Disappearance baffled police, family for 43 years

GORHAM — In the 43 years since Alberta Leeman disappeared in her blue Pontiac sedan on a rainy July night, the case had continued to baffle police and family members. She left her School Street apartment on July 26, 1978, with no identification and no money.

Her pocketbook was left hanging on a doorknob in the bedroom with $64.19 in cash and her driver’s license. Her clothes, suitcases, bank book, checkbook, and even house key were left in the apartment.

In a story on the 20th anniversary of her disappearance, The Berlin Sun interviewed then Gorham Police Lt. John Lapierre, who worked on the case, and Leeman’s sister-in-law, Lillian Yeaton, and her husband Alvin.

The three said Leeman spoke by telephone to her granddaughter, Roxanne MacLean of Gilman, Vt., shortly after 6 p.m. on July 26, the last person known to have spoken to Leeman.

MacLean told police her grandmother was in a good mood. Yeaton, who has since passed away, said she and her husband saw the 63-year old Leeman drive by their house on Gorham Hill early that evening. She said she assumed her sister-in-law was going to visit her daughter, Nancy, in Gilman, Vt. Knowing Leeman did not like driving at night, Yeaton said she also assumed she was probably planning to spend the night at her daughter’s.

But Leeman did not show up the next day for her job as a cleaning lady at a local hotel. Still, her disappearance didn’t arouse concern until the days stretched on. Yeaton said she notified Gorham police on Aug. 5 and went with them to check Leeman’s second-floor apartment at the corner of Main and School Streets. Gorham police notified state police of her disappearance the following day.

Leeman’s husband had died fairly recently and she had moved into the apartment a short time before her disappearance.

Yeaton said her sister-in-law had left her bath towels on the bathroom floor and some clothes were found draped over a chair — out-of-place for Leeman, who had a reputation as being very neat. She also had not picked up her new dentures, which she told Yeaton she was anxious to get. Otherwise, the apartment was normal and there were no signs of a struggle.

Gorham police initially issued an attempt to locate alert for Leeman and then two days later updated that to a missing-person report.

Posters with Leeman’s picture and vital information were posted through the state and her picture was publicized in newspapers and television stations throughout the region. Lapierre said the vehicle’s serial number was entered into the National Crime Information Center. Her bank accounts were examined to see if there had been any unusual purchases or withdrawals prior to her disappearance or after she was reported missing. Police contacted the Department of Social Security to see if she had registered employment or attempted to collect. Her checking and saving accounts remained untouched over the years.

An extensive search was made of the White Mountains region by N.H. Fish and Game, U.S. Forest Service, Appalachian Mountain Club, police, and local volunteers. Lapierre said he checked all the back roads in the area and the Yeatons said they did as well.

Several possible sightings of Leeman were reported in the Lincoln area but police were never able to confirm that the sightings were Leeman.

Yeaton said the death of Leeman’s husband had been a rough time for her and she had sought help at a local mental health center. But the Yeatons and other family members said Leeman had gotten through the period, seemed content, and loved her new apartment. She also had plans for a vacation with an old schoolmate according to Yeaton.

Gorham resident Don Provencher, a former state police dispatcher, took a strong interest in the case and until his death in 2015, worked with family members to publicize it. He tried unsuccessfully to interest various television shows including, “Unsolved Mysteries,” in featuring the case. Reporters could expect calls from Provencher on anniversaries of Leeman’s disappearance, reminding them that the case remained open and suggesting articles.

It appears the mystery has finally been solved with the discovery of Leeman’s submerged car in the Connecticut River in Lancaster but law enforcement authorities await positive identification of the skeleton remains before officially closing the case.

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