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Real Name: Vera Lorene Roberts Houtkin
Nicknames: Lorene
Location: Austin, Texas
Date: February 12, 1964

Bio[]

Occupation: Waitress
Date of Birth: February 8, 1933
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 110 lbs.
Marital Status: Divorced
Characteristics: White female. Brown hair and blue eyes.

Case[]

Details: Lorene Roberts has been missing since 1964. Her family has not seen or heard from her in decades. They fear that she may be lost among the homeless. She has no way of knowing that she is one of the heirs to a million-dollar estate.
Lorene was one of nine children and grew up in Dripping Springs, Texas. She was on the high school basketball team and a member of the pep club. But at sixteen, she inexplicably dropped out of school. Her family believes this may have been the beginning of a slow descent into mental illness. Her sister, Virginia Turner, says that Lorene was very quiet and would often be to herself with her thoughts and world. Virginia says, “It was as if Lorene was not there with you most of the time.”
In 1949, just after she dropped out of high school, Lorene moved to Austin, Texas, and soon found work as a waitress. She also found love with one of her customers, a young serviceman, who danced with her while she was working. Just ten days after they met, they were married. They had three children – two sons and a daughter – in quick succession. In 1956, they moved to his hometown in New Jersey. That decision would prove to be the undoing of the young couple.
Lorene told her sister, Ruby Bohls, that she was unhappy in New Jersey because her husband’s family did not accept her. At one point, his mother even bought Lorene and the children tickets for a train that took them back to Austin. Her husband filed for divorce. With no money or means of support, she and her young children returned to Texas and faced an uncertain future.
While living in Austin, Lorene had to have her oldest son, Michael, watch his younger siblings while she worked. Ruby says that Lorene worked and tried to handle her situation. She says that Lorene loved her children very much, but she could not take care of or support them properly. Lorene realized this and tried to get help from her husband, but he would not help.
Lorene decided that the best thing to do was to give her children up for adoption so they would be taken care of. After the children were adopted, her emotional state grew increasingly fragile. One day, she came to Ruby and admitted that she was sick and needed help from a doctor. Their father asked Ruby to take Lorene to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist then had Lorene admitted to the state mental hospital.
Ruby says that when she took Lorene to the hospital, Lorene was distraught; she cried and hugged Ruby goodbye. Ruby says it was tough to have to leave her there. Between 1957 and 1961, Lorene was admitted to the hospital on five separate occasions. Each time she was released, she found work as a waitress. But each time, when the pressure became too great, she would check herself back into the hospital.
In 1959, on one of her furloughs from the state hospital, Lorene showed up at Ruby’s house unannounced. The two hugged, and Ruby asked her how she was doing. She said she was fine. Ruby told her that she looked thin and asked if she wanted something to eat, but Lorene said she was okay. She also said that she could only stay for a few minutes. Ruby asked Lorene what she had been up to. Lorene said that she was getting married to a college professor.
Lorene told Ruby she had come to her house to show her the engagement ring. When Ruby asked Lorene where she had met her fiancé, she did not respond and seemed distracted. Ruby asked her again, and she responded, “The college.” Ruby says that at that time, she was just hoping for the best for Lorene, so she did not question her too much.
Just a few minutes after arriving, Lorene said she had to leave. Ruby asked if she could take her somewhere. Lorene responded, “Oh no, I came in a cab, and I’m going to leave in a cab.” She then left. That was the last time Ruby ever saw or heard from Lorene. Two weeks later, Ruby received a bill for Lorene’s engagement ring. Lorene had bought the ring herself but failed to make the payments.
Lorene was last seen on February 12, 1964, in Austin, when she visited the state hospital for one day. At the time, she was thirty-one. Family attorney Eric Tucker says that they have searched everywhere for Lorene. All the public records have been searched. No one has any record of her being alive since the mid-1960s.
In 1988, Lorene’s mother, Mary, died. Her will provided for the distribution of her estate, valued at about $1 million, to her children. Since no one knew where Lorene was, the court appointed Tucker to represent her and try to locate her. He does not think it will be easy to find Lorene, but he also does not think she disappeared “off the face of the earth.” He believes she is out there somewhere, either on the streets, in a hospital, or living under a new identity.
Virginia says that there is a big void in their lives without Lorene. She says it is difficult not knowing whether Lorene is alive or dead. They want that void filled. Ruby says that if they find Lorene, the first thing she would want Lorene to know is that they have found her children and that she has grandchildren. Ruby says that Lorene would be so happy to find that out.
Thankfully, all three of Lorene’s children were placed in happy adoptive homes. In 1979, her daughter, Debbie Russ, was reunited with her brothers. In 1985, they were reunited with their surviving aunts, Virginia, Ruby, and Verdie, and learned of Lorene’s disappearance. If, as they fear, Lorene has joined the ranks of the homeless, finding her will be difficult indeed. But should she be located, she will come home not only to sisters, children, and grandchildren, but also to her share of more than $1 million.
Suspects: None. Lorene is believed to have vanished voluntarily. However, her family is concerned for her safety.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the December 11, 1991 episode. It was repeated on the May 27, 1992 episode, and updated on the September 23, 1992 episode.

Results: Solved - On the night this story was re-aired, Lorene herself was watching and called the telecenter. She now goes by her first name, Vera, and has lived in North Little Rock, Arkansas, for the past thirty years. She works as a housekeeper for just room and board. Her family was overjoyed to learn that she was alive and well. She was excited at the thought of reuniting with them. Ruby immediately flew to North Little Rock to reunite with her.
A few days later, Ruby brought Lorene back home to Austin, Texas, for a poignant reunion with the rest of their family. Virginia says she could hardly believe it when she learned that Lorene had been found since they had searched for her for so long and could not come up with any leads. Ruby says she was so enthused when Lorene was found that she “cried, laughed, did everything.” Lorene says that it is nice to be back with her family. She says everyone has been nice to her, like they have always been. She says they are very “darling” people.
Ruby says they will try to be happy and do all the things they can to be together, love each other, and include Lorene’s children and grandchildren. Ruby thinks that will be good for Lorene and the rest of the family.
After the reunion, Lorene remained in Austin for three months. She received her $105,000 inheritance and returned to her home in Arkansas. Sadly, on September 2, 1997, she passed away in Little Rock at sixty-four. Her sisters, Verdie and Ruby, have also since passed away.
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