page_title: Disappearance of Virginia Carpenter
section_title: Disappearance
hierarchical_section_title: Disappearance of Virginia Carpenter / Disappearance
caption_attribution_description: English: A scene recreation from the Denton Record-Chronicle
context_page_description: Mary Virginia "Jimmie" Carpenter was a 21-year-old American missing person from Texarkana, Texas, who went missing in Denton in the summer of 1948. Her disappearance remains unsolved. Carpenter was last seen by a taxi driver around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 1, 1948. Numerous individuals have reported seeing her over the years, but none of these sightings have been confirmed. Her mother, Mrs. Hazel E. Carpenter, spent many years helping police chase down rumors and leads. She eventually gave up hope, believing that her daughter was dead, although she still wanted her body to be found. In 1998, Denton police received an anonymous tip that Carpenter was buried at the campus she was supposed to attend, but it turned out fruitless. Countless man-hours and almost a quarter of a million dollars were spent on the investigation. The case is cold but remains open.
  Speculation of Carpenter's disappearance was that the serial killer responsible for the Texarkana Moonlight Murders had murdered her, since she knew three of the victims.
context_section_description: On Tuesday, June 1, 1948, Carpenter went to Texarkana Union Station and boarded the Texas & Pacific Texas Special #31, which departed for Dallas at about 3 p.m. The train stopped in Denton around six hours later. She was on her way to the Texas State College for Women (TSCW) campus – now Texas Woman's University – to enroll in the summer course. While on the train, Carpenter met Marjorie Webster, a middle-aged school teacher who was also enrolling at TSCW from Texarkana.
  After arriving in Denton, both women hired a taxi (driven by Edgar Ray "Jack" Zachary) to take them to the college dormitories. As Webster was being dropped off at the Fitzgerald dormitories, Carpenter realized that she forgot to check on her trunk at the Denton train station. She asked Zachary how much it would be to take her back to the station, to which he replied 75 cents. Webster asked if she needed to ride back with her, but Carpenter refused, stating, "No, I'll go alone. I'll be alright." After arriving again at the station, Carpenter went inside to get her trunk but came back a few minutes later claiming that she could not get it. She spoke to a railroad employee named Mr. Butrill, who told her the trunk would not arrive until later. Zachary told Carpenter to sign the back of her claim check and that he would pick it up and deliver it to her in the morning. Carpenter agreed and gave him her luggage receipt after writing "Virginia Carpenter, Room 200--Brackenridge", and a dollar for the extra trip.
  Upon arriving back at Brackenridge Hall about 9:30 p.m., Zachary said he saw a yellow or cream-colored convertible parked in the front. There was no moon, and the street lights were out due to repair work on a cable. He reported that Carpenter walked up to the vehicle, which had two young men standing by it; one of whom was tall, the other short and stocky. She asked, "Well, what are y'all doing here?" He said it seemed as though she was surprised to see them. The shorter boy talked to her and lifted her on the curb. Carpenter told Zachary to place her luggage on the ground because the boys will get them for her and to leave her trunk there in the morning as well. After doing so, Zachary drove off but did not hear the rest of the conversation. That was the last anyone had seen Carpenter.
  Reports claimed that a nightwatchman saw Carpenter get out of the cab and into the convertible. The next morning, Zachary dropped the trunk off and set it on the front lawn of Brackenridge Hall. After being there for two days, it was taken to the office. Mrs. Mattie Lloyd Wooten, the dean of women of TSCW, later explained to Mrs. Carpenter that it was the first time someone did not deliver luggage to the room.
caption: A scene recreation from the Denton Record-Chronicle
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