To Wanda's family: May this confirmation bring you peace and comfort. I am truly sorry for your loss.


Thanks to alabama2 for the info which led me to the article.

___________________________________________________________

Mysterious disappearance of local woman solved

Updated: Jan 23, 2008 03:19 PM CST

Investigators from the Marshall County Sheriff's Office say a woman who disappeared 22 years ago was not murdered.

Wanda Mays was last seen in May of 1986, causing many to speculate what happened to her.

During a press conference today, Sheriff Scott Walls announced that Mays' remains were actually found five years ago at the bottom of a 150 cliff in a wooded area near Cha-La-Kee Road in Guntersville.

It wasn't until recently that a lab in Virginia confirmed that the remains belong to Mays.

Family members said Mays, who suffered from a chemical imbalance, had a panic attack the day she vanished and ran two miles away from a relative's home and fell off the cliff.

The case is now closed and family members are planning to have a memorial service for her once the remains are turned over to them.


Edit: Updated article.

By the way, if I remember correctly, this is from one of the original pre-Stack specials. Just goes to show it's never too long to solve a UM case.

I wonder if they will ever explain the blood on the canoe? :confused:

RIP, Wanda. :crying:

That does seem somewhat logical, meaning if she had panicked and started running in the middle of the night she didn't see the cliff and fell. So sad. :( Kind of a grim thing to think about but I assume she didn't have any clothes on when she fell considering they found her nightgown on the dock.

Its kind of surreal to see these cases and theorize in your mind what might have happened for years and then one day just have the probable answers handed to you. I wonder if the new UM will update this one.

GUNTERSVILLE - Marshall County Sheriff Scott Walls said this afternoon remains found in 2003 have been identified as belonging to Wanda Jean Mays, who disappeared nearly 22 years ago.

Walls said authorities believe she died accidentally. She apparently suffered a panic attack sometime after midnight May 12, 1986, he said.

Mays ran into the woods behind the home where she was staying and eventually fell from a 150-foot cliff more than a mile away, he said.

What exactly led them to the conclusion that she had a panic attack? Is there any evidene she had one, or are they just speculating? Surely, it could have happened, but that seems like an odd scenario. Do they have some other evidence they are withholding?

What exactly led them to the conclusion that she had a panic attack? Is there any evidene she had one, or are they just speculating? Surely, it could have happened, but that seems like an odd scenario. Do they have some other evidence they are withholding?

I believe she had a history of them so its probably just an educated guess. I mean no one was with her after she left her uncles house so all they can really do is give the most likely scenario.

What exactly led them to the conclusion that she had a panic attack? Is there any evidene she had one, or are they just speculating? Surely, it could have happened, but that seems like an odd scenario. Do they have some other evidence they are withholding?

The article I found (first post above) says: "Family members said Mays, who suffered from a chemical imbalance, had a panic attack the day she vanished and ran two miles away from a relative's home and fell off the cliff."

I'm assuming the family wouldn't say that unless they had evidence to believe that was the case. Maybe they didn't play that up in the original broadcast, or they kept that quiet for their own reasons. If it wasn't conclusive I don't think the family would say something like that, IMO.

What exactly led them to the conclusion that she had a panic attack? Is there any evidene she had one, or are they just speculating? Surely, it could have happened, but that seems like an odd scenario. Do they have some other evidence they are withholding?

Given she either threw herself through a window or broke the window and then climbed through, shed all of her clothes before running around in the darkness before falling off a cliff - I can see an easy line being drawn here involving some type of panic attack or mental breakdown.

As far as the blood in the canoe, whose to say she didn't get into the canoe at some point allowing herself to bleed over it. The case is very tragic but hopefully Wanda's family can have some peace now.

As far as the blood in the canoe, whose to say she didn't get into the canoe at some point allowing herself to bleed over it. The case is very tragic but hopefully Wanda's family can have some peace now.

I believe the canoe was found adrift on the lake so she must have been in it at some point. It would be interesting to know where the body was found in relation to where the search parties were looking. It seems odd that her body wasn't found sooner.

whoa, another shocking update. this was the first case I ever saw, so it's kind of nice to see this one updated: at least she didn't suffer, for too long anyways.

i think this further discredits 'eyewitness accounts' (there was at least one claiming to have seen Wanda after she died).

By the way, if I remember correctly, this is from one of the original pre-Stack specials. Just goes to show it's never too long to solve a UM case.


You're right......Karl Malden was the host of this one.

I'm glad to know that she wasn't murdered.......the end of that segment looked kinda grim with that one witness saying she saw Wanda in the back of a car with two men....

It's still sad though :(

THANK YOU.. WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE HER HOME AND TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A PLACE TO MOURN.

Wow, very sad indeed, my sympathies go out to the Mays family. Mozart, I myself have anxiety/panic disorder, and it can be at times a very bleak thing to have, where depressive and panicky episodes make you think irrationally and I dont want to speculate too much, but I think Wanda finally just snapped and wanted to end it all and she did it, it is just very sad and tragic. It was probably one of those things where if she would have just had sometime to think about it, that she wouldnt have done it.

I almost wonder if she had hypoglycmia? The reason I ask is, it was said in the UM segment that her anxiety/panic would get really bad if she tried dieting and anxiety and panic can be claused by low blood sugar.

I am very offended that you would suggest that she ended her own life.. Please do not speculate on something that you know nothing about. This is a sad enough time for us and do not need someone suggesting something and starting new rumours.

^ With all due respect and I mean that sincerely because I too have lost people in my life in circumstances that could be called tragic, this is a forum dedicated to the show "Unsolved Mysteries". What we basically do here is discuss, make conjecture, bat around theories and opinions regardings the cases one of which Wanda Jean Mays (who I assume is either a relative or a friend of yours) was featured on.

