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Missing Tracy Ann Byrd 
Tracy, approximately 1983; Age at the time of disappearance: -progression to Age at the time of disappearance: 48 (approximately 2016) Date reported missing : 03/07/1983 Missing location (approx) : Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania Missing classification : Endangered Missing Gender : Female Ethnicity : White DOB : 07/07/1968 (53) Age at the time of disappearance: 14 years old Height / Weight : 5'0 - 5'4, 70 - 105 pounds Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A shirt and jeans. Medical conditions : Tracy may have been pregnant at the time of her disappearance, but this has not been confirmed. Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Tracy's ears are pierced. Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Tracy's mother's live-in boyfriend, Paul W. Greenwald, dropped her off at Bensalem High School in Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania on the morning of March 7, 1983. She was a ninth-grader at the time. She was suspended from school and wasn't allowed to attend classes again until her mother met with the principal, but she had kept this a secret from her family. After she was dropped off, Tracy tried to get her friends to skip school with her but they would not. She disappeared afterwards and has never been heard from again. She was initially considered to be a runaway. There were several possible sightings of her in the local area after she vanished, but none of them were substantiated and police believe they may have been of a girl who only resembled her. Tracy had run away from home on one previous occasion, after an argument with her mother. She was only gone for one night, however. Prior to her disappearance, Tracy told a friend she might be pregnant. Authorities don't know if she was in fact pregnant or who the father of the baby could be, although Tracy's friend stated she had dated two boys. Tracy's mother, Jean Louise Byrd, disappeared seven months after Tracy was last seen. Jean's body was located on October 18, 1983 in Blackbird State Forest in New Castle County, Delaware. She had been strangled. Jean had last been seen 11 days prior in her son's apartment complex in Bensalem Township. She had stopped seeing Greenwald before her disappearance. They had had a troubled relationship and once, in 1980, Greenwald kidnapped her at knifepoint. In November 1984, Greenwald was charged with first-degree murder in Jean's death. He admitted to the killing and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Greenwald took his own life in his prison cell before he was sentenced in March 1986. He overdosed on some medication. He was never connected with Tracy's disappearance, and it is not known if he was involved. The runaway theory is now considered an unlikely explanation for Tracy's disappearance; she was close to her mother and her loved ones believe she would have returned home for Jean's funeral if she had been able to. Greenwald was long considered a suspect in Tracy's disappearance, but investigators no longer believe he was involved. Police have another suspect, a Bucks County, Pennsylvania man, but he has not been publicly named. Tracy's case remains unsolved. Foul play is suspected. Other information and links : ncy Bensalem Township Police Department 215-639-3700 September 2021 updates and sources The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Child Protection Education of America The Philadelphia Daily News A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece. Newspaper Archive The Bucks County Courier Times The Philadelphia Inquirer |