A white Dodge Charger found abandoned along Interstate 35 became one of the last physical traces of a 60-year-old Oklahoma woman who disappeared in September 2021. Surveillance footage captured Cathy Ann James days earlier at a Blackwell convenience store, but investigators have not established where she went afterward.
Cathy’s disappearance began drawing concern on Sept. 4, when Tonkawa police responded after she mistakenly entered someone else’s home. According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Cathy believed she was at a friend’s home in Muskogee or Okmulgee, cities far from Tonkawa.
Police Chief Nick Payne later told reporters that Cathy appeared confused, and officers consulted an on-call mental health professional during an encounter that lasted nearly two hours. She was ultimately allowed to leave in her vehicle.
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Surveillance Captured Cathy Hours Later
The next confirmed sighting came during the early morning hours of Sept. 5.
Local reporting cited by Kay NewsCow stated that surveillance cameras caught Cathy near Casey’s and Braum’s in Blackwell from around midnight until after 4 a.m. She reportedly told a Casey’s employee that she was waiting for her sister to bring her gas.
The clerk did not see Cathy pump fuel before she eventually drove away.
Investigators couldn’t determine where Cathy had been between her Tonkawa police encounter and her arrival in Blackwell, or where she went after leaving the gas station.
Five days later, on Sept. 10, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper found Cathy’s white Dodge Charger abandoned on Interstate 35 near mile marker 179, about three miles north of the Stillwater exit. Her phone, wallet, identification, cash, and other personal belongings were reportedly still inside the vehicle, according to later accounts of the investigation collected by Websleuths.
Cathy’s sister contacted Tonkawa police on Sept. 15 after not hearing from her since Sept. 4. The Tonkawa Police Department then asked the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for assistance.
Investigators searched the area surrounding the abandoned vehicle from the air and on the ground with canines. Kay NewsCow reported in December 2021 that no new leads had emerged, while authorities said Cathy’s financial accounts showed no activity.
Her case remains listed as missing in Oklahoma’s statewide records. The Oklahoma Missing Persons Clearinghouse continues to direct tips concerning missing persons to the OSBI.
Cathy Ann James: What To Know
At the time of her disappearance, Cathy Ann James stood 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed approximately 195 pounds. She had short gray hair and brown eyes, but reports say she was wearing a strawberry blonde wig.
Cathy was last seen wearing an orange shirt with a Nike logo and black sweatpants.
Anyone with information about Cathy’s whereabouts can contact the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation at (405) 372-1516, (800) 522-8017, or tips@osbi.ok.gov. The agency case no. is 2021-892.
Please share Cathy Ann James’ story so the unanswered hours between Tonkawa, Blackwell, and the discovery of her abandoned car remain visible to someone who may remember seeing her. She is our sister, and her life matters.
Case Number: 2021-892
Agency: Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation - North Central Investigative Regional Office
Phone: (405) 372-1516
Email: okmissing@osbi.ok.gov
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