I am aware that you have just recieved confirmation of Wanda's passing and this is a sad time for you but you just might want to consider that coming onto a forum and reading comments from people who participate in the business of dissecting and discussing the cases might not be the best activity for you to engage in right now due to the fact that that it is a sad time for you. I assure you that nobody here (including myself) is cold hearted enough to intentionally want to cause you any further pain but discussing the cases and making conjectures is just the nature of this board and probably always will be.

There is a difference in discussing but to say someone snapped and did themselves in is another.

Well, for the record alabama2, that was speculation on my part, I'm not going to argue with you about what happened or didnt happen. It was merely speculation on my part. I'm sorry you took offense to it. That was not my intent and I did not mean any disrespect.

Frankly, neither you nor me really know what happened to cause her to wind up where she did, regardless of what happened, it was sad and tragic that a woman lost her life period, yet alone a young woman.

But again, I didnt mean to cause offense, I was offering my opinion, I'm sorry you didnt like it, but again I didnt mean any disrespect. But snapping at me, I am not really sure why you would do that. But again, you took what I said out of context and crammed it down my throat, which is something that I take offense to. I tried being nice because it is truly sad what happened, you took it the wrong way and did what you did which was wrong.

It was my opinion that what happened to Wanda was she snapped and that she did herself in, maybe she didnt, maybe she was murdered, I dont know. Again, that was an opinion, it was all it was, as I said, regardless of how she died, the fact of the matter is somehow she wound up dead, and it is a tragedy, regardless of how the tragedy occured.

THANK YOU.. WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE HER HOME AND TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A PLACE TO MOURN.

alabama2,

I am very sorry for the loss you and your family has suffered. I'm sure this news never comes easy, but I hope after suffering for so long, this will bring some peace and closure to you. I can't imagine having to go through what Wanda's family and friends did. I'm glad that at least you all know now and can lay her to rest properly.

And thanks again for sharing the news with this forum. Nice to see another case have some closure.

My best to you all,

TM

I knew Wanda as a young girl. She was a dear friend of my family. Wanda would come to our home and we would all play out in our yard. To say that Wanda was beautiful would be an understatement. Wanda was gorgeous. Her beautiful long blonde hair and her striking model face and form would be the envy of any of today's runway exibits. However, what I remember most of Wanda was her sweet spirit, her gentle nature, her love of "mokey" (Smokey) her cute little poodle mix puppy and the love and friendship she shared with me and my brothers and sisters. I was present when "mokey" was killed on the highway and I can still see Wanda's broken little spirit as she ran to her puppy. He looked up at her and wagged his tail, and quietly left us. I still see that moment so clearly. Wanda was a secure, stable, friendly and social young girl. She was unaware of her striking beauty. If there was vanity, it remained to be hidden in the shadows. Wanda Mays was a bright beacon in our lives and she will be remembered with love and tenderness. Whatever happened to that precious life in those dark hours can and will never diminish the light of purity that went before her. Peace to you, Wanda. Give "mokey" a kiss from all of us.

I'm just curious are Wanda Jean's parents and aunt and uncle (all interviewed in the segment) still alive?

I thought Wanda was very pretty in the segment. I agree the sad way that her life ended shouldn't overshadow the way she lived and what she meant to the people around her.

yes her parents are still alive, and healthy. Sadly our aunt and uncle passed away a little over 8 years ago.

yes her parents are still alive, and healthy. Sadly our aunt and uncle passed away a little over 8 years ago.

Thanks for the info. Sorry to hear about your aunt and uncle. The uncle mentioned in the segment he felt guilty for not being more aware of Wanda's situation at the time. I certainly hope he didn't go all those years feeling responsible for her disappearance as obviously there was nothing he could have done to prevent it.

Another question for you alabama2 if you don't mind. I was suprised to read that Wanda was found only 2 miles from your uncles home where she was last seen. I'm suprised it has taken this many years to find her so close to where she went missing as no doubt there was an extensive search done at the time. Any theories or info you can add to help answer that? Is it a heavily wooded area perhaps?

Alabama2,

I am so sorry for your loss. At the same time, I was glad to hear that your family has recovered Wanda's remains and can give her the proper burial/memorial that she rightfully deserves. While nothing we can say can ever bring Wanda back to you, I hope that the recovery of her remains can bring you some sense of closure.

To those who also knew Wanda, she has been missed for quite some time and yet will never be forgotten. She was my neighbor & friend. I loved her dearly. She vacationed with my family and I with hers. I never saw Wanda have a panic attack. Her roommate, at the dreadful disapearring time, had never seen her have a panic attack. I am not implying that emotions don't suddenly come on and lead us into unprecedented behavior. I do find it very unusual that Wanda in a "panic attack state" would break out a window without her Aunt & Uncle hearing, get in a boat, get out, take off her clothes and run "UP HILL" 150 feet, in order to fall that far. I was very nearby during the search. The entire area was searched with dogs and people. A naked woman that close, would have been hard to miss. I find it very difficult to believe that the "evidence" is so conclusive. I would like nothing more than closure. However, I am not so easily swayed to say this is a "closed case". But then, I am not an elected official with a trophy on my desk for solving cold cases and saying "Closed".

Never heard of this case, even though I grew up not too far from Guntersville. Hearing about this case, though, reminds me of that case where the truck driver went off-road with his semi and was found dead at the bottom of a cliff.

Have you talked to the family/alabama2?

I just saw this episode for the first time a couple nights ago and thought it to be strange and baffling, then I saw it again this morning and thought it funny that they were all up at 5 AM and dressed trying to wake Wanda Jean up by yelling, pounding on her door, trying to jimmy the door frame, and finally kicking the door in. At 5 AM if anyone tried that on me, no matter whose house I was staying the night at, you better believe that they wouldn't even think to try that option again (after they got released from the emergency room). Until I found this thread, I was wondering if maybe the aunt, uncle, and/or young man that kicked the door in caused her disappearance. It certainly seemed like the investigators didn't even think of that possibility. I mean who tries that hard to wake someone up at 5 AM? Farmers? Newspaper deliverers? Doughnut makers?

