Missing
Ilonka Cann
Ilonka, approximately 1970
Date and time person was reported missing : 05/26/1970
Missing location (approx) :
Huntington Mills, Pennsylvania
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
Age at the time of disappearance: 22 years old
Height / Weight : 5'6, 130 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Ilonka was last seen at her home in Huntington Mills, Pennsylvania on May 26, 1970. Her husband of two years, Charles Cann II, saw her at 7:20 a.m. before he went to his teaching job at the Berwick Junior High School.
When he returned home at 3:30 p.m., Ilonka was gone and the couple's fifteen-month-old son was alone in the house, crying in his crib upstairs. She has never been heard from again. Charles reported her missing the next day. An extensive search of the area, including a dive team checking a nearby pond, turned up no indication of Ilonka's whereabouts.
In 1971, the year after Ilonka's disappearance, Charles began seeing another woman, GEthnicity : P. Brown. GEthnicity : moved into the home he'd formerly shared with Ilonka and took Charles's last name, and the couple lived together until 1987, without Charles ever filing for divorce from Ilonka or trying to have her declared legally dead.
In 1987, GEthnicity : filed for divorce, saying her cohabitation with Charles made him her common-law husband. Charles claimed they had never been legally married and he was still married to Ilonka; GEthnicity : said they were presumed married in 1972.
Ultimately, the court ruled that GEthnicity : and Charles had entered into a common-law marriAge at the time of disappearance: on June 1, 1982 and that GEthnicity : could proceed with her divorce action. The divorce was granted in 1990. Charles appealed, and the appeals court ruled that, even though he had never tried to have her declared legally dead, Ilonka was presumed deceased as of 1977, seven years after her disappearance.
There has been no indication of Ilonka's whereabouts since she went missing, and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance are unclear.
Other information and links : ncy
Pennsylvania State Police
570-542-4117
September 2021 updates and sources
Pennsylvania Missing Persons
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Wilkes Barre Times Leader
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The Citizens' Voice
Fox 56 WOLF
5 October 12, 2004. September 22, 2018; picture added.
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