Texas’s Oldest Cold Case Still Unsolved
The Unsolved Disappearance of Mary Virginia Carpenter
Just over seven decades ago, a 21-year-old woman traveled to the campus of her new college by train and a taxi. However, after being dropped off, she mysteriously vanished without a trace.
On June 1, 1948, Mary Virginia Carpenter set out to the campus of her new college, Texas State College For Women (known now as Texas Women’s University), in Denton. After taking the train, she took a taxi the rest of the way, of which the driver, Edgar Ray “Jack” Zachary, dropped her off at Brackenridge Hall at 9 p.m. According to Zachary, he saw her get out of his cab, then walk over to a light-colored convertible. The vehicle was parked just outside the dorm, and Carpenter proceeded to speak with its two male occupants as if she knew them. Unfortunately, neither of these two men have ever been identified, and Carpenter would never be seen or heard from again.
On June 4, Carpenter’s boyfriend, Kenny Branham, called Carpenter’s mother out of worry, having been unable to get ahold of her since three days prior. With her mother now also worried, the police were called, and Mary reported as missing.
At the beginning of the investigation, Zachary was looked at as the prime suspect. Reportedly the last person to see Carpenter; his…
