This 20-Year-Old Missouri College Student Was Abducted From A Pay Phone Booth In 1991, But Now Authorities Believe The Perpetrator Targeted The Wrong Woman
In 1990, twenty-year-old Angela “Angie” Hammond was about to experience some of the most significant milestones of her life.
She had just begun her freshman year at Central Missouri State University while working as a bank clerk on the side.
Angela was also dating her high school sweetheart, Rob Shafner, and the pair were head over heels for each other.
By January of 1991, she even found out they were pregnant and shared the news with Rob. He was so ecstatic that he proposed to Angela shortly afterward.
Everything was going according to plan until about four months later when the couple went to a family barbecue at Angela’s mother’s home on April 4.
The fiancés stayed at the gathering until about 9:00 p.m. before deciding to leave, and Angela dropped Rob off at his family’s home because he had to babysit his younger brother. And in the meantime, Angela drove around town while catching up with a friend.
Once she was finished and dropped her friend off at home, though, things took a tragic turn.
Angela decided to stop at a payphone in town to phone Rob around 11:15 p.m. And while talking to him, she could not help but notice that a green truck kept circling the block and staring at her.
Clinton Missouri Police Department; pictured above is Angela
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The male trucker eventually parked his car in the lot and got out while Angela was still on the phone.
She described him as “dirty looking,” donning a pair of overalls, glasses, and a full mustache and beard, according to Rob.
Then, out of nowhere, Rob heard his fiancée scream on the other end of the phone. He quickly left his family’s house and began racing to the payphone in town when he saw the green truck passing by.
Rob claims he had heard a female voice scream out, “Rob!” and he immediately whipped the car around.
But, the sharp U-turn was too much for Rob’s transmission to handle, and after about two miles of chasing the green truck, his car stalled out.
Following Angela’s abduction, law enforcement launched an intense investigation and ultimately cleared Rob of any involvement in his fiancé’s disappearance.
Additionally, some community members did admit to seeing a green truck suspiciously lurking in town for a few days before the night of Angela’s disappearance.
Nonetheless, authorities followed up on countless leads regarding the truck and other potential suspects but have been unable to solve the case for over thirty years now.
But, in April of last year, the Clinton Missouri Police Department did publicly announce new details about the cold case on Facebook– providing the community with a glimmer of hope that justice may soon be served.
According to the department, a confidential informant had been working in Clinton, Missouri, to disrupt an illegal narcotics operation in early 1991.
The informant’s identity was eventually disclosed after he testified in court, and, afterward, he received “a cryptic letter composed of cut and paste characters in the style of a ransom letter one might see in a movie.”
The letter was postmarked on April 4– the exact day Angela was abducted– and included the informant’s wife’s first name. His wife and daughter, who was also named Angela, resided in Clinton, Missouri.
Clinton Missouri Police Department; pictured above is the letter
In turn, authorities now believe that the abduction of Angela Hammond was a mistake.
“The theory developed by investigators is that, in retribution for the informant providing information that led to the prosecution and disruption of this criminal enterprise, a person or persons involved in the enterprise planned and executed the kidnapping of the informant’s daughter,” the department explained.
However, somewhere along the way, the informant’s daughter’s identity was accidentally mistaken for Angela Hammond, resulting in the “wrong Angela” being taken.
“While the theory seems incredible, investigators have come across information that lends credibility to it and have, so far, been unable to refute it,” the department continued.
Now, authorities are hoping community members can help further their investigation. They have urged anyone with information regarding this theory about Angela’s abduction to contact the Clinton Police Department immediately at (660) 885-5561.
And to view the original press release provided by the department, visit the link here.
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