Overview

• Full name: Darleta Kay Hurt
• Age at disappearance: 48
• Date last seen: December 10, 1986
• Last known location: St. Albans, West Virginia, near her apartment on Kanawha Terrace
• City, county, state: St. Albans, Kanawha County, West Virginia
• Case classification: Endangered missing person; foul play suspected
• Current status: Unsolved; remains missing
• Investigating agency: St. Albans Police Department
• NamUs identification number: MP33127
• Primary circumstances: Darleta disappeared while separated from her husband and preparing for a divorce hearing. Her shoes and eyeglasses were found outside her apartment building two days later.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Darleta Kay Hurt: The Unsolved 1986 Disappearance in St. Albans, West Virginia

On December 10, 1986, 48-year-old Darleta Kay Hurt disappeared in St. Albans, West Virginia, after leaving her son’s home and heading toward her apartment on Kanawha Terrace. Two days later, her shoes and eyeglasses were discovered on the lawn outside her apartment building. She has never been seen or heard from again.

Her disappearance occurred during a difficult separation from her estranged husband, a former West Virginia State Trooper who was subsequently identified as a suspect. Just five days after Darleta vanished, the couple had been scheduled to appear in court regarding their divorce.

Nearly four decades later, Darleta’s whereabouts remain unknown. Investigators have suspected foul play, but her disappearance has not been publicly established as a confirmed homicide.

Case Summary

• Full name: Darleta Kay Hurt
• Age at disappearance: 48
• Date last seen: December 10, 1986
• Last known location: St. Albans, West Virginia, near her apartment on Kanawha Terrace
• City, county, state: St. Albans, Kanawha County, West Virginia
• Case classification: Endangered missing person; foul play suspected
• Current status: Unsolved; remains missing
• Investigating agency: St. Albans Police Department
• NamUs identification number: MP33127
• Primary circumstances: Darleta disappeared while separated from her husband and preparing for a divorce hearing. Her shoes and eyeglasses were found outside her apartment building two days later.

Sources: The Charley Project and Websleuths case discussion.

Background: Darleta Hurt’s Life Before Her Disappearance

Darleta Kay Hurt was 48 years old when she vanished in December 1986. She lived in St. Albans, a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, near Charleston.

Publicly available records provide relatively little information about Darleta’s childhood, employment, or daily activities. However, they establish that she had a son and was married to Robert Lee Hurt, a former member of the West Virginia State Police.

By April 1986, the couple had separated. Darleta subsequently filed for divorce in November, citing irreconcilable differences.

Their separation involved the division of property, including a house and approximately 24 acres off Poplar Fork Road. According to the Charley Project, the couple had agreed that the house and five acres would be sold and the proceeds divided. Robert would then purchase Darleta’s interest in the remaining acreage.

The arrangements had not been finalized when Darleta disappeared.

A divorce-related court hearing was scheduled for December 15, 1986, five days after she was last seen.

These circumstances became particularly important because Darleta had reportedly told police that her estranged husband had threatened her. The reported threats and the timing of her disappearance contributed to investigators’ suspicion of foul play.

Darleta’s Physical Description

At the time of her disappearance, Darleta was described as approximately 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 130 pounds.

She had black hair, blue or hazel eyes, a scar on her nose, pierced ears, and breast implants.

According to her missing-person profile, her reported clothing and belongings included a dark blue wool dress with maroon and blue stripes in the skirt, a wide blue belt, a black three-quarter-length coat, suntan-colored hosiery, black high-heeled shoes, silver earrings, and a gray purse.

These identifying details remain relevant because they may help distinguish Darleta from other missing-person or unidentified-remains cases.

Source: Darleta Kay Hurt — The Charley Project.

December 10, 1986: The Disappearance

Darleta was last seen on December 10, 1986, after visiting her son’s home in St. Albans.

According to the published account, she left her son’s residence and drove toward her apartment on Kanawha Terrace.

What happened after that remains unclear.

The available case summary does not establish the precise time she left her son’s home, identify an eyewitness who saw her enter her apartment, or document her movements afterward.

Darleta never made another confirmed contact with her family.

December 12, 1986: Personal Belongings Discovered

Two days after her disappearance, Darleta’s shoes and eyeglasses were discovered outside, on the lawn of her apartment building.

The location of these belongings raised troubling questions about what might have happened after she left her son’s residence.

However, publicly accessible reporting does not establish whether investigators recovered fingerprints, biological material, or other forensic evidence from the items.

There is also no verified public account establishing who initially discovered the belongings, whether they had been moved, or how long they had been outside.

The shoes and eyeglasses are documented facts. Any explanation for why they were on the lawn remains speculative.

Investigation History and Evidence

Investigators Focused on Robert Lee Hurt

One of the central developments in the investigation was the identification of Darleta’s estranged husband, Robert Lee Hurt, as a suspect.

Robert had previously served with the West Virginia State Police.

According to the Charley Project, Darleta had reported alleged threats by Robert to law enforcement before she disappeared.

Investigators also knew that her disappearance occurred shortly before a scheduled hearing in their divorce proceedings.

The pending divorce, reported threats, and unresolved property arrangements were significant investigative circumstances.

Nevertheless, being identified as a suspect does not establish criminal responsibility. The publicly available sources reviewed do not document a conviction or a judicial determination that Robert caused Darleta’s disappearance.

July 1987: Robert Lee Hurt’s Death

In July 1987, approximately seven months after Darleta disappeared, Robert died by suicide.

