empty hallway
Leah Berenson
Leah Berenson
March 15, 2024 ·  5 min read

Mystery of Woman Who Vanished After Going to the ER Finally Solved 32 Years Later

Different dynamics exist in society but one thing remains true, family is a precious gift. Members of your family are the first people you encounter after you make your way into the world. Families offer guidance in learning to navigate the difficulties of life. As you grow they are there to support your dreams and help you move through life to make those dreams a reality.

When we lose the people we love and know how it happened, we often put out an energy that wishes them well and to rest in peace. What about someone whose disappearance is a mystery? In 1990 one young woman’s mother would disappear without a trace.

This mystery would perplex her for years, leaving her to wonder what had happened to her mother. That peace of mind being nothing more than a hope, an unfulfilled promise, and a wish upon a star, until now. 

Tragedy that Came at the Worst Time

Losing a parent is one of the hardest losses most people will endure in their lifetime. Fortunately for most, they are adults when faced with this pain. However, this is not always the case, as 12-year-old Eboney Brown would learn. In 1990, Eboney’s mother, Myrtle Brown, would go to the hospital and never be heard from again.

This mysterious tragedy occurred during a crucial time in Eboney’s development process. The changes one experiences during this time and the years to come are both emotional and confusing. Hormones are raging causing changes in body shape and skin health. Crushes and heartbreak become an inevitable part of everyday life.

Credit: Brown family
Image Credit: Brown Family

Merely fitting in, let alone climbing social ladders, can be daunting and cause confidence issues that one may face well into adulthood. Eboney overcame the difficulties in life faced by all, alongside grief that many can not imagine. She truly has an emotional capability that is stronger than most and can overcome any obstacle life throws her way. 

Read: Colombian Mom Who Went Missing 2 Years Ago Discovered Alive Floating on the Sea

What Happened?

In May of 1990, Myrtle Brown was in New York visiting her best friend. While out exploring with her friend, her purse was stolen. In addition to the typical things such as identification, her purse contained medication that was vital to Myrtle’s health. She was taking medication to help her deal with her battle with epilepsy.

The mystery of her disappearance began shortly after a phone call to Eboney’s grandmother. She informed her family her things had been stolen and she wasn’t feeling well so she was heading to the hospital to see about getting a refill. She went to the ER at Kings County Hospital located in Brooklyn, NY. and was never heard from again. Over 30 years later, Robert Brown, Myrtle’s brother, was watching NBC news.

Lester Holt was reporting on an airing of cold case reports from the New York Office of Chief Medical Examiner. The case was led by Assistant Director of Forensics Anthropology, Angela Soler. Her team is responsible for investigating almost 1,250 unidentified/missing person cases, coincidentally most dating as far back as the early 1990’s. Within the news report on that fateful night Robert believed he’d finally come across the answer to the mystery that had plagued his family for 3 decades. 

Questions, Finally Answered. 

When the team showed a poster, depicting a woman whose face had been reconstructed using clay, Robert believed they may have found his sister. Angela Soler had a name and birthdate that closely matched Myrtle Brown. Although the presumed woman was not Myrtle Brown, Angela had high hopes that her team could solve this mystery. For almost two months Angela reviewed files dating from the start of May, 1990 to the date of Myrtle’s disappearance.

Finally, Angela contacted Robert and told him they had found his sister. It turned out that Myrtle was never registered or admitted to the hospital which is why her disappearance was left an unsolved mystery. The only thing that gave Angela and her team some sense of direction was the fact that Myrtle had checked into the ER waiting room. She hadn’t given the hospital any information other than her name and birthdate but that was enough to help them solve the mystery.

On the day of her disappearance, while waiting to be admitted Myrtle had a seizure and died. 

Read: They were madly in love but were forced to end their interracial romance. They reunited 42 years later—and now live together

Emotional Realities. 

As a young girl, Ebony dealt with the hardships of growing up without a mother. Thoughts that her mother didn’t want to be with her became a painful part of her perspective. It’s hard for children to deal with grief and often with grief comes feelings of guilt or “should haves”.  “I never thought she passed away,” Eboney Brown said.

“I thought maybe she just wanted something different, maybe, out of life. I didn’t know, to be honest, I was just confused and sad.”[3] Eboney now has a new perspective. Although she will likely always miss her mom, she no longer has to feel any sense of inadequacy, believing that her mother simply ran away and out of her life. The family held a virtual memorial in her honor and with that act came peace of mind.

They were finally able to put this mystery to rest after so many years with questions unanswered. In most instances not knowing is far worse than knowing. Generally, people prefer an answer, even if it’s one they won’t like, over living their lives with the mystery of what happened to someone they love. Eboney can now rest easily finally knowing what happened.

Soler has expressed her hopes that the Browns’ story will encourage others to follow up on their own missing people. She recognizes that although Myrtle wasn’t the person depicted in the facial reconstruction tool, it still played a vital role in helping solve the mystery of Myrtle Brown, who disappeared from her family’s lives over 30 years ago.

Keep Reading: Teen Fills Out College Applications Only To Realize He’s Been A ‘Missing Person’ For 13 Years

Sources

  1. Mystery of woman who vanished after going to the ER finally solved 32 years later.” Unilad. Emily Brown. Retrieved September 14, 2022.  
  2. Mystery of woman who went to ER and vanished 32 years ago solved.” NBC News. Michelle Cho Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  3. Mystery of mother who went to the ER and vanished is solved 32 years later.” Today. Michelle Cho. Retrieved September 14, 2022.