Overview

Last seen: July 18, 1975
Location: Dallas, Texas, ZIP code 75228
Age when missing: 33
Status: Endangered missing person; case remains unresolved
NamUs: MP61063

Janice Kay Carroll, also known as “Jan,” disappeared from Dallas after an argument with her husband. According to the account he later provided, he left their residence following the disagreement and discovered Janice gone when he returned. Her vehicle was also missing. Approximately two years later, the car surfaced in Waco, Texas, near Baylor University. No publicly documented evidence found inside the vehicle explained what happened to her.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Janice Kay Carroll Missing Person Case: Dallas Woman Vanished in 1975, Car Found in Waco Two Years Later

Very Brief Case Summary

Last seen: July 18, 1975
Location: Dallas, Texas, ZIP code 75228
Age when missing: 33
Status: Endangered missing person; case remains unresolved
NamUs: MP61063

Janice Kay Carroll, also known as “Jan,” disappeared from Dallas after an argument with her husband. According to the account he later provided, he left their residence following the disagreement and discovered Janice gone when he returned. Her vehicle was also missing. Approximately two years later, the car surfaced in Waco, Texas, near Baylor University. No publicly documented evidence found inside the vehicle explained what happened to her.

The Disappearance of Janice Kay Carroll

Janice Kay Carroll was 33 years old when she disappeared from Dallas, Texas, on July 18, 1975. She was approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed about 115 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Contemporary case information describes her as a woman of regular habits whose unexplained departure was considered out of character.

Janice had worked for the First National Bank of Dallas for approximately ten years before her disappearance. The length of her employment and descriptions of her routine have remained significant because there is no publicly documented indication that she had planned to abruptly abandon her job and established life.

What Happened on July 18, 1975?

The publicly available account of Janice’s disappearance is brief.

According to information attributed to her husband, the couple had been arguing at their Dallas residence. He reportedly left the home after the argument. When he later returned, Janice was no longer there. Her vehicle was gone as well. She was subsequently reported missing and has never been confirmed seen or heard from again.

The current NamUs record gives July 18, 1975, as the date of last contact and Dallas, Texas, as the location. An older reproduction of the NamUs information further specifies Dallas ZIP code 75228.

Some reproduced historical material connected with the case has contained differing date information, but July 18 is the date used by the current missing-person sources. For that reason, July 18, 1975, is the most appropriate date to use when sharing Janice’s case today.

Janice Carroll’s Car Is Found in Waco

One of the most important developments did not come until approximately two years after Janice vanished.

Her 1973-model automobile was discovered abandoned in the parking lot of the Flagship Apartments in the 900 block of Baylor in Waco, Texas. The location was near Baylor University and roughly 100 miles from Dallas.

Investigators reportedly determined from a flier beneath the vehicle’s windshield that the automobile had apparently been sitting there since approximately October 1975. If correct, the car arrived in Waco about three months after Janice disappeared, even though it was not discovered or connected to her case until much later.

Nothing publicly reported as having been found inside the car provided an answer about Janice’s whereabouts. However, investigators knew she had friends in Waco, making the city potentially significant to reconstructing her movements after leaving Dallas.

The automobile creates one of the central unanswered questions in the case: Who drove Janice Carroll’s car from Dallas to Waco, and what happened between July and October 1975?

Why the Waco Connection Matters

The Waco discovery leaves several possibilities, but publicly available evidence does not establish which—if any—is correct.

Janice could have driven there herself. Someone she knew could have taken the vehicle. Another person could have moved it after she disappeared. The available public records do not establish who was responsible, and speculation should not be presented as fact.

What is known is that her car ultimately appeared in a city where she reportedly had friends and remained there for an extended period. That makes Janice’s relationships, acquaintances and activities in both Dallas and Waco potentially important to investigators.

The passage of approximately three months between her July disappearance and the apparent October arrival of the vehicle in Waco is also important. It raises the possibility that the vehicle’s movements during that period could contain information about what happened to her.

Latest Publicly Available Investigation Information

Janice remains listed in NamUs as Missing Person MP61063. The current NamUs page continues to exist as an active missing-person record rather than showing the case as resolved.

The Dallas Police Department’s Missing Person Squad remains the appropriate investigative contact. The department states that its Missing Person Squad investigates missing-person cases and that people may call the unit to provide information, check a case’s status or speak with the assigned investigator. Its current telephone number is 214-671-4268.

A review of currently available official records and public reporting did not locate a publicly announced arrest, identification of a suspect, recovery of Janice’s remains or resolution of her disappearance as of September 2026. The most recent public discussion located in the Websleuths case thread was posted in July 2026 and shared material from a 1978 issue of The Globe; it did not report a new law-enforcement breakthrough.

It is therefore important not to describe Janice as a confirmed homicide victim. No verified homicide date or location is publicly established in the currently available official case information. She remains classified as an endangered missing person.

Questions That Remain Unanswered

More than five decades later, several fundamental questions remain unresolved: what happened after the argument at Janice’s Dallas residence, whether she left voluntarily or under circumstances outside her control, who drove her automobile to Waco, why the vehicle apparently remained near Baylor University for so long, and whether someone in Dallas or Waco had information that was never reported—or never recognized as important.

Even information that seemed insignificant in 1975 could potentially assist investigators today, especially information concerning Janice’s friends, coworkers, acquaintances, travel between Dallas and Waco, or anyone seen using her vehicle after she disappeared.