|
Missing Rose Lena Cole 
Rose, approximately 1972; Age at the time of disappearance: -progression to Age at the time of disappearance: 55 (approximately 2011) Date reported missing : 09/01/1972 Missing location (approx) : Oakland, California Missing classification : Endangered Runaway Gender : Female Ethnicity : White DOB : 12/23/1956 (64) Age at the time of disappearance: 15 - 16 years old Height / Weight : 5'3 - 5'6, 120 - 130 pounds Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : Caucasian female. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Some Age at the time of disappearance: ncies spell Rose's middle name "Leanna." Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Rose was enrolled in the Synanon Foundation, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Oakland, California, at the time of her disappearance. She had been court-ordered there after running away repeatedly and telling a judge she used and sold drugs. Accounts of exactly when she went missing vary considerably; it may have been anytime between the fall of 1972 and the summer of 1973. Rose apparently ran away from the Synanon and sent two letters to her family after leaving, assuring them that she was fine. In one of the letters she said she was living on the streets in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco and added that she was sick with a kidney infection. Rose wrote she would not write to her family again until she was 18, because she was worried the Synanon officials would find her and bring her back to the treatment center against her will. She promised to contact her loved ones after she became a legal adult. However, Rose's family never heard from her again. It is worth noting that the Synanon Foundation has often been labeled as a cult. It was founded as a drug rehabilitation program in 1958 and became an alternative community by the 1960s and a church by the 1970s. Participants were expected to turn all of their assets over to the group and join the community for life. Those who left the group were often persecuted and even beaten as a result. The IRS shut the Synanon Foundation down in 1989. There is no evidence that a crime was committed in Rose's disappearance; her case is classified as a simple runaway. However, it is highly unusual for a runaway to be out of touch with her loved ones for this long, and her relatives would like to get in contact with her and verify her well-being. Her case remains unsolved. Other information and links : ncy Oakland Police Department 510-777-3333 September 2021 updates and sources The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children WebSleuths Crime Sleuthing Community California Attorney General's Office MySpace pageheader for Rose Cole Peter Henderson Jr. Facebook pageheader October 12, 2004. December 28, 2012; Age at the time of disappearance: -progression updated. |