The Disappearance of Sandra Horwath: A 50-Year-Old Mystery from Ann Arbor
On a crisp autumn day in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1973, Sandra Horwath seemingly vanished into thin air. Her disappearance remains one of Michigan’s longest-standing mysteries, leaving her family and the community with more questions than answers, even after five decades.
Who Was Sandra Horwath?
Sandra was a bright young woman with a promising future ahead of her. She was known for her making life work with her girls, working full time at the University of Michigan Hospital, and maintaining a home. At the time of her disappearance, she was separated from her husband, and working to provide a life for her kids. Those who knew her described her as responsible and unlikely to leave without a trace.
The Day She Disappeared
The exact details of Sandra’s last known movements are hazy, adding to the frustration of investigators and loved ones. What is known is that she was last seen in her home in Ann Arbor by her children. Earlier that evening, she had taken the kids to Sears, and then they came home. When she returned home, her daughters noted that she took a phone call from a male friend, and then she put the kids to bed around 10pm.
Around 6:30am the following morning, Sandra’s children woke up, but she was no where to be found. Her oldest daughter, Robin made multiple calls looking for her, but could not find her. One of the calls made was to the children’s regular babysitter; who immediately came over to help. When police arrived, they noticed that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. A search began quickly, with local authorities and volunteers combing through neighborhoods, parks, and wooded areas. However, there was no sign of Sandra—no personal belongings, no witnesses who could provide a definitive timeline, and no leads.
The Investigation
Who is likely there first person law enforcement look to when someone disappears? The spouse, right? This was true in Sandra’s case as well. However, when Sandra’s husband cooperated, and provided an alibi for the night of Sandra’s disappearance, he was cleared.
If Not the Husband, then Who?
In the spring of 1975; so about 2 years after Sandra’s disappearance, the Ann Arbor police received a call from the Royal Oak Police Department. Royal Oak is also located in Michigan. It is about 55 minute from Ann Arbor. But the Royal Oak Police Department had been contacted about a missing person case from Seattle, Washington. The departments discussed the circumstances of the Royal Oak call missing person case with Sandra’s missing case. Seattle Police believed that their missing person case sounded a lot like Sandra’s case. But the Seattle Police Department believed their missing person case was the work of Gary Addison Taylor, and Mr. Taylor had ties to Michigan. In fact, he had been arrested by the Royal Oak Police Department for “shooting at several women”.
Connection to Gary Addison Taylor
From what I can tell, we could do a whole podcast on this individual. But for this blog of and trying to fill in some gaps, we’ll do a quick review.
His names/aliases:
The Phantom Sniper
The Royal Oak Sniper
He was also a robber and serial rapist.
Where he worked from - It seems that Gary Addison Taylor went on crime sprees in multiple states.
Gary moved around; alot! Check out this rough timeline.
Michigan
Taylor was born in Michigan in 1936.
The family moved to Florida when he was in junior high school.
Florida
In Florida, Taylor began randomly attacking women with a hammer.
He was eventually incarcerated as a juvenile, but released in 1957. It was then that he returned to live in Michigan.
Moves back to Michigan
This is when he started shooting at women in the streets at dark; eventually wounding 2 of them.
He also robbed, raped, and/or stabbed a number of other women at that time.
In 1961, Taylor threatened a rooming-house manager and her daughter with an 18-inch butcher knife, later being apprehended for his crimes, declared insane, and committed to Michigan's State Hospital; he later transferred to the Lafayette Clinic in Detroit three years afterward. He was eventually released and deemed suitable for outpatient treatment, being required to report in regularly for medication.
Seattle, Washington:
In 1972, Taylor met and married a secretary named Helen, moving to Seattle, Washington, with her.
However, they divorced, and this is when Taylor moved to Houston, Texas.
Houston, Texas:
While living in Houston, he raped a pregnant sixteen-year-old girl and is suspecting of murdering a 21-year-old go-go dancer.
In late 1973, Taylor stopped taking his medication and failed to show up at his hospital. He was subsequently classified as "an escaped mental patient".
Enumclaw, Washington:
In November of 1973 he abducted and murdered a young housewife named Vonnie Stuth. Officers investigating the case tracked him at Enumclaw, Washington, where he was arrested.
When police realized he was a mental health patient they had to release him. He went back to Houston.
Houston, Texas
May of 1975 he was arrested for sexually assaulting a woman. When she heard of his arrest, Helen told police in San Diego, California, that he bragged to her about killing four people.
Taylor later quickly confessed to committing four murders; two days later, an investigation turned up the bodies of 25-year-old Lee Fletcher and 23-year-old Deborah Heneman in Taylor's Onsted, Michigan home. Taylor also made written confessions to the deaths of Stuth and 21-year-old Susan Jackson, both of whom were found in his home at Enumclaw, Washington.
He was eventually convicted on the four counts he confessed to and sent to Washington State Penitentiary.
Where the Case Stands Today
Clearly, Gary Addison Taylor is a concerning citizen, but he was also quite transient. And he only confessed to the four murders. However, clearly law enforcement in the 70s felt the urge to connect the dots of Gary Addison Taylor to Sandra Horwath; however, the case has not bee solved. If we follow the timeline - Taylor was on leave from the Mental Hospital at the time Sandra Horwath disappeared, and this is the connection law enforcement made. If Gary Addison Taylor was in fact involved, this is something he is not sharing. As of this podcast and blog, I cannot find a death notice for Mr. Taylor.
This case is still not solved. If you know anything; contact your local law enforcement.
Thank you for joining us for this blog, and until next - Stay Curious. Stay Safe. And that the truth is often stranger and more disturbing than fiction.
Show Notes
https://charleyproject.org/case/sandra-june-horwath