At the time of his death, he was also reportedly a suspect in the shooting of a West Virginia state trooper.

That separate investigation should not be confused with Darleta’s disappearance. The available reporting does not establish that the two incidents were connected.

Robert’s death meant investigators could no longer question him directly about Darleta’s whereabouts.

Search of the Horse Farm

Following Robert’s death, authorities searched his horse farm for Darleta’s body.

The search did not locate her remains.

Publicly accessible case summaries do not specify the complete search area, techniques used, or whether investigators subsequently returned to the property.

No publicly verified discovery from that search established what happened to Darleta.

Physical and Forensic Evidence

The most clearly documented physical evidence consists of Darleta’s shoes and eyeglasses, discovered outside her apartment building.

The reviewed public accounts do not establish that investigators recovered additional forensic evidence linking a particular person to her disappearance.

No case-specific, publicly confirmed results were located concerning DNA analysis, forensic genetic genealogy, or a match to unidentified human remains.

This does not necessarily mean such investigative work has never occurred. It means that the available sources do not provide sufficient documentation to describe it as an established development.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

Several questions continue to surround Darleta’s disappearance. It is important to distinguish documented investigative suspicions from theories that have not been proven.

Theory 1: Darleta Was the Victim of Foul Play

The possibility that Darleta encountered violence is consistent with the case’s endangered-missing classification and the published statement that foul play is suspected.

The reported threats, disappearance shortly before a divorce hearing, and discovery of personal belongings outside her apartment all contributed to concern.

However, there is no publicly established account explaining how she disappeared, and her remains have not been recovered.

Status: Foul play is suspected, but homicide has not been conclusively established in the reviewed public records.

Theory 2: Her Estranged Husband Was Involved

Robert Lee Hurt was identified as a suspect, making his possible involvement a documented part of the investigation rather than an allegation originating solely from online speculation.

Nevertheless, the available records do not establish that he abducted or killed Darleta.

His death in 1987 left important questions unanswered.

Status: Documented investigative suspicion; responsibility unproven.

Theory 3: Something Happened Near Her Apartment

The discovery of Darleta’s shoes and eyeglasses on the lawn outside her apartment raises the possibility that an important event occurred near the building.

But the precise circumstances remain unknown.

There is no verified public evidence establishing that an assault occurred on the lawn, that a struggle took place, or that the belongings were deliberately placed there.

Status: An unresolved possibility, not a confirmed reconstruction of events.

Questions That Remain Unanswered

• Did Darleta arrive safely at her apartment after leaving her son’s home?
• When and how did her shoes and eyeglasses come to be outside the building?
• Did anyone witness unusual activity near Kanawha Terrace on December 10 or 11, 1986?
• Did investigators recover additional evidence that has never been publicly disclosed?
• Could previously unidentified information help determine where Darleta was taken or what happened to her?

The answers to these questions could be crucial to understanding her disappearance.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates (2026)

As of October 19, 2026, Darleta Kay Hurt’s disappearance remains unresolved in the publicly available sources reviewed.

No publicly confirmed recent investigative developments were located involving an arrest, criminal charges, recovery of Darleta’s remains, new DNA identification, or a publicly announced breakthrough.

However, her case continues to receive attention through missing-person organizations and independent media.

January 21, 2017: Missing-Person Profile Updated

The Charley Project last recorded a substantive update to Darleta’s case profile on January 21, 2017.

That update expanded her identifying information and disappearance details. It was a documentation update, not a newly announced investigative discovery.

December 17, 2019: Renewed Public Awareness

The Charley Project Blog featured Darleta in its Missing Person of the Week series.

The post revisited the circumstances of her disappearance and the suspicion surrounding her estranged husband.

It did not report a new forensic discovery or a change in the investigation’s status.

August 17, 2026: Podcast Coverage

The true-crime podcast Mountain State Mysteries published an episode titled The Case of Darleta Hurt (Hosted By A-Paul Unsolved In WV).

The episode revisited the December 1986 disappearance, the discovery of her belongings, and the circumstances of her divorce.

This represents recent public discussion of the case, not confirmation of new investigative evidence.

Source: Mountain State Mysteries — Darleta Hurt.

Current Investigative Status

The St. Albans Police Department remains the investigating agency identified in Darleta’s public missing-person profile.

The available information does not establish whether detectives are currently conducting new searches, reviewing preserved evidence, or pursuing forensic testing.

Her case remains listed as endangered missing, with foul play suspected.

Conclusion: Remembering Darleta Kay Hurt

Darleta Kay Hurt disappeared on December 10, 1986, during a period of significant personal upheaval.

She was preparing for a divorce hearing, had reportedly expressed concern about threats from her estranged husband, and left her son’s home for what should have been a routine return to her apartment.

Instead, she vanished.

The discovery of her shoes and eyeglasses outside her apartment building two days later became one of the case’s most disturbing details.

Although investigators identified a suspect and searched property associated with him, Darleta was never located.

Her disappearance remains an unresolved missing-person investigation, and the available evidence does not establish precisely what happened to her.

Public Appeal for Information

Anyone who remembers unusual activity around Kanawha Terrace in St. Albans during December 1986, has firsthand information about Darleta’s movements, or possesses previously undisclosed information about her disappearance is encouraged to contact the St. Albans Police Department.

St. Albans Police Department: 304-727-2251

Information may also be submitted through the department’s official crime-tip form.

Even after many years, information that seemed insignificant at the time may help investigators clarify what happened to Darleta Kay Hurt.