This still doesn't answer the question of how the investigators missed her nude body when combing the area or how her body laid there for quite a few years before being discovered. From the description, it had to be laying there unburied. Maybe it fell behind some dense foliage that hid it from plain sight.

This is one of the first UM cases I ever saw and it stuck with me a long time. I just recently looked up this website with the intention of finding out if this was ever solved. What a truly strange and sad story.

Echoing what others have said, it is indeed tragic and the area at the bottom of the cliff must be somehow hidden from plain view.

I know that her body was found and that the speculation is of an accidental fall but a couple things bother me. One, this was close to her uncle's home. It makes me wonder, was there sloppy searching and how could someone not even accidentally stumble upon a body after 21 years? Kind of like the discussion of Keith Rendhardt (I believe it is his last name) I always found that accidents that happen would make it more likely to find the body in an open area.

Secondly her father claims that he felt his daughter had something to tell him but couldnt the last time they met. Maybe it was nothing, but I trust the father and this could have something to do with her disappearance.

I'm still not willing to dismiss those eyewitness accounts. Not entirely at least. Wanda no doubt looked as if she had a panic attack but is it possible she ran into the wrong people at the wrong time in the middle of the night? Just a theory. I'm just not a big believer that this was an accident, based on the fact that a human body that is laying in an uninentional location would be a lot easier to come across

I have a friend who had what she thought were horrible panic attacks for years. It turns out that she actually had a form of epilepsy, and what she & her doctors thought were panic attacks were actually seizures. She diagnosed herself because the many many medical professionals she saw all missed it. During these panic attacks/seizures, she would often black out and others wouldn't even notice anything was wrong.

I'm just speculating on another possibility, but I wonder if it could have been more than panic attacks, like in my friends' case. I have no evidence that seizures could lead to the types of behaviors that apparently led to Wanda's death, but it's just me thinking out loud. I wonder if Wanda ever reported having "black outs" during her panic attacks.

I haven't seen this case, but as far as I'm concerned, a panic attack was not involved.

She may have had a mental breakdown or some emotional or medical issue, but when you have an actual panic attack, you are quite incapable of running hysterically about.

I had no idea this had been solved. I live in Birmingham,AL, about an hour from where this happened. The case was featured on a pre-Stack special. Glad they were finallly able to get closure on this.

I know the actress who played Wanda in the episode. She had quite an experience filming at the Aunt and Uncle's house, and meeting some of the family. She was taken into Wanda's room at her Aunt and Uncle's. Either the aunt or the mother showed her W's jewelry (watch, etc.) and clothes laid out. She sat at the kitchen counter and drank coffee with the uncle, I believe. She has looked back over that experience and wondered many times. She had bronchitis for a month after shooting in Feb with wet hair and clothes.

I'm late to this. I just don't get how you can determine whether she was trying to get away from a'killer' and was pushed or if she fell/jumped from a cliff.
By the sounds if it they combed the are throughly. And figuring animals got to the body. But. If the body was where she landed.....isn't it convenient she was nude?

I wonder if there wasn't something more to her chemical imbalance than "panic attacks." Yes, panic attacks can be terrible on their own, but they are often co-morbid with another more serious disorder. Of course, being in a state of panic, it's perfectly possible that she accidentally fell off a cliff. But just because one is having a panic attack doesn't mean they lose their sense of awareness -- either she didn't know the cliff was there or she jumped intentionally.

I wonder if she had visited before. I also wonder if her aunt and uncle knew there was a cliff there? Also would there nit be a sign saying cliff caution.
I'm a bit confused as to the lay out of where the lake and cliff and where she was sleeping was.
I find this totally bazaar. If she was having a panic attack I get a broken window. (Needing air )but to leap out and jump in a lake and canoe in the middle of the night. And wonder around nude.
I wonder if she was on medication. Some medication have really messed up side effects some can effect behavior and cause mental imbalances.

I just want to clarify a "panic attack". A lot of times you dont even know your having one. Usually its a build up of a lot of emotional stress and comes on seemingly out of nowhere. A lot of people think they are having a heart attack because of the tightness in chest and shortness of breath caused by the pain. Because its not always directly triggered proceeding one event and many times can occur days or weeks later (doesn't happen that second in plenty of cases) a lot of people are surprised its a panic attack. I've never seen anyone having one that would run as if they were being chased. I dont think she suffered from a traditional panic attack. Her family said she had had one of these prior incidents when she was dieting. Its unfortunate she wasnt properly diagnosed the first time because its not normal to behave that way even when dieting. I have no clue what her mental condition was but something wasnt right.

They kept talking about how concerned Wanda was about her weight. My guess is she was on some sort of diet pill that kept her awake and the lack of sleep had some sort of crazy effect on her. People can do really bizarre stuff if they are sleep-deprived and/or paranoid.

They kept talking about how concerned Wanda was about her weight. My guess is she was on some sort of diet pill that kept her awake and the lack of sleep had some sort of crazy effect on her. People can do really bizarre stuff if they are sleep-deprived and/or paranoid.


True. I never thought about that possibility. Back in the 80s many diet pills were essentially powerful stimulants. Although, I question this only because they had to be prescribed and after her first incident that doctor would have more than likely not prescribed them to her again. (Although she might not have told her doctor). She was also not obese so typically those diet pills unless she got gotten them illegally were only prescribed to people who had to lose a more significant amount of weight not "vanity pounds" as they are called. Although, yes there are shady doctors who don't care and/or yes should could've gotten them illegally (from a friend ect). However, I never read anywhere about her family finding her diet pills in her purse or behind in her the bedroom/car/her place. The family could have had a great lawsuit again big pharma if they were prescribed to her and could show it probably triggered her attack. Most of these pills were pulled by the FDA in the late 90s because of lawsuits and the detrimental health effects they caused.

