Regina McCorkle Vanished In 1981, Her Son Was Found Locked In Bedroom
The oldest unsolved missing person case in Moline, Illinois is that of Regina McCorkle. It may have been mid-August in the Midwest, but the heatwave was cast aside for a rainy day. The 19-year-old lived in East Moline with her mother, Emma Mason, and her 18-month-old son, and on the morning of August 14, 1981, all was moving along as normal.
Emma reportedly left the house and made her way to work at 8:30 a.m. and briefly spoke with Regina before walking out of the door. An hour later, Regina got off of the phone with her boyfriend after making plans to pick him up to take him out to apply for jobs before she had to head to work at the Rock Island Arsenal. Regina typically took her son to the babysitter before going to work, but at around 4:45 p.m. that day, Emma returned home from her shift and was surprised to see Regina’s car was still in the driveway.
When the perplexed mother attempted to get into the house, she couldn’t. All of the doors were bolted from the inside. In a 1982 interview, Emma Mason admitted that she could hear her grandson crying inside the home. Out of desperation, the worried grandmother broke into her own home by climbing through a window. It was then that she found the toddler locked in Regina’s bedroom, but Regina McCorkle was nowhere to be found. The boy was distressed, but unharmed. There wasn’t anything at the home to suggest that there was a struggle inside of the residence.
All of Regina’s belongings were left behind including her clothing, her purse, her personal items, and her new car. Regina and the nightgown she was wearing that morning were all Emma could see that were missing. Police responded to the scene and noted that there was a basement screen window that was laying on the basement floor. However, it couldn’t be determined if it was dislodged from the inside or outside. It’s unclear whether or not there was any other information gathered to suggest that someone climbed in or out of the home through that entrance.
Regina’s boyfriend told police of their plans but shared that Regina never showed up to take him job hunting. He reportedly underwent a polygraph exam and passed. Regina McCorckle’s employer also told authorities that she didn’t show up for her shift and didn’t call in to say that she wouldn’t make it to work. Regina’s loved ones insist that she would never leave without contacting someone and certainly wouldn’t abandon her son.
The Charley Project reports that Regina was once married. The publication states that on the day she disappeared, Regina’s ex-husband admitted to police that he had visited her at home around 10:00 a.m. but no one answered the door. He reportedly refused to take a polygraph test.
At the time of her disappearance, Regina stood 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 130 pounds. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and a medium complexion. Both of her ears are pierced. Her nickname is “Gina.” She would 58-years-old at the time of this publication.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the East Moline Police Department at (309) 752-1542 or their local authorities.
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