Missing
Julia Shimkus
Shimkus, approximately 1972
Date and time person was reported missing : 12/20/1972
Missing location (approx) :
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
Age at the time of disappearance: 54 years old
Height / Weight : 5'7, 180 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A black trench coat, black shoes and a green and white scarf.
Medical conditions : Shimkus suffered from depression after her husband's 1965 death, but her family does not believe she was depressed at the time of her disappearance.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Shimuks wears eyeglasses with dark-colored frames.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Shimkus was last seen in the Esplen section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 20, 1972. She left her house in the 200 block of Oregon Street at 5:00 p.m. to walk to work.
Shimkus was employed as a cook at the Rockwood Lounge in the McKees Rocks Shopping Plaza at the time. She has never been heard from again. She did not take any personal belongings with her.
The new owner found bone fragments in the crawl space of Shimkus's former home in 1995, but they turned out to be from an animal.
Shimkus's husband died of cancer in 1965. In 1972, Shimkus lived with her daughter. Her adult son was married and lived elsewhere in Pittsburgh. Shimkus was on good terms with both of her children at the time of her disappearance and was considering marrying her boyfriend.
There are some indications that Shimkus remained alive for an extended period of time after she went missing, but there have been no confirmed sightings of her since 1972. Her case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Pittsburgh Police Department
412-665-4020
September 2021 updates and sources
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
NewspaperArchive
The Doe Network
The Pittsburgh Press
October 12, 2004. March 9, 2016; height, weight and Description, clothing, jewerly and more : added, Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: updated.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
