CRESTVIEW — Sept. 25, 2016 marks 32 years since the disappearance of 24-year-old Linda Kay Carroll of Crestview.
The young mother of two was last seen at her home on Kingston Road the night of Sept. 25 1984. Investigators found the bed sheets missing on her bed and human hair on a striker plate of a doorjamb.
At the time of her disappearance, Linda was seeking a divorce from estranged husband, Dennis Carroll, who was working in Tennessee and who family members say was abusive and controlling.
After Linda’s disappearance, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigators learned Carroll was at his mother’s home in Meridian, Mississippi and went there to talk to him.
Carroll admitted going to Linda’s house on Sept. 25 and letting himself in, but says he could not find Linda so he left and went to Meridian. A co-worker in Tennessee told deputies Dennis Carroll had questioned him about using ether or chloroform to put somebody to sleep.
After Linda’s disappearance, investigators say Dennis Carroll never inquired about locating his wife. Their son said he found a woman’s purse underneath their trailer when he was very young and that his father made several statements over the years about how to get rid of someone without being caught.
Carroll, the primary suspect in Linda’s disappearance and apparent murder, died of cancer in 2014.
Now, Linda’s family hopes that someone will come forward with any information that might indicate where Linda’s body was left. Their main hope is simply to bring Linda home for a proper burial near her family.
They’ll also hold a remembrance vigil for Linda at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 25 at the OCSO Livingston Building at the intersection of Highway 85 and Highway 90 in Crestview.
Anyone with information on the disappearance and death of Linda Carroll is asked to contact the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, 651-7400, or Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at 850-863-TIPS, emeraldcoastcrimestoppers.com or by submitting a mobile tip through the P3 Tips mobile application.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Sisters seek closure in Crestview woman's disappearance