Ruth CLARKE Missing Person Case

Ruth

CLARKE

118

83

66 inches

66 inches

99 lbs

99 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

In the autumn of 1990, a sense of unease settled over a family in Edmonton, Alberta, when 83-year-old Ruth Clarke vanished without a trace. Friends and family last had contact with the elderly woman on November 1, 1990. Concern grew, and on November 12, 1990, a welfare check was requested at the west Edmonton home she shared with her 42-year-old son, Ronald Clarke. When police arrived, Ruth was nowhere to be found, and the circumstances of her disappearance were immediately considered suspicious. Her personal belongings, including her glasses and the cane she relied on to walk, were left behind, suggesting she had not left willingly. At the time she went missing, Ruth was described as being 5'6" tall, weighing 100 pounds, with blue eyes and grey hair. The initial investigation into Ruth's disappearance soon turned into a homicide investigation as the totality of the circumstances led investigators to believe she had been murdered. Over the years, homicide detectives conducted numerous interviews and extensive searches in an effort to locate her or her remains, but their efforts were met with no success. While police have indicated that they have a suspect in mind and do not believe her death was a random act, no charges have ever been laid in connection with her disappearance and presumed murder. The case grew cold, leaving her loved ones with decades of unanswered questions and the ambiguous loss of a cherished family member. Decades after she was last seen, new developments in the investigation have brought a renewed focus to the case. Police now believe that Ruth's remains were hidden in a hand-dug water well in a rural area less than an hour north of St. Albert. Investigators have specified they are looking for a farmstead with trails leading through brush to two old wells, approximately 50 to 60 feet deep. One well is believed to be lined with wood and the other with brick, and one or both may be filled with debris or covered by brush. Despite consulting with groundwater well specialists and conducting further searches, her remains have not been found. This overview of the case reflects a family's prolonged grief and law enforcement's continued dedication to bringing a measure of resolution to the family of Ruth Clarke by locating her final resting place, which her family hopes will be next to her husband as she had wished.

Nov 01, 1990

Edmonton

Alberta

Edmonton Police Service

Edmonton

Alberta

780-423-4567

780-423-4567

Law Enforcement

90-185454

Edmonton Police Service

Grey

Blue

Blue

Build: Other; Hair details: Short

No