For these reasons, I highly doubt stimulant diet pills were involved, at least the ones typically known and prescribed.

Now what are the odds that another person named Wanda Mays goes missing?

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/mays_wanda.html

Wow! Great find.

Wow. Kooky coincidence.

I just watched this again and the whole thing seems fishy to me. There are too many things that just don't add up, some of these have been touched up on already.

-The 5 a.m. thing. Even in the unlikely scenario Wanda did have to be up that early, why would the aunt and uncle feel the need to be up that early also? Did they even know Wanda was supposedly getting up at that point? And was this right at 5 a.m.? How did they not know she was awake? She could have just theoretically been moving about the room quietly.

And then they say the grandson came over at 6:30 to bust down the door. What was going on in that hour and a half? Did they not have a key to their own door in their own house?

-The timing of it all is just too damn weird. Yes, she did have a panic attack, but it was one (note the singular) and that was three years previous. Are we to believe that she just so happened to have another panic attack on the one night she stays at her uncle's house, when she wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place? And then when you consider that the bed wasn't even slept in, that just makes it all the more suspicious. So she had a panic attack immediately upon entering the room for the night? The timing of it is just too bizarre for me to chalk it up to coincidence.

It's interesting to note that Wanda didn't even plan to stay there that night, the uncle persuades her. What was his motive for this? If she doesn't want to stay, she doesn't want to stay.

It should be noted that the blood was never really proven to be Wanda's, it just matched her blood type.

Somebody earlier on another thread made some good points about how it would have been very difficult (if possible at all) for Wanda to exit through that window (both in terms of the physicality of it as well as not being heard), meaning that she most likely must have exited the house elsewhere. That, coupled with the nightgown that was found (which was bloodied) might be indicative that she was raped/attacked elsewhere in the house and the scene at the window was just a red herring.

Up until yesterday, I never had any reason to doubt she broke the window, left the house through that way and wandered to her death. But after re-examining things, I just don't think everything adds up.

-The 5 a.m. thing. Even in the unlikely scenario Wanda did have to be up that early, why would the aunt and uncle feel the need to be up that early also? Did they even know Wanda was supposedly getting up at that point? And was this right at 5 a.m.? How did they not know she was awake? She could have just theoretically been moving about the room quietly.

And then they say the grandson came over at 6:30 to bust down the door. What was going on in that hour and a half? Did they not have a key to their own door in their own house?

You know, I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s been bothered by this aspect of the story. The weirdest part is definitely how they took the time to fetch their grandson to break down the door when Wanda didn’t answer. Did they not think to go outside the house and check the bedroom window?! This way, they could actually see if anything’s happened to Wanda inside the room and if there was an emergency, it would probably be a lot easier to just break the window and climb inside rather than waiting an entire hour-and-a-half for the grandson to arrive and break down the door. I know there’s never been any apparent suspicion directed towards the aunt and uncle, but their story just doesn’t make much sense.

I am so glad that there are others who think the "official" explanation for Wanda's death does NOT add up. I'm not saying it was UFOs or a Men in Black conspiracy or anything like that, just that I find it really hard to believe a young woman had a panic attack, ran out of a house, threw her clothes off, rowed, rowed, rowed a boat not-so-gently down a lake, and then ran off a cliff and died.

W. T. F.?

I want to find at least one other person whose cause of death is "had a panic attack, broke through window, ran into wilderness and eventually ran off cliff."

I am so glad that there are others who think the "official" explanation for Wanda's death does NOT add up. I'm not saying it was UFOs or a Men in Black conspiracy or anything like that, just that I find it really hard to believe a young woman had a panic attack, ran out of a house, threw her clothes off, rowed, rowed, rowed a boat not-so-gently down a lake, and then ran off a cliff and died.

W. T. F.?

I want to find at least one other person whose cause of death is "had a panic attack, broke through window, ran into wilderness and eventually ran off cliff."
This was my exact reaction upon hearing the explanation. I could find a panic attack and running off a cliff by accident in the dark plausible...if she hadn't also hopped into a boat and thrown her clothes off to row across the river.

Also, the relatives' story still sticks out as strange to me. Firstly who starts pounding on a door yelling at 5 in the morning? Sure, you might be concerned your relative is going to oversleep and miss work, but this was too much. Why didn't they go around to look in through the window?

I really do wonder about foul play here. At the very least, there is missing information.

I'm gonna come right out and say it, I think the uncle is suspicious. I think he was too quick to try and link this to a supposed panic attack by Wanda, when nobody knew what happened. Heck, even today, there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

I won't dismiss the possibility that someone could sleep through breaking glass, there are heavy sleepers. But for everyone in the house not to hear 2 panes of glass breaking, as well as the banging of the Venetian blinds, just seems off. I could maybe understand it if Wanda's room was far removed from the rest of the house like in the basement or something, but her room was literally just off the kitchen!

And I can't get out of my head that Wanda was on the verge of telling her father something. Could this have been inappropriate actions on the part of the uncle?

I have two people close to me with eating disorders. Yes, they can cause other problems within a person, both physically and mentally. But I'm relatively sure I've never heard, as She-Raaa said, a case that caused somebody to smash windows, get naked, row a boat and jump off a cliff. And there would have been a lot of warning signs. Do we even know Wanda was having dieting issues at the time?

If Wanda had broken and exited through the window, there should have been blood trails, blood on the walls, and just a lot more blood in that general area, but there wasn't. There was a lot of blood in the canoe, however.

My personal best theory is that the uncle took Wanda out on a canoe trip, away from his wife and everyone else, and attempted to sexually assault her. Wanda resisted, he killed her and dumped the body, then staged the scene.

