Cold Case Files: Young bride vanished without a trace in 1958 and the case remains a mystery six decades later
- Dennis McCaslin
- Jul 5
- 3 min read
On a warm Saturday afternoon in 1958, 19-year-old Carol Ann Batterman stood at a bus stop just steps from the Crown Motel in Moore, Oklahoma. Dressed in a beige suit and high heels, she was headed to meet her husband, Dennis, at the nearby Naval Air Technical Training Center in Norman.
They planned to search for an apartment together. But Carol never boarded the bus--and she was never seen again.
More than six decades later, her disappearance remains one of Oklahoma’s most haunting and unresolved cold cases.
Carol Ann Hlavac was born around 1939 in Westchester, Illinois. A 1956 graduate of Proviso Township High School, she was known for her warm personality and striking features: long brown hair, brown eyes, an olive complexion, and she stood 5’5” and weighed about 115 pounds.
On May 17, 1958, she married her high school sweetheart, 18-year-old Dennis E. Batterman. The couple relocated to Oklahoma shortly after, where Dennis was stationed at the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Norman. They were temporarily staying at the Crown Motel in Moore while planning their future.
The night before she vanished, Carol wrote a cheerful letter to her parents, expressing joy in her new marriage--a poignant detail that contradicts any suggestion she left voluntarily.
On May 31, 1958, at approximately 3:35 p.m., Carol was seen waiting for a southbound bus on U.S. Highway 77, just 15 feet from the motel entrance. She carried a small white purse containing about $35, wore her yellow class ring with a black stone, and a wedding band engraved with “DB to CH – 5/17/58” and thirteen stars.
A gas station attendant, Loyal Vanderpool, reported seeing a gray pickup truck--possibly a 1953 Ford--pull up beside her. The driver, described as a man in his 40s, about 6 feet tall with a slender build, wore khaki clothing and a large Western-style straw hat.
Carol was seen speaking to him at the open truck door. When Vanderpool looked away briefly, both Carol and the truck were gone.
No one saw her enter the vehicle. She never arrived at her destination.
In September 1958, a caretaker at a resort near Reynolds Lake in Norman reported a disturbing encounter. Mrs. J.E. Kelly claimed she saw a woman matching Carol’s description in a white station wagon--possibly a 1955–56 Chrysler--with two men. The woman appeared to struggle, attempting to exit the vehicle before being pulled back inside.
Days later, two men, without fishing gear, asked Kelly for shovels to “dig worms,” a request she found suspicious. A search of the area, involving sailors and civilian volunteers, turned up no evidence.
Shortly after Carol’s disappearance, a corroded key to the Battermans’ motel room was mailed anonymously to the Crown Motel. It bore no postmark or return address. Investigators dismissed it as unrelated, but the timing raised suspicions.
Carol’s belongings, including clothing, makeup, jewelry, and $100 in cash, remained untouched in the motel room. Her parents never received another letter, despite her habit of frequent correspondence.
While early media reports speculated Carol may have run off with a former boyfriend, Dennis Batterman publicly refuted those claims. He was never considered a suspect, though some online sleuths have questioned his later reluctance to engage with renewed investigations.
In 1960, Dennis divorced Carol and remarried. By 1961, he expressed hope she might return, but no new leads emerged.
The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office classifies Carol’s case as an endangered involuntary disappearance, with abduction as the leading theory.
Carol’s case is documented by The Charley Project, NamUs, and The Doe Network. Her dental records and DNA are available for comparison.
In recent years, amateur investigators have speculated about possible links to unidentified remains. One theory suggested a connection to “Seminole Jane Doe,” skeletal remains found in 1998 in Seminole, Oklahoma--about 60 miles from Moore. However, discrepancies in age and condition of the remains make this match unlikely.
Another theory involving “Little Miss X,” a Jane Doe found in 1958, was ruled out through dental records.
Sixty-seven years after her disappearance, questions remain:
Was Carol abducted by a stranger in the gray pickup truck?
Could the Reynolds Lake sighting point to a broader conspiracy?
Was the mailed motel key a taunt—or a red herring?
The lack of physical evidence and conflicting witness accounts continue to frustrate investigators. Some believe Carol may have been targeted by someone familiar with her routine.
Carol Ann Batterman would be in her mid-80s today. Though her name has faded from headlines, her story remains in the hearts of those who knew her—and in the files of investigators still seeking answers.
If you have any information, contact:
Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office: 405-701-8888
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation: cold.case@osbi.ok.gov | 1-800-522-8017
Anonymous Tips: Submit through your local law enforcement agency
