Denny Sullivan

**Dennise Jeannette "Denny" Sullivan** was a teenager who was abducted in 1961. She is believed to be deceased.

## Background

Denny Sullivan was born on 1946. At the time of her disappearance she lived with her mother, Jeanette D. Sullivan, and her four year old sister in Rockville Connecticut. Her parents were divorced and her mother worked as a seamstress.

According to some sources Jeanette was engaged to a man named Charles Boothroyd at the time of Denny's disappearance although others state that he was merely an acquaintance. Either way, Denny and her mother were asked to go on a vacation to Utah with Charles in the summer of 1961. They decided to leave Denny's sister with her grandparents while they went on the trip.

## Case

Denny was on vacation in Moab, Utah with her mother and Charles Boothroyd when she was last seen on July 4, 1961. That day the trio where at Dead Horse Point, seventeen miles outside of Moab when they met a man who they spent two hours speaking to. The man was heavy set, with black hair and a dark complexion. He told them about the history of the area while they took pictures.

Eventually, the man left in a tan Sedan without telling them his name. As they were planning to spend the night in Moab and it was getting dark Denny, Charles and Jeanette decided to leave too. However, they soon saw the man pulled over at the roadside lying under his car. They stopped to see if he needed help and the man asked for a flashlight.

Upon being given the flashlight by Charles, the man produced a 22 caliber rifle and demanded money. Despite being given Charles's wallet and $250 from Jeanette, he then shot both Charles and Jeanette. Jeanette was killed almost instantly but Charles survived despite having been shot twice in the face. The man rolled Jeanette's body into a ravine and left Charles bleeding on the ground.

Denny, who had remained in the car, attempted to escape by driving away in Charles's olive 1960 Volkswagen. The man chased her in his own vehicle and unfortunately managed to run her off the road half a mile away and drag her into his own vehicle.

An oil worker heard the gunshots and the sound of cars driving off from two miles away and decided to investigate. He passed a speeding car and the damaged Volkswagen before finding Charles, who was still conscious, by the roadside. Charles explained what had happened and the worker called authorities over his radio. About two hours later an ambulance arrived to take Charles to the hospital and shorty after police also arrived on the scene.

The prime suspect in the case is Abel Benny Aragon; a man who lived in Price Utah at the time. His vehicle matched the description of the abductors car and through paint scratches and other evidence authorities determined that it had been the vehicle that had forced Denny off the road. They also found the weapon used in the crime along with some of Abel's clothing and a shovel hidden in an area of Polar Mesa where he showed up five hours after the crime. However, they found no trace of Denny.

When stopped by the FBI for questioning he shot himself in the head and died shortly afterwards in hospital. He had left a letter behind apologising to his family but it did not mention Denny or her family.

Denny has not been seen or heard from since her abduction. Due to the circumstances surrounding her disappearance foul play is suspected in her case. While extensive searches have failed to find her it is believed that Denny's body may he somewhere in the Polar Mesa area.

## Characteristics

* Brown hair.
* Brown eyes.
* She had previously fractured her leg.
* She used reading glasses.

## Clothing and accessories

* A blouse.
* Plaid pants.
* Sandals or red canvas sneakers.

## Sources

* Denny Sullivan at *NamUs*
* Denny Sullivan at the *Doe Network*
* Denny Sullivan at the *Charley Project*