Out of curiosity, I did a search on the uncle, Tyrus Dorman, and it looks like he passed away in 1998. It also looks like his son, Tyrus Dorman Jr., currently works as a lawyer in Guntersville. In the newspaper articles about Wanda’s remains being found, her brother seems pretty accepting of the panic attack theory. However, if Wanda’s family ever had any suspicions about the uncle, I can see them not wanting to bring it up publicly and smear the family name since Tyrus is already dead and there’s nothing they can do now anyway.

I can believe she got into a boat and rowed for her life, as people who suffer from panic attacks are wont to do (and are we sure she didn't suffer from schizophrenia). I don't find the 5 a.m. wake-up call suspicious in itself – who cares if the uncle and aunt woke up at the same time as Wanda? It's not common for relatives to awaken together when someone's got a wakeup call.

I agree there's something missing in the story, and it has to do with the interval between the time she was supposed to awaken and knocking the door down. Nothing in the uncle's behavior suggested malice – he seemed a bit thick and ponderous actually – and let's be careful about rape accusations.

If Wanda had broken and exited through the window, there should have been blood trails, blood on the walls, and just a lot more blood in that general area, but there wasn't. There was a lot of blood in the canoe, however.

Has anyone read contemporaneous newspaper accounts? All we have is Karl Malden saying the canoe had "lots" of blood. I can believe the canoe had more blood: Mays sat longer in it.

I agree that 90 minutes does sound like a very long time to wait before breaking down the door. Also, why did they need the grandson to break down the door? The uncle wasn't exactly young, but I'd find it hard to believe that he wasn't physically capable of breaking open the door. Of course I'm assuming it was a normal weight interior door.

On the other hand, if the uncle was unable or unwilling to break open the door, there's a few logical thoughts I have to try to explain the 90 minute delay. First, we don't know if she REALLY needed to be up at 5 am do we? If no, then I can see the Aunt failing to get a response at 5, and thinking to herself, "I'll let her sleep another (15 min, half hour, etc.)" Then she makes a cup of coffee or goes back to bed herself for a little while, before trying to wake up Wanda a second time. By this point, she is more concerned when she doesn't get a response to her knocks. At whatever point the grandson is actually called, I think its safe to say would be asleep, and would take some additional time to get dressed and come over.

I think we're all a little tainted by the UM re-enactment itself, which shows about 10 seconds of her relatives trying to get in right before the high point of the grandson kicking in the door. There wouldn't have been 90 minutes of this panic; their concern would have gradually increased. The uncle's statement of "If we'd have known she was on the diet, something might have clicked" supports this context. I took this to mean they WOULD have panicked sooner if they had more reason to suspect something was wrong.

I can believe she got into a boat and rowed for her life, as people who suffer from panic attacks are wont to do (and are we sure she didn't suffer from schizophrenia).

Where are you getting this from? Please provide facts.

I don't find the 5 a.m. wake-up call suspicious in itself – who cares if the uncle and aunt woke up at the same time as Wanda? It's not common for relatives to awaken together when someone's got a wakeup call.

Maybe couples who sleep in the same bed. Not everyone in the house.

and let's be careful about rape accusations.

Speculating is what we do all the time here.

Has anyone read contemporaneous newspaper accounts? All we have is Karl Malden saying the canoe had "lots" of blood. I can believe the canoe had more blood: Mays sat longer in it.

Usually, there's more blood at the point of injury. In this case it is presumably the window with the jagged glass. Since we neither know how long she was in that area, nor do we know how long she was in the canoe, it's impossible to say there would be more blood in the canoe.

Isn't it odd the bloody nightgown on the dock didn't have a trail of blood leading to it? Isn't it odd there's no bloody handprint or fingerprints on the walls?

Where are you getting this from? Please provide facts.

We're relying on an reenactment filmed in 1986 and its definitions of panic attacks.

Maybe couples who sleep in the same bed. Not everyone in the house.

This was my mistake. I meant to say "not uncommon."


Speculating is what we do all the time here.

Well, there's speculation, and there's posting idle rape scenarios on a public forum when the police (as far as I know) didn't make those accusations.

This case is a good watch because the reenactment DOES create a plausible sense of mystery, especially the scenes of a thin, wet young woman in pants three sizes too big looking down while she wanders down the road; but like the Kurt McFall episode (another early case, coincidentally) the simplest explanation is likely the best.

Well, there's speculation, and there's posting idle rape scenarios on a public forum when the police (as far as I know) didn't make those accusations.

We also accuse people of murder on here. All the time. That's really so much better when you think about it.

This case is a good watch because the reenactment DOES create a plausible sense of mystery, especially the scenes of a thin, wet young woman in pants three sizes too big looking down while she wanders down the road; but like the Kurt McFall episode (another early case, coincidentally) the simplest explanation is likely the best.

I agree with you on that. The simplest explanation is McFall was murdered and that's what I believe.

Like you, it's one of my favorite segments. If you don't mind me asking, what fascinates you about it?

I think Kurt McFall was killed in some of the garish Dungeons & Dragons fantasy games he played, not in real life.

Like you, it's one of my favorite segments. If you don't mind me asking, what fascinates you about it?

Malden's hammy delivery, the image of the young woman in ballooning pants, the mysterious frightened woman in the back seat of the car.

Malden's hammy delivery, the image of the young woman in ballooning pants, the mysterious frightened woman in the back seat of the car.

oh, I meant McFall.

I found an article that seems to shed some light on the case. Apparently, Wanda had a chemical imbalance that led to occasional panic attacks and she would become very fearful during these times. This is markedly different from the UM segment which said she had one panic attack several years previous due to dieting.

http://www.waff.com/story/7770877/wanda-mays-brother-talks-to-waff-48-news

EDIT: And right after I posted that, I found a TOPIX thread that has everything from government conspiracy theories to a claim that an older man was obsessed with her.

