Overview

Date missing: March 1, 1958
Associated locations: San Pedro, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Williams, Arizona
Age when missing: 14
Status: Missing / Endangered Missing

Donnis Marie Redman, nicknamed “Pinky,” disappeared on March 1, 1958, after leaving the San Pedro area of Los Angeles County with her 18-year-old boyfriend, Michael Lawrence Griffin. The couple reportedly traveled toward Las Vegas, Nevada, apparently intending to elope. They were subsequently reported as being seen in Las Vegas, but neither teenager was ever heard from again. Several days later, Griffin’s car was discovered abandoned in Williams, Arizona.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Donnis Marie Redman Disappearance: California Teen Vanished During 1958 Trip to Las Vegas

Brief Case Summary

Date missing: March 1, 1958
Associated locations: San Pedro, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Williams, Arizona
Age when missing: 14
Status: Missing / Endangered Missing

Donnis Marie Redman, nicknamed “Pinky,” disappeared on March 1, 1958, after leaving the San Pedro area of Los Angeles County with her 18-year-old boyfriend, Michael Lawrence Griffin. The couple reportedly traveled toward Las Vegas, Nevada, apparently intending to elope. They were subsequently reported as being seen in Las Vegas, but neither teenager was ever heard from again. Several days later, Griffin’s car was discovered abandoned in Williams, Arizona.

Who Was Donnis Marie Redman?

Donnis Marie Redman was born June 10, 1943. She was 14 years old when she disappeared in March 1958. She was approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed about 105 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Her nickname was “Pinky,” and current case descriptions state that her ears were pierced.

Donnis was reportedly wearing a yellow sweater and brown capri pants when she disappeared. California records state that dental X-rays are not available.

The March 1958 Disappearance

The geography of Donnis Redman’s disappearance has created some confusion in historical accounts.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children lists Donnis as missing from San Pedro, California, on March 1, 1958. California’s missing-person record also associates her case with Los Angeles County. However, the California Department of Justice narrative states that Donnis was last seen with her boyfriend in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 1. The Charley Project likewise describes Las Vegas as the location where Donnis and Michael were last seen.

The accounts can be reconciled by the reported sequence of events: Donnis and Michael were in San Pedro before traveling to Las Vegas, reportedly because they wanted to elope. They then disappeared during or after that trip. No verified public account has established precisely what occurred after they reached Nevada.

Michael Griffin Disappeared With Her

Michael Lawrence Griffin was 18 years old when he vanished with Donnis. He was approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighed about 120 pounds, with red hair and hazel eyes. He was known as “Mike.”

Like Donnis, Michael has never been located.

One of the most significant pieces of evidence in the case emerged several days after their disappearance. Michael’s vehicle — described as a white 1950 or 1951 Dodge Clipper with twin exhaust and loud mufflers — was found abandoned in Williams, Arizona.

Williams lies east of Las Vegas and near the Grand Canyon region. The discovery indicated that either Michael and Donnis, their vehicle, or someone driving their vehicle had traveled from Nevada into northern Arizona.

What happened after the Dodge arrived in Williams has never been publicly established.

The Abandoned Car Is the Case’s Central Mystery

The discovery of Michael Griffin’s car in Williams dramatically expanded the potential search area.

If Donnis and Michael themselves drove the Dodge into Arizona, their route could have taken them through a large, sparsely populated section of the Southwest. If somebody else drove it, however, the abandoned vehicle could represent something entirely different.

Available public case summaries do not report that Donnis or Michael’s belongings, remains, or another vehicle were found with the Dodge.

There is also no publicly documented explanation for why the vehicle was abandoned, how long it had been there, who discovered it, or whether investigators established who had last driven it.

Those unanswered questions are especially significant because neither Donnis nor Michael ever contacted family again.

The “Little Miss X” Theory

One unidentified-person case has generated years of discussion among researchers and members of online missing-person communities.

On October 31, 1958, the skeletal remains of a young female were discovered in northern Arizona near the Grand Canyon. The unidentified girl became widely known as “Little Miss X.”

Several details fueled speculation about Donnis. Among the items reportedly associated with the unidentified girl were capri-style pants and a nail file bearing the letters “P” and “R.” Donnis was nicknamed Pinky and her surname began with R. Her boyfriend’s abandoned car had also been discovered in northern Arizona months earlier.

Those similarities have made the theory popular among amateur researchers, but they are not proof that Little Miss X was Donnis Redman.

Older Doe Network information reportedly listed Donnis as excluded as a possible identity for Little Miss X. Community researchers have repeatedly questioned how that exclusion was reached because publicly described forensic information has historically appeared limited. In 2024 Websleuths discussions, participants continued debating whether the exclusion was based principally on physical descriptors rather than DNA or dental comparison. Those comments represent independent discussion and should not be treated as an official investigative determination.

As a result, the Little Miss X connection is best regarded as a historical investigative theory and continuing subject of public discussion, not a confirmed identification.

Another Arizona Jane Doe Has Been Formally Excluded

There is a more concrete recent development involving another unidentified Arizona woman.

NamUs-derived case information for UP7228, an unidentified female whose skeletal remains were discovered outside Tucson, Arizona, in October 1965, lists Donnis Redman — MP1475 — as an excluded match effective January 25, 2023.

That exclusion is important because it eliminates at least one unidentified Arizona case that had similarities potentially worthy of comparison.

It does not, however, explain what happened to Donnis or Michael.

Recent Case Activity and Current Investigation Status

Donnis remains publicly listed as missing by the California Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Her current NCMEC poster continues to direct tips to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office.

The Doe Network’s published update archive records a case-information update for Donnis on April 10, 2023. The publicly available update log does not specify that the update represented a new suspect, search, forensic test, or investigative breakthrough.

A newer missing-person awareness listing was also created by Missing People in America in March 2025, demonstrating continued public attention to the case. That listing continues to describe the disappearance as unsolved.

No credible public source located for this article reports that Donnis or Michael has been found, that anyone has been charged in connection with their disappearance, or that authorities have publicly identified what happened to them.

Age-Progressed Images Keep Donnis’ Case Visible

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children produced an age-progressed image depicting what Donnis might have looked like at approximately 68 years old.

Her current NCMEC poster remains publicly accessible and continues to classify her as missing.

Age progression cannot determine whether someone survived after disappearing, but it can help maintain recognition in long-running cases where decades have passed.

For Donnis, more than six decades now separate the teenage photograph from the present investigation.

What Remains Unknown

Several fundamental questions remain unanswered.

Investigators have never publicly established what happened to Donnis and Michael after March 1, 1958. It remains unclear whether they voluntarily continued traveling after reaching Las Vegas, whether something happened on the journey into Arizona, whether they became stranded, or whether another person became involved.

The abandoned Dodge in Williams remains the strongest publicly known physical link to their movements after leaving California.

No publicly documented evidence establishes that either teenager deliberately disappeared permanently, and no confirmed remains have been publicly identified as either Donnis or Michael.

The case therefore remains an enduring missing-person mystery spanning California, Nevada and Arizona.

Anyone With Information

Anyone possessing information about Donnis Marie Redman’s disappearance should contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at (323) 890-5500.

Information can also be provided to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or to the California Missing Children Clearinghouse at 1-800-222-FIND (1-800-222-3463).

Even information that appears insignificant may help investigators reconstruct the movements of Donnis “Pinky” Redman and Michael Griffin during the days surrounding March 1, 1958.