Barbara Ann Hackmann Taylor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Barbara Ann Hackmann Taylor
Born	Barbara Ann Hackmann September 12, 1943 Illinois
Disappeared	c. December 6, 1967 (aged 24) Lexington, Kentucky
Cause of death	Homicide
Body discovered	May 17, 1968 Near Georgetown, Kentucky
Resting place	Georgetown Cemetery Georgetown, Kentucky
Other names	Bobbie Taylor, "Tent Girl"
Known for	Homicide victim who was not identified for 30 years
Height	5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)
Spouse(s)	George Earl Taylor

Barbara Ann "Bobbie" Hackmann Taylor (born September 12, 1943 – died around December 6, 1967) was also known as the "Tent Girl". For nearly 30 years, no one knew who she was after her body was found on May 17, 1968. This happened near Georgetown, Kentucky.

On April 23, 1998, the Scott County Sheriff's Office announced they had finally identified her. Barbara Ann Hackmann Taylor was born in Illinois. She was married and had an eight-month-old daughter when she disappeared from her home in Lexington, Kentucky.

Her husband, George Earl Taylor, worked at a carnival. Police believed he was the main person who might have harmed her. He never reported her missing. Instead, he told her family she had left him for another person. He passed away from cancer in October 1987.

Because he was a main suspect, Barbara's family did not put his name on her new tombstone. They added her full name and dates below the original "Tent Girl" inscription. She had been buried in 1971 by local officials when her case could not be solved.

The Mystery of the Tent Girl

On May 17, 1968, a man named Wilbur Riddle was looking for old glass pieces near U.S. Route 25 in Georgetown, Kentucky. He found a body. Police started an investigation, but they could not find out who the woman was. They also could not find anyone responsible for her death. They tried hard to share her description and check reports of missing women.

Since there were no new clues, her body was buried in 1971. This happened at the Georgetown Cemetery. A local company gave a headstone for free. It had this message:

TENT GIRL
FOUND MAY 17 1968
ON U.S. HIGHWAY 25, N.
DIED ABOUT APRIL 26 – MAY 3, 1968
AGE ABOUT 16 – 19 YEARS
HEIGHT 5 FEET 1 INCH
WEIGHT 110 TO 115 LBS.
REDDISH BROWN HAIR
UNIDENTIFIED

The other side of the headstone had a drawing. It was a police sketch showing what she might have looked like.

Solving the Puzzle: Her Identity

In April 1998, the Scott County Sheriff's Office officially identified the Tent Girl. She was Barbara Ann Hackmann Taylor. A 27-year-old man named Todd Matthews helped a lot. He lived in Livingston, Tennessee. In the late 1980s, he married the daughter of Wilbur Riddle, the man who found the body.

Todd heard about the missing woman. Her story had always bothered his father-in-law. Todd became very interested in the case. As the internet grew, people started using it for missing persons websites. Todd looked through many reports to try and identify her. In 1997, he made his own website for the Tent Girl. This helped more people learn about her.

In 1998, Todd found a description of Barbara Taylor. Her family, the Hackmanns, had posted it on a missing persons website. They had a young married relative who went missing in Lexington, Kentucky. This was about 15 miles from Georgetown. She disappeared in late 1967. She had been living there with her husband and baby daughter.

Todd emailed the information about the Tent Girl to Rosemary Westbrook. She lived in Arkansas and was listed as a contact for the family. Rosemary thought the information matched her missing sister. She then contacted the Scott County Sheriff's Office. They confirmed details she gave about her sister. This included a special gap between her two front teeth.

The police arranged to dig up the body. They wanted to get DNA samples. This DNA could then be compared to samples from Hackmann family members. The DNA matched. On April 26, 1998, the Sheriff's Office confirmed the victim was Barbara Ann Hackmann. She had three sisters: Rosemary Westbrook, Jan Daigle, and Marie Copeland.

Also, Barbara Hackmann Taylor's own daughter was found. She lived in Ohio, where her father's family had lived. By the time her mother was identified, she was married and had her own children.

The family decided to re-bury Barbara's remains in Georgetown Cemetery. They added another stone base under the first grave marker. It showed her birth name, nickname, birth date, and the date she was thought to have died. It also said, "Loving Mother, Grandmother & Sister".

The Hackmann family did not put Barbara's married name on her gravestone. Police believe her late husband, George Earl Taylor, was the main suspect in her death. He died of cancer in October 1987.

What Happened Next

After Barbara Taylor was identified, Todd Matthews helped start The Doe Network. This group has an online database. Volunteers use it to help match missing people with unidentified decedents (people whose identities are unknown).

See also

• List of solved missing person cases
• List of unsolved murders