Mylette and Annette Anderson, both six years old, have been missing from Jacksonville, Florida, since August 1, 1974. Classified as non-family abduction, Mylette, a 4’0″ 50-pound Caucasian female with blonde hair and blue eyes, was last seen wearing orange shorts. Born on October 18, 1967, she has asthma and a heart condition requiring medication if over-excited or overtired. Despite extensive efforts, the sisters’ cases remain unsolved, and any information regarding their disappearance is crucial.
Lillian “Annette” Anderson, an 11-year-old Caucasian female with brown hair and blue eyes, has been missing from Jacksonville, Florida, since August 1, 1974. Classified as a non-family abduction, she was last seen wearing a purple blouse and purple shorts. Standing at 4’4″ and weighing 61 pounds, Annette suffers from a thyroid condition, necessitating daily medication. Born on March 2, 1963, she often goes by her middle name, Annette, and is commonly referred to as such by various agencies. Despite exhaustive efforts, Annette’s disappearance remains unsolved, and any information related to her case is urgently sought.
The case detail
On August 1, 1974, Mylette and her sister, Lillian “Annette” Anderson, went missing from Jacksonville, Florida. Their mother and older sister left them at home around 6:00 p.m. while attending to a sick relative. A call made by their mother at 7:00 p.m. revealed normalcy during the conversation, but when their aunt called later, there was no answer.
The girls’ father, a commercial fisherman, was anticipated to return home from work by 7:00 p.m. However, he was delayed by twenty minutes due to a faulty boat motor. Upon his arrival, Annette and Mylette were nowhere to be found.
Neighbors reported seeing a white car in the Anderson residence driveway between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. No suspicious activities were noted, and there were no witnesses to the girls’ departure. Apart from a baby doll owned by Mylette, nothing was reported missing from the house. Although the home’s doors were closed, they were not locked, and no signs of forced entry were evident. The family’s usually free-roaming small dog was found confined in a bedroom. Sadly, Mylette and Annette were never heard from again.
During the same year, multiple young girls aged six to twelve disappeared from the Jacksonville area. The series of disappearances included Jean Marie Schoen, Virginia Suzanne Helm on September 27, and Rebecca Ann Greene on October 12.
A month following her disappearance, Virginia’s partially clothed body was discovered in a shallow grave, having suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Three years later, the skeletal remains of Rebecca were found washed up on the shore of Little Fort George Island, at the mouth of the St. Johns River. Both girls were twelve years old at the time of their deaths. Regrettably, Jean’s body and the remains of the Anderson sisters were never located.
Despite the separate locations of the abductions within the city, authorities do not believe they are connected. One suspect in these cases was Paul John Knowles, a serial murderer who met his end at the hands of the police in 1974. A photograph of Knowles is provided below this case summary. Ima Sanders, identified in 2011, is also presumed to be a victim of Knowles.
Knowles, who claimed responsibility for 35 murders, left behind tape recordings where he asserted abducting two girls resembling the description of the Anderson sisters, killing them, and burying them in a remote area at the west end of Commonwealth Avenue. In response, the children’s father initiated a wrongful death suit against Knowles’ estate. However, given Knowles’ tendency to exaggerate his victim count, law enforcement now believes his confession was likely false, and he was probably not involved in the cases of the sisters.
Annette and Mylette were both students at Louis Sheffield Elementary in 1974, and to this day, their cases remain unsolved.
The Investigation
The investigation into the disappearance of Mylette and Annette Anderson began on August 1, 1974, when their father Jack arrived home to find their family dog locked in the back bedroom and the girls nowhere in sight. Jack had spoken to the girls on the phone earlier in the evening, but when he called again at 7:20 p.m., there was no answer.
Police believe that in the 20 minutes between Jack’s phone calls, the two girls went missing. Neighbors told police that they saw a white car in the driveway around the time the girls went missing, but they said they didn’t believe they saw anything suspicious. No one saw the girls leave.
Police searched the surrounding area for any sign of the girls, but found nothing. They interviewed family members and neighbors, but no one had seen anything out of the ordinary. The only lead that police had was the report of a white car in the driveway, but they were unable to identify the car or its driver.
The case took a new turn when two bodies were found in the area in the weeks following the girls’ disappearance. The bodies of 12-year-olds Virginia Helm and Rebecca Greene were found, but no arrests were made in connection with their d*aths.
In the years following the disappearance of Mylette and Annette, the case was revisited by the police several times, but no new leads were uncovered. In 2019, the case was featured on an episode of the TV show “Cold Justice,” but no new evidence was found.
The Case of Paul John Knowles
The only name that was ever connected to Mylette and Annette’s disappearance was serial k*ller Paul John Knowles. Knowles was also known as “The Casanova K*ller.” He reportedly went on a four-month k*lling spree across seven states in 1974 and was tied to at least 18 d*aths. He claimed he k*lled 35 people, according to Eric W. Hickey, a criminal psychology professor at California State University.
Knowles claimed that he k*lled two girls who matched Mylette and Annette’s descriptions and buried them in Commonwealth. When police searched the area, however, they wound up empty. “I can’t say that he is responsible for this,” Sgt. Dan Janson, with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s Hom*cide Unit, told First Coast News last year. “I am leaning toward he is not. It is a false confession just based on some of the facts that we know about this case.”
Janson said Knowles was known for embellishing the number of victims he had for shock value. Knowles died in 1974 after he attempted to shoot a Georgia sheriff. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent fatally sho.t him as a result, according to CBS News.
Donna interview:
Donna Anderson, the sister of the missing girls Mylette and Annette Anderson, gave an interview to First Coast News in 2019, where she shared her recollection of the day her sisters went missing.
Donna stated that Mylette and Annette were left alone at their home while their mother and Donna went to take care of a sick relative, and their father was delayed due to boat problems. Jack Anderson, the father, called the house twice that evening and spoke to the girls. During the first call, Jack heard the dog barking in the background, but Annette explained that the dog was barking at birds in the front yard.
However, during the second call, nobody answered the phone. Jack arrived home later that evening to find that the family dog was locked in the back bedroom, and the girls were nowhere to be found. Mylette’s favorite doll was also missing.
Donna believes that whoever took her sisters must have had a plan because the family lived on a secluded, single road, and the person would have to put the dog up in the parents’ bedroom to prevent him from attacking.
During the interview, Donna also mentioned that the neighbors saw a white car in the driveway around the time the girls went missing, but they did not notice anything suspicious. No one saw the girls leave, and there were no apparent signs of forced entry or struggle.
Current Status:
Mylette and Annette Anderson would now be in their 50s. Despite efforts from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, along with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, no leads have been found. Their parents passed away without ever finding out what happened to their daughters. The case remains open, and authorities continue to urge the public to come forward with any information they may have.
The disappearance of Mylette and Annette Anderson remains one of Jacksonville’s most perplexing unsolved cases. The lack of answers and closure has left the community mourning for decades. The hope remains that one day someone will come forward with information that could finally bring answers and peace to the family and community. If you have any information, you are urged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
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