
Ann Arbor Police Department
6410
Brown
Green
Green
06/25/2026