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/guntersville-al/TLVDFE4FHLG16JMI8

I keep going back and forth on this one. Classic Unsolved right here.

EDIT #2: Holy Cow. And right after I posted that, found an article about two young women murdered in Guntersville, AL in the late 80's.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1891&dat=19891123&id=HWgfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4tQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2176,2793717&hl=en

Guntersville has a population of less than 9,000. I could definitely see Wanda being murdered now.

Wanda disappeared in May of 1986. Fran Cox disappeared in April 1987. Kimberly Vaughn disappeared in July 1987.

That's a very real possibility.

I found an article that seems to shed some light on the case. Apparently, Wanda had a chemical imbalance that led to occasional panic attacks and she would become very fearful during these times. This is markedly different from the UM segment which said she had one panic attack several years previous due to dieting.

http://www.waff.com/story/7770877/wanda-mays-brother-talks-to-waff-48-news

EDIT: And right after I posted that, I found a TOPIX thread that has everything from government conspiracy theories to a claim that an older man was obsessed with her.

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/guntersville-al/TLVDFE4FHLG16JMI8

I keep going back and forth on this one. Classic Unsolved right here.

EDIT #2: Holy Cow. And right after I posted that, found an article about two young women murdered in Guntersville, AL in the late 80's.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1891&dat=19891123&id=HWgfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4tQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2176,2793717&hl=en

Guntersville has a population of less than 9,000. I could definitely see Wanda being murdered now.

Interesting to know that Wanda did indeed have multiple panic attacks and they were apparently quite severe. I think this may go a long way in explaining how she got "out there" in the woods in a dangerous and vulnerable state, but I'm still not entirely convinced she literally just fell off a cliff and died. The investigation seemed too quick to rule out foul play even though there isn't a cause of death?

The fact that two other women disappeared from the same area within about a year is VERY interesting.

It is certainly one of the more bizarre cases IMO. I'm not sure panic attack is the right term for whatever was happening to her. I know people who suffer from panic attacks, and they typically result in the person feeling unable to breathe. I've never heard of someone breaking/climbing through a window in the middle of the night, disrobing on a boat dock, getting in a canoe, and then falling off a cliff two miles away whilst in the midst of a panic attack.

"Chemical imbalance" is vague. It could mean bipolar is a possibility I suppose. There's no way of knowing. The fact that two women in that small of a town were murdered in the same time frame is suspicious, but it doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Very difficult to make sense of.

As someone who suffers from the occasional panic attack, I could actually see this playing out. When I'm in the middle of this attack, I have irrational and paranoid thoughts. I have to actively talk myself "off the ledge", so to speak. It's literally mind versus body in this situation... I'm sweating, I'm panicked... I want to run and part of my mind wants to flee, too-- but then a small voice in the back of my mind is saying, "Calm down. You're fine. You're not dying. Your heart will not stop. This will pass."

I've seen a professional, who has informed me that these are "minor" episodes. I cannot begin to imagine what is happening during a severe episode, such as the one Wanda may have had. Additionally, keep in mind that when this attack is happening, I am *generally aware* of what's going on, as it's happened before. I'm not so sure Wanda may have known what was going on and that it would eventually subside...

With all that, though, I will echo the sentiments that this is one strange death. Kinda reminds me of the guy who died sleepwalking by running out in front of a semi.

You have to remember a few things:

1) The UM segment was filmed in 1986 and UM has never been that great about discussing possible mental health issues.

2) The term "panic attack" is used very generally by a lot of people and those who have never suffered from one do not understand how severe they can be. It's much worse than mere "worry" or being a little jittery or anxious. No, it is often full blown TERROR. It can be incapacitating for some people. Completely shuts them down (or the opposite -- makes them uncontrollable).

3) Panic disorder is often comorbid with other psychiatric disorders (depression and bi-polar disorder especially).

4) Wanda lived in conservative Alabama in the 80's. Not too many families were keen on having their children visit shrinks in the Bible Belt (I know, I am from a town not far from Guntersville). I witnessed this first hand in my own family (no, we cannot send John to a shrink, because what would the neighbors think?) It was the same around the country, really. There was a stigma (and still is) about mental illness. Thus, it shouldn't surprise us at all that she might have had an undiagnosed condition.

5) We have seen other cases on UM of elaborate accidents or suicides because of mental health issues (though UM never considered it in their segments).

You have to remember that panic disorder is not really about "being stressed" or having some environmental trigger. It's really about brain chemistry and is beyond the patient's control. (Of course, stress can make it worse or bring it out more frequently). Panic disorder is the brain's "fight or flight" mechanism springing into action at inappropriate times. We evolved to fight or flee when we sense severe danger, but people with panic disorder can have this mechanism "turn on" when there is no danger. It's a medical condition.

I also wouldn't rule out bi-polar disorder (specifically a manic or mixed state). Panic disorder is often comorbid with bi-polar disorder (ask a psychiatrist or go read up on it). If she was indeed having a manic or mixed episode, this could explain her loss of total control. How old was Mays? Mid 20's? Typically people begin showing symptoms in their late teens to early 20's, so this fits. Severe (type I) bi-polar disorder affects roughly 1 to 2% of the population. Do the math and that's about 3 to 5 million people in the U.S. alone.

And before you think "oh, to suggest someone would do all of this to themselves is a stretch," may I direct you to the more recent case of Lisa Lam? Everyone has all these conspiracy theories about what happened, but if you read the girl's own social media postings before her death, she talks often about having bi-polar disorder and being on meds. On her meds she was fine, but without them, you see what happens. In the end, she somehow ended up in a water tank on the roof of the building (I believe she was nude as well). Police and the M.E. said they can find zero evidence of foul play, but people (especially her family) are not willing to accept it. Her family (conservative Asian parents) still deny she ever saw a shrink, which is B.S. Again, this stigmatizing of mental illness MUST stop in this country.

