Police hoping for clues in eastern Arizona woman’s disappearance [RE-BROADCAST OF 5/21/2012]
Aug 15, 2016, 5:00 AM
(Silent Witness Photo)
Summer time is prime time for tourists in the White Mountains, that’s why this case is especially baffling.
Phoenix Police Sgt. Darren Burch said Janet Fairhurst, in her 60s, ran a bed and breakfast in Eager, Arizona.
“She simply vanished and no one really knows the exact day she disappeared,” Burch said.
Fairhurst was last seen on Aug. 4, 2003. Her family, including her two children, lives out of state. They asked police to check on her when they realized it had been several weeks since they’d heard from her.
Springerville police officer Bill Johnston is investigating the case. He said Fairhurst was part of a group of investors that owned the bed and breakfast as well as some land in New Mexico.
“[Fairhurst] was involved in a lawsuit against some of the others in the group,” Johnston said.
Fairhurst was known to take her dog with her wherever she went. When police arrived at her home, she and her dog were gone and so was her van. The van was later found out of state. Johnston said if Fairhurst had left to do an errand, it looked like she’d expected to be right back. But it’s also possible something happened to her at her home and someone took her van.
Johnston wants to solve the mystery. Not only for the peace of mind of the small community but also to find some closure for Fairhurst’s family.
For more information on this case, click here.