NEW YORK — 1910 · Missing Person

The Disappearance of Dorothy Arnold

UnsolvedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

Dorothy Arnold, 25, a Bryn Mawr graduate from a wealthy Manhattan family who hoped to become a writer, left home on 12 December 1910 to shop for a dress. She was seen by a cashier and by a friend on Fifth Avenue, telling the friend she planned to walk through Central Park before heading home. She never returned for dinner. Wary of scandal, her father first hired private investigators, and the family did not go to the police until January 1911. Countless tips, claims and rumours surfaced over the years, but none was ever confirmed. The case is remembered as one of New York's oldest open missing-person files.

Date
1910
Place
New York, USA, New York, US
Category
Missing Person
Case Status
Unsolved
Coordinates
40.7736, -73.9626 ↗

Timeline of Events

  1. 12 December 1910Dorothy Arnold left home to shop and was last seen on Fifth Avenue.
  2. December 1910The family quietly began a search using private investigators.
  1. January 1911The family filed a missing-person report with the NYPD and the story reached the press.
  2. Following decadesMany tips and theories were examined; none was ever confirmed.

Sources

Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.

Related Cases

More cases from New York

See all ›

More cases from the 1910s

See all ›

Categories

Collections

🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.