Having conditions like this is nothing that anyone should ever be ashamed of. The only people who should be ashamed are those people who are friends or family who bury their heads in the sand and refuse to help. (Not saying this is what happened in the Mays case as I don't know enough about it, her history, how much others knew about any possible mental health issues, etc..).

But it makes more sense to me that she died of an accident or suicide than by some random stranger lurking in the woods. The odds of a random stranger are astronomically low (even in the 80's when the crime rate was much higher than today). And it seems unlikely her uncle was involved -- the circumstances just don't fit.

The truth is you are more likely to be killed by more mundane things than by spectacular and scary things (i.e. a car wreck as opposed to a serial killer), but we humans are programmed genetically to be more scared of rare and spectacular events than more common (and more dangerous) events. Why? Because of evolution (that's another discussion but there's good books out there that discuss this at length).

When something like this does happen, often times families go in denial. They cannot accept an accident (or worse) a suicide. So, in segments such as this, you often hear the families coming up with elaborate theories on who the killer(s) could be when all along it's pretty evident to people not emotionally connected that it was indeed an accident or suicide. A good (but extreme example) is the Cindy James case. Her poor parents just couldn't accept that the woman was sick and needed help and did all of the "terrorizing" to herself. (And her psychiatrist was a dumbass -- it is unbelievable that he actually believed her story).

Also, Wanda's own brother came forward in an interview and discussed how severe her panic attacks were. I quote:

"You know the window was broken from the inside that she went out of. She had an attack and it was something that scared her. She would just get terrified when she had these attacks. She would just be terrified of everything," said John Mays.

and..

I had come up to her to get a hug or something at one time and she was cuddled in a corner. She was just scared to death," said John Mays.

It looks like her brother is rational and level-headed and has accepted that this was most likely a terrible accident.

You have to remember a few things:

1) The UM segment was filmed in 1986 and UM has never been that great about discussing possible mental health issues.

2) The term "panic attack" is used very generally by a lot of people and those who have never suffered from one do not understand how severe they can be. It's much worse than mere "worry" or being a little jittery or anxious. No, it is often full blown TERROR. It can be incapacitating for some people. Completely shuts them down (or the opposite -- makes them uncontrollable).

3) Panic disorder is often comorbid with other psychiatric disorders (depression and bi-polar disorder especially).

4) Wanda lived in conservative Alabama in the 80's. Not too many families were keen on having their children visit shrinks in the Bible Belt (I know, I am from a town not far from Guntersville). I witnessed this first hand in my own family (no, we cannot send John to a shrink, because what would the neighbors think?) It was the same around the country, really. There was a stigma (and still is) about mental illness. Thus, it shouldn't surprise us at all that she might have had an undiagnosed condition.

5) We have seen other cases on UM of elaborate accidents or suicides because of mental health issues (though UM never considered it in their segments).

You have to remember that panic disorder is not really about "being stressed" or having some environmental trigger. It's really about brain chemistry and is beyond the patient's control. (Of course, stress can make it worse or bring it out more frequently). Panic disorder is the brain's "fight or flight" mechanism springing into action at inappropriate times. We evolved to fight or flee when we sense severe danger, but people with panic disorder can have this mechanism "turn on" when there is no danger. It's a medical condition.

I also wouldn't rule out bi-polar disorder (specifically a manic or mixed state). Panic disorder is often comorbid with bi-polar disorder (ask a psychiatrist or go read up on it). If she was indeed having a manic or mixed episode, this could explain her loss of total control. How old was Mays? Mid 20's? Typically people begin showing symptoms in their late teens to early 20's, so this fits. Severe (type I) bi-polar disorder affects roughly 1 to 2% of the population. Do the math and that's about 3 to 5 million people in the U.S. alone.

And before you think "oh, to suggest someone would do all of this to themselves is a stretch," may I direct you to the more recent case of Lisa Lam? Everyone has all these conspiracy theories about what happened, but if you read the girl's own social media postings before her death, she talks often about having bi-polar disorder and being on meds. On her meds she was fine, but without them, you see what happens. In the end, she somehow ended up in a water tank on the roof of the building (I believe she was nude as well). Police and the M.E. said they can find zero evidence of foul play, but people (especially her family) are not willing to accept it. Her family (conservative Asian parents) still deny she ever saw a shrink, which is B.S. Again, this stigmatizing of mental illness MUST stop in this country.

Having conditions like this is nothing that anyone should ever be ashamed of. The only people who should be ashamed are those people who are friends or family who bury their heads in the sand and refuse to help. (Not saying this is what happened in the Mays case as I don't know enough about it, her history, how much others knew about any possible mental health issues, etc..).

But it makes more sense to me that she died of an accident or suicide than by some random stranger lurking in the woods. The odds of a random stranger are astronomically low (even in the 80's when the crime rate was much higher than today). And it seems unlikely her uncle was involved -- the circumstances just don't fit.

The truth is you are more likely to be killed by more mundane things than by spectacular and scary things (i.e. a car wreck as opposed to a serial killer), but we humans are programmed genetically to be more scared of rare and spectacular events than more common (and more dangerous) events. Why? Because of evolution (that's another discussion but there's good books out there that discuss this at length).

When something like this does happen, often times families go in denial. They cannot accept an accident (or worse) a suicide. So, in segments such as this, you often hear the families coming up with elaborate theories on who the killer(s) could be when all along it's pretty evident to people not emotionally connected that it was indeed an accident or suicide. A good (but extreme example) is the Cindy James case. Her poor parents just couldn't accept that the woman was sick and needed help and did all of the "terrorizing" to herself. (And her psychiatrist was a dumbass -- it is unbelievable that he actually believed her story).

Also, Wanda's own brother came forward in an interview and discussed how severe her panic attacks were. I quote:



and..



