Overview

Last Seen: July 20, 1974
Location: El Paso, Texas, with the family associated with Fort Bliss
Age: 36
Status: Endangered Missing
NamUs: MP1630

Main circumstances: Janice reportedly had a heated argument with her husband before leaving home with him in the family car. Her husband later returned without her. A secondary account says he told their children he had dropped Janice at a bus station so she could visit relatives, but she never arrived. Janice was not reported missing until November 1974. Her husband was later considered a person of interest, but no publicly documented charge was filed against him in connection with her disappearance. He died in 2010. Janice remains missing and the case remains unsolved.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Janice Kay Baze Disappearance: Texas Mother Vanished After Leaving Home With Her Husband in 1974

Janice Kay Baze was a 36-year-old mother of five when she disappeared from El Paso, Texas, on July 20, 1974. More than five decades later, she has never been found, and her disappearance remains unsolved.

The circumstances surrounding Janice’s last known movements have kept the case under scrutiny for years. According to current case summaries, Janice left her home with her husband following a heated argument. The two departed in the family car, but her husband later returned without her. Janice was never seen or heard from again.

Who Was Janice Kay Baze?

Janice was born on September 17, 1937. At the time she disappeared, she was 36 years old, approximately 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall, and weighed between approximately 280 and 320 pounds. She had brown hair and green eyes. Distinguishing features included severe varicose veins on the backs of her legs and abdominal scars from Caesarean sections.

She may have been wearing an inexpensive white, navy-blue or floral-print dress, white canvas tennis shoes and her wedding band when she disappeared.

At the time, the Baze family was associated with Fort Bliss in El Paso. Janice’s husband, Everett Neal Baze, was serving in the U.S. Army. A later account identifies him as a sergeant major and states that the family lived on Slicer Avenue on the military installation.

What Happened to Janice Kay Baze?

On July 20, 1974, Janice and her husband reportedly had a heated argument. They then left their home together in the family vehicle.

Everett Baze returned, but Janice did not.

A later account based in part on statements attributed to the couple’s son says Everett told the children he had dropped Janice off at a bus station so she could visit relatives. According to that account, however, Janice’s relatives were not expecting her, and she never arrived. The son also recalled that his mother was expected to come home later but did not.

Those additional details come from secondary reporting and should be distinguished from the basic facts contained in current missing-person summaries.

No confirmed sighting of Janice after July 20, 1974, has been publicly documented.

Janice Was Not Reported Missing Until Months Later

One of the most significant aspects of the case is the delay before Janice was officially reported missing.

Janice disappeared in July 1974, but a missing-person report was not filed with the El Paso Police Department until November 1974—approximately four months later.

That delay has become an important part of public discussion surrounding the case.

A secondary account also notes that an October 15, 1974 article in the El Paso Herald-Post featured Everett Baze discussing his horse, roughly three months after Janice disappeared and before she was reported missing. The newspaper article itself was later circulated in online discussions about Janice’s case.

The existence of that article does not establish what happened to Janice, but it has contributed to public interest in the timeline.

Her Husband Became a Person of Interest

Current information from The Charley Project states that Everett Baze was considered a person of interest in Janice’s disappearance. The couple’s five children reportedly described him as a heavy drinker who was abusive toward members of the family.

Being identified as a person of interest is not the same as being charged with or convicted of a crime.

No publicly available source located for this article shows that Everett Baze was ever criminally charged in connection with Janice’s disappearance.

Later reporting states that Everett was granted a divorce from Janice in December 1977 while she was still missing. He subsequently remarried.

Everett Baze died in 2010.

His death means investigators can no longer question him directly about what happened on July 20, 1974.

A Missing-Person Report Was Cleared, but Janice Was Never Found

The Charley Project reports that Janice’s missing-person report was cleared in 1994, although Janice herself had not been located. The circumstances or administrative reason for that clearing are not explained in the publicly available case summary.

Janice nevertheless remains listed as an endangered missing person today.

Her NamUs entry is identified as MP1630, while The Doe Network lists her as 2842DFTX. Historical case information also identifies an El Paso Police Department case number of Y46684 and an NCIC number of M-650239651.

Latest Investigation Information

The case remains unresolved.

The most recent substantive case-page update located during research was made by The Charley Project on May 10, 2026. That update revised or expanded Janice’s clothing and jewelry description. The site continues to classify Janice as an endangered missing person and states that her case remains unsolved.

As of September 2026, publicly searchable sources reviewed for this article do not show an announced arrest, recovery of Janice’s remains, confirmed identification through DNA, or publicly disclosed breakthrough in the investigation.

Her case also continues to appear in current missing-person databases. The Doe Network still lists Janice among missing women from Texas under case 2842DFTX, while the NamUs listing referenced in recent case discussions remains MP1630.

Because more than 50 years have passed, information retained by relatives, former neighbors, military personnel stationed at Fort Bliss in 1974, or anyone familiar with the Baze family could potentially help clarify events surrounding Janice’s disappearance.

Why the Janice Kay Baze Case Still Raises Questions

Several circumstances continue to draw attention to the case: Janice reportedly disappeared immediately after an argument with her husband; she was last known to have left with him; he returned without her; and several months passed before she was officially reported missing.

Later statements attributed to the children have also added questions about the explanation that Janice had been taken to a bus station to visit relatives.

None of those circumstances, individually or collectively, proves that any particular person harmed Janice.

What is known is much simpler: Janice left her El Paso-area home on July 20, 1974, and has never been reliably seen again.

Her whereabouts remain unknown.

Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: July 20, 1974
Location: El Paso, Texas, with the family associated with Fort Bliss
Age: 36
Status: Endangered Missing
NamUs: MP1630

Main circumstances: Janice reportedly had a heated argument with her husband before leaving home with him in the family car. Her husband later returned without her. A secondary account says he told their children he had dropped Janice at a bus station so she could visit relatives, but she never arrived. Janice was not reported missing until November 1974. Her husband was later considered a person of interest, but no publicly documented charge was filed against him in connection with her disappearance. He died in 2010. Janice remains missing and the case remains unsolved.