16 year old Carlene Tengelsen was last seen in Macon, Georgia on June 21, 1972. She disappeared after taking a trip to the Westgate Shopping Center off Pio Nono Avenue.
Background
At the time of her disappearance, Carlene was a junior at Southwest High School and lived with her family on Easy Street in west Macon. She played clarinet, violin, and enjoyed dancing.
Disappearance
On the afternoon of June 21, 1972, Carlene Tengelsen left home in her family’s 1963 white Pontiac station wagon to head out to the newly opened Westgate Shopping Center, located at the intersection of Pio Nono Avenue and Eisenhower Parkway.
She stopped at her boyfriend’s workplace behind the shopping center and left a note on his car telling him she’d see him later that night.
She had planned to pick up her younger sister from summer camp at Mercer University later that afternoon, but never arrived.
When Carlene’s younger sister called to say she hadn’t been picked up from camp her mother notified the police, though they didn’t start their investigation until 24 hours had passed.
Carlene had only had her driver’s license for a short time, and this was the first time she’d driven anywhere alone.
Investigation
Some boys who were playing pinball at the shopping center recalled seeing Carlene on the day she disappeared, but didn’t notice anything unusual.
Carlene’s father was away on business in Florida at the time of her disappearance, and drove back home immediately as soon as he heard the news.
At 1:45 am on June 22, 1972, the family’s station wagon was found parked in front of a Krispy Kreme donut shop. The windows were down and the doors were unlocked, but Carlene was nowhere to be found.
Fingerprints taken from the vehicle yielded no new clues. Carlene’s family does not believe she would have left the car unlocked with the windows down.
About a year after Carlene disappeared her family moved to North Carolina. They left a phone behind at their Macon home, and asked the new owners to answer in case Carlene ever called.
The new owners kept the phone in service for three years, however Carlene never called.
In 1977, her parents moved back to Macon. Her father died in 2004, and her mother and big sister died in recent years. One of her younger sisters still lives in the Macon area.
Appearance
White female with brown hair and hazel eyes. At the time of her disappearance, Carlene stood 5’9 tall and weighed 115 pounds.
Her front tooth is chipped, she has a brown freckle on her neck, and a mole on the right side of her chin.
Clothing & Accessories:
Carlene was last seen wearing a men’s blue dress shirt, blue jeans, a Mickey Mouse watch on her right wrist, a silver engraved POW bracelet, and her boyfriend’s white gold class ring engraved with initials.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Carlene Tengelsen please contact the Macon Police Department at (478) 751-7505, or the FBI Atlanta Field Office at (770) 216-3000.