It looks like her brother is rational and level-headed and has accepted that this was most likely a terrible accident.

+1.

As someone employed in healthcare--as well as a close friend of someone who has bipolar disorder and severe anxiety--I agree with this assessment and these sentiments completely.

Wanda disappeared in May of 1986. Fran Cox disappeared in April 1987. Kimberly Vaughn disappeared in July 1987.

That's a very real possibility.

I agree

I agree

Of what?

Wanda disappeared in May of 1986. Fran Cox disappeared in April 1987. Kimberly Vaughn disappeared in July 1987.

That's a very real possibility.

I agree

Uh, no it isn't. Both Kimberly Vaughn and Fran Cox were both last seen alive at nightclubs in the Gundersville area. Kimberly Vaughn was last seen in an argument outside of a club with Jeffrey Todd Newsome. Newsome had a buddy of his help him free his car in a wooded area near Gundersville the next morning. Kimberly's body was found 50 yards away from where the car was stuck. Newsome was convicted and sentenced to life for Kimberly's murder. Unfortunately, Fran Cox's remains were found 2 and a half years later and no cause of death could be determined. However, she too was last seen alive leaving a nightclub with Newsome.

Unless Newsome managed to gain entry to Wanda Jean Mays's aunt and uncle's house, shattered their window from the inside of the bedroom Wanda was sleeping in, forced her out of the window and managing to only cut her, and then somehow chased her through the woods to where she ultimately fell to her death and then he managed to make it back out of the woods completely undetected...I don't think that this is a very real possibility.

lol are posters alleging a conspiracy here

You have to remember a few things:

1) The UM segment was filmed in 1986 and UM has never been that great about discussing possible mental health issues.

2) The term "panic attack" is used very generally by a lot of people and those who have never suffered from one do not understand how severe they can be. It's much worse than mere "worry" or being a little jittery or anxious. No, it is often full blown TERROR. It can be incapacitating for some people. Completely shuts them down (or the opposite -- makes them uncontrollable).

3) Panic disorder is often comorbid with other psychiatric disorders (depression and bi-polar disorder especially).

4) Wanda lived in conservative Alabama in the 80's. Not too many families were keen on having their children visit shrinks in the Bible Belt (I know, I am from a town not far from Guntersville). I witnessed this first hand in my own family (no, we cannot send John to a shrink, because what would the neighbors think?) It was the same around the country, really. There was a stigma (and still is) about mental illness. Thus, it shouldn't surprise us at all that she might have had an undiagnosed condition.

5) We have seen other cases on UM of elaborate accidents or suicides because of mental health issues (though UM never considered it in their segments).

You have to remember that panic disorder is not really about "being stressed" or having some environmental trigger. It's really about brain chemistry and is beyond the patient's control. (Of course, stress can make it worse or bring it out more frequently). Panic disorder is the brain's "fight or flight" mechanism springing into action at inappropriate times. We evolved to fight or flee when we sense severe danger, but people with panic disorder can have this mechanism "turn on" when there is no danger. It's a medical condition.

I also wouldn't rule out bi-polar disorder (specifically a manic or mixed state). Panic disorder is often comorbid with bi-polar disorder (ask a psychiatrist or go read up on it). If she was indeed having a manic or mixed episode, this could explain her loss of total control. How old was Mays? Mid 20's? Typically people begin showing symptoms in their late teens to early 20's, so this fits. Severe (type I) bi-polar disorder affects roughly 1 to 2% of the population. Do the math and that's about 3 to 5 million people in the U.S. alone.

And before you think "oh, to suggest someone would do all of this to themselves is a stretch," may I direct you to the more recent case of Lisa Lam? Everyone has all these conspiracy theories about what happened, but if you read the girl's own social media postings before her death, she talks often about having bi-polar disorder and being on meds. On her meds she was fine, but without them, you see what happens. In the end, she somehow ended up in a water tank on the roof of the building (I believe she was nude as well). Police and the M.E. said they can find zero evidence of foul play, but people (especially her family) are not willing to accept it. Her family (conservative Asian parents) still deny she ever saw a shrink, which is B.S. Again, this stigmatizing of mental illness MUST stop in this country.

Having conditions like this is nothing that anyone should ever be ashamed of. The only people who should be ashamed are those people who are friends or family who bury their heads in the sand and refuse to help. (Not saying this is what happened in the Mays case as I don't know enough about it, her history, how much others knew about any possible mental health issues, etc..).

But it makes more sense to me that she died of an accident or suicide than by some random stranger lurking in the woods. The odds of a random stranger are astronomically low (even in the 80's when the crime rate was much higher than today). And it seems unlikely her uncle was involved -- the circumstances just don't fit.

The truth is you are more likely to be killed by more mundane things than by spectacular and scary things (i.e. a car wreck as opposed to a serial killer), but we humans are programmed genetically to be more scared of rare and spectacular events than more common (and more dangerous) events. Why? Because of evolution (that's another discussion but there's good books out there that discuss this at length).

When something like this does happen, often times families go in denial. They cannot accept an accident (or worse) a suicide. So, in segments such as this, you often hear the families coming up with elaborate theories on who the killer(s) could be when all along it's pretty evident to people not emotionally connected that it was indeed an accident or suicide. A good (but extreme example) is the Cindy James case. Her poor parents just couldn't accept that the woman was sick and needed help and did all of the "terrorizing" to herself. (And her psychiatrist was a dumbass -- it is unbelievable that he actually believed her story).

Also, Wanda's own brother came forward in an interview and discussed how severe her panic attacks were. I quote:



and..



It looks like her brother is rational and level-headed and has accepted that this was most likely a terrible accident.

I have clinical depression but not bipolar thankfully. I had a friend who was bipolar and when she was manic, it was scary. What you laid out here is very realistic and plausible.

Yes, booming post, Thiussat.