October 24, 1953 was a typical fall Friday night in La Crosse, Wisconsin. La Crosse State College was playing their homecoming game, and families and students filled the stands.

Fifteen-year-old Evelyn Hartley was supposed to be at that game too, but at the last minute, she agreed to help a family friend and babysit their toddler so the parents could go to the game themselves. She brought her schoolbooks and planned to spend the night studying after the baby went to bed. It was supposed to be a quiet evening, and an opportunity for Evelyn to make some extra money.

But when Evelyn’s father tried to call her later that night and didn’t get an answer, something didn’t sit right with him. He got in his car and drove over to the house where she was babysitting. What he found wasn’t just unsettling—it was a scene that would spark one of the most intense missing persons investigations in Wisconsin's history.

Anyone with any information about Evelyn Hartley’s disappearance is urged to call the La Crosse Police Department at 608-785-5962.

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