Justice for Nancy

Y'all know I am obsessed with genealogy. I don't actively research as much as I would like these days (full time work, owning and maintaining a house...adulting lol), but whenever I get the chance, I do. More recently I've been dedicating my time to researching my Grandmother - Nancy Craddock nee Robinson.

Nancy as a child

Nancy passed away 10 years before I was born in 1980, at 47 years old - she went missing from Taos, New Mexico. To this day 45 years later she is still missing. Her body has never been found. In 1985, Nancy’s husband (Note: my grandparents divorced in 1973 and both re-married, the husband noted above is her second husband) sought action to have her declared legally deceased. Referencing the court's subsequent declaration, the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) closed the case in 1992 without providing any answers to my family. Life had to go on for my Mum, Aunt and Uncle - marriages, children, grandchildren, work etc but not a day has gone by where they don't think of their Mom and what they wish they could tell her. In 2024, my Mum, Aunt and Uncle requested the NMSP re-open the case. The case is now sitting with the cold case unit.

The Santa Fe New Mexican, 4 June 1981

As luck would have it, earlier this year we discovered the Solve The Case website. As explained on their website - 

Solve the Case is a non-profit that is dedicated to finding missing persons, solving cases of murder and other serial offenses. We use the power of the internet to bring the community together to look at cases in new and innovative ways with investigative professionals.

National Cold Case Month

It also allows for one singular place to post all the facts of a case for people to see. There are hundreds. Nancy's page is linked here.  September is also National Cold Case Month in the US, as such, Solve The Case has been sharing not just Nancy's case, but many others. 

This past week, my Mum and Aunt have done a couple of interviews about Nancy. The fact that we are even getting media attention at all is an absolute godsend and we are so so grateful. As Nancy's case was closed, it had completely fallen off the police radar. I am so proud of my Mum, Aunt and Uncle for choosing to re-engage with the police and being open to talk to not just journalists, but anyone, about Nancy and her disappearance. 

The first interview published was with KRQE, one of the local new stations. The video on the website is region blocked those outside US but you can read the article and watch the video on the KRQE YouTube. The fact this was even on TV IN THE TOWN NANCY WENT MISSING FROM (yes that deserved all caps!!) is incredible. Absolutely blown away. 

The second one was with Taos News, the local town news. This article is more in depth about Nancy's hobbies and interests. We couldn't be more appreciative of the coverage.

Thank you to my social media friends, for engaging, liking, and sharing. It is so very appreciated. 

As Solve The Case shared in their Facebook post earlier, media outlets can play one of the most powerful roles in solving cold cases: keeping victims’ stories alive and in front of the public. The only way to keep victim's stories and cases alive is to share them and talk about them. 

Just like thousands of others, Nancy's story will not be forgotten. Nancy's story deserves to be told.

Thank you Grandma Nancy, for vicariously giving me your love and obsession with genealogy. It is also in more recent years that I have realised Nancy probably contributed to me studying a Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice and my keen interest in true crime documentaries and podcasts. 

We love you Nancy.

Nancy (right) with her 3 children - Molly, David and Patty.