Launa Renee Merritt called her grandmother from a pay phone in Syracuse, New York on February 23, 1983. This would be the last known time anyone had any contact with Launa.
During that call, Launa told her grandmother she was with friends and would be home later.
Launa was just 16 years old but had recently dropped out of school in Fremont, New York, and moved in with her grandmother. She was hanging out with a troubled crowd, had run away before, and was arrested on one occasion for prostitution.
Perhaps because of her history and troubled behavior, Launa wasn’t reported missing for three weeks.
An official report was taken on March 16, 1983.
Her grandmother said she was a naive and trusting girl, and then told authorities that Launa had once told her if she ever went missing, they should look at one of the men she was associating with.
Authorities searched the home of this man, a well-known criminal in Syracuse, and found one of Launa’s shoes, but nothing else was discovered to lead them to Launa.
He is suspected of being involved in Launa’s disappearance, however, there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him.
Launa is described as a Caucasian female, standing 4’11 and weighing around 130 pounds when she was last seen in February 1983. Launa was just 16 years old.
She has brown hair and brown eyes. She was possibly wearing a brown rabbit fur coat, a t-shirt, jeans, and brown boots.
Launa has a surgical scar on her abdomen.
Launa might be going by an alias, possibly, Tina, Colleen, or Lisa.
While foul play is suspected, it is possible that Launa was also held against her will, or left the Syracuse area.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Syracuse Police Department at 315-442-5330.
