Florida was supposed to be a fresh start for Rose Marie Gayhart. The 23-year-old woman in Dansville, New York, has experienced several years, including the loss of her baby at six months old and the choice to give up her second baby for adoption.
But things seem to be turning around for Rose when she moves to Fort Myers, Florida with her boyfriend, Bob Paddock, and his mother, Dorothy Rittenhouse.
Rose’s sister, Laurie Travis, told Dateline that Rose looks happy in her new life.
“She sounded happy where she was,” Laurie said. “And she just begged and begged me to move to Florida to be near her.”
Laurie and Rose, who were only a year apart, were always very close.
“We shared a bedroom and listened to the same music,” Laurie told Dateline. She was 22 years old when her sister went missing. “We were so close. I miss her so much. ”
Laurie told Dateline she was considering moving to Florida, but worked two jobs in their hometown of Dansville and did not feel she could uproot her life at that moment.
The sisters therefore kept in touch by writing letters to each other. On March 5, 1985, Laurie received a letter from Rose in which she sounded happy but lonely. Rose wrote that they were hoping to buy a house in Cape Coral and kept asking Laurie to move out or at least come visit.
In the letter, which Laurie shared with Dateline, Rose also wrote that she wanted to come home to New York while Bob was on the national guard for two weeks, but that he did not want to let her.
“He’s afraid I’ll not come back,” Rose wrote. “I also want to get away from Bob’s mother because she’s losing her head.”
Laurie explained that Rose, Bob and Bob’s mother lived in a wagon in a wagon at the time and that there was tension between the three.
Rose’s letter was the last time Laurie heard from her sister. Laurie answers Rose, but her letter is sent back.
On March 19, Laurie said their mother received a letter from Bob’s mother, Dorothy Rittenhouse. In the letter, which was also shared with Dateline, Dorothy said Rose was missing and that she did not appreciate what Dorothy was trying to do to help her.
According to a Cape Coral police report, a neighbor told authorities she witnessed a quarrel between Rose and Bob on March 17 where Rose indicated she was pregnant and wanted the baby, but Bob wanted her must abort. The argument ended with Dorothy calling her mother before throwing her out of the house and telling her not to come back.
In the letter, Dorothy also stated that she later tried to return a bus ticket to New York, but Rose refused to take it. The ticket, purchased on March 17, is contained in the letter to her mother.
On March 19, Rose was hired at Big Howie’s Hot Dogs Dinner on 47th Terrace in Cape Coral, Florida. On her third day of work, Rose’s boss allegedly saw her get into a red pickup truck with an unknown white man. She has never returned for her salary and has not been seen since.
After receiving the letter and not being able to reach Rose, her parents reported her missing at the Sheriff’s Office in Livingston County, New York. The department then sought help from the Cape Coral Police Department in Florida since she was last seen. Both agencies are continuing with the case.
Detective Thomas Kortright, who has been in the case since 2018, told Dateline that Rose’s disappearance is a cold case, but as new information comes in, detectives continue to investigate.
“The Rose case is still under investigation and we are doing everything in our power to resolve it,” Det said. Kortright said, adding that investigators suspect foul play was involved in the 36-year-old case.
“Over time, we suspect something happened to her,” he said. “Unfortunately, we do not know what happened, and it was difficult to move forward without a body.”
Detective Kortright told Dateline that many people have been interviewed and re-interviewed over the years, including her family, friends, co-workers and her boyfriend Bob Paddock and his mother Dorothy Rittenhouse.
Detective Kortright added that there is no one of interest to anyone, and until Rose is found, or someone comes forward, her disappearance remains a mystery.
“Our hope is that someone from that area remembers something from that time and comes forward,” Det said. Kortright said. “Any information can help.”
According to the detective, Rose left a metal box with a scrapbook containing important documents of her firstborn baby who died and the second baby she placed for adoption. Her family does not believe she would have left it behind.
Rose’s sister, Laurie, told Dateline her family always suspected foul play was involved in her disappearance.
“She will never just take off and never contact us,” Laurie said. “We were best friends, she would have reached me.”
Laurie told Dateline that Bob Paddock and his mother had returned to Rose after New York’s return. While she still sees Bob in the city, the two are not in contact. Dateline attempted to reach Bob by telephone, but calls remained unanswered. Bob’s mother, Dorothy, has since passed away.
Laurie said that after all these years, her family only wants answers, especially her parents, who are both in their late 70s and have cancer.
“They deserve to know the truth before they die,” Laurie said. “We all just want to know what happened to Rosie. And we want justice. ”
In 2018, Rose’s past came to the fore and it brought the family some happiness. The baby she gave up for adoption, Joel, was back in their lives. Married to two daughters, he brought to his mother for years.
“It was a bright spot in the darkness we lived in,” Laurie said. “And now we have a part of Rosie again.”
Laurie, who helps run the Missing Rose Marie Gayhart Facebook page, recently posted a photo of Joel’s daughters: “Rose, these are your beautiful granddaughters.”
This month is 36 years since Rose disappeared, but Laurie told Dateline she would not give up until she found her sister or at least realized what had happened to her. Three years ago, Laurie finally did what her sister always wanted – she traveled to Florida.
“I wanted to see the place my sister loved so much – the place where she was happy,” Laurie said. “I know I’ll never be able to bring her home, but I hope to find out what happened to her.”
Anyone with information that could help resolve Rose’s case is asked to call the Cape Coral Police Department in Florida at (239) 574-3223 or the Sheriff’s Department of Livingston County at (585) 243-7120.