|
|
Oklahoma’s Deadliest TornadoBy Mike Coppock | American History | 4 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post The Croft family never speculated publicly as to the identities of the two men or why they took Joan. But local researchers K.P. Simpson, who interested Unsolved Mysteries in the story, and his son, Rick, developed a few theories of their own. Subscribe Today
First, Olen Croft had some money. “He wasn’t what you would call wealthy,” said Rick Simpson. “But he was better off than most were in Woodward at the time.” Joan could have been kidnapped for ransom, but no ransom demand has ever surfaced. The second theory is that Joan’s mother’s family might have taken her after learning that Cleta had been killed. “You have two men walking into the hospital and asking for her by name,” said Simpson. “How would they know her name? And why did the men ask for her by name and not her half-sister?” According to Simpson, Woodward authorities and Olen Croft himself questioned Cleta’s family. They found nothing to suggest that the family knew anything about Joan’s disappearance. To this day, Joan Gay Croft’s whereabouts are unknown. This article was written by Mike Coppock and originally published in the April 2007 issue of American History Magazine. For more great articles, subscribe to American History magazine today! Pages: 1 2 3 4 5Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: 20th - 21st Century, American History, Social History
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||
What is HistoryNet?The HistoryNet.com is brought to you by the Weider History Group, the world's largest publisher of history magazines. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 5,000 articles originally published in our various magazines. If you are interested in a specific history subject, try searching our archives, you are bound to find something to pique your interest. |
From Our Magazines
|
Weider History Group |
Weider History Network: HistoryNet | Armchair General | Great History | Achtung Panzer! Terms of Use | Copyright © 2009 Weider History Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. |
||
Loading ...
4 Comments to “Oklahoma’s Deadliest Tornado”
I am a local here in Woodward, OK and I am facinated in this story. It was very well written and researched. Impressively so. Is there any other historical artifacts or Archives that have to do with the Original Woodward Hospital that I may be able to locate? The Building fascinates myself and numerous others in town and we are eager to learn more about the history of it. Thank you so much for the insight and information.
By Ashley Miller on Nov 22, 2008 at 8:35 am
I too am interested in this particular tornado. My grandmother’s
niece (Helen Ruff Miller) and her 23 day old baby were killed in
Higgins, TX in this tornado and are buried side by side at Goodwin/Emmons Cemetery outside of Shattuck, OK. I wonder if
you happen to be related to the Miller Family from that area.
Helen was married to Willard Mathew Miller.
By Sallie Bryan on Mar 1, 2009 at 12:44 am
The woman from Phoenix that believed she was the missing child passed away on 03/21/09 in Springerville, AZ. She still maintained that she was Joan Croft. Although DNA didn’t match(especially in the early 90’s when it was still considered experimental), there were so many uncanny simularities. I knew this woman and can’t help believe she was who she believed she was. In seeing the picture of the child, it only confirmed my belief, as there were so many facial resemblances. What a sad, sad situation. Even sadder is that we may now never know the extent of the truth.
By tpreder on Mar 25, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I wonder is it possible that the hospital staff accidentally killed her in a medical procedure and just made up the story of the abduction?
By William on Nov 18, 2009 at 11:19 pm