#27: The Disappearance of Socialite Dorothy Arnold

It can be somewhat unsettling after so much time has passed to still have no leads on a missing person’s case. But when it comes to New York City socialite Dorothy Arnold’s disappearance in 1910, no leads were ever discovered… Dorothy Harriet Camille Arnold was the daughter of prominent New York perfume importer Franci Rose Arnold and his wife Mary Martha. Having grown up on the Upper East Side of New York City in the early 1900s, it is safe to assume that this family was very well off. On the morning of December 12, 1910, Dorothy headed downtown to find an evening dress for a party. She had $30 in her pocket, which is equivalent today to $750. When her mother asked if she could join her, Dorothy denied the invitation and told her that she would ask her to come to see once she had found a dress.

But Dorothy never got in contact with her mother about a dress, and she was never seen again. She made several stops before going to shop for dresses, once at the grocery store to buy some chocolate, another at a book store before she bumped into a friend from college, Gladys King. After these occurrences, no one was ever to see Dorothy Arnold again… Dorothy’s father, Francis, felt unsure about publicizing his daughter’s disappearance with the police and decided to go through private investigators instead. Although, after several unsuccessful tries, the family filed a missing person report with the New York City Police in 1911. Like all mysteries, people speculate and wonder about different outcomes, but the Arnold family never gained any understanding of what happened to their daughter.