Overview

Last seen: November 1, 1975
Location: World Championship Chili Cook-Off area, Terlingua, Brewster County, Texas
Age: 21
Status: Endangered missing; foul play has long been suspected
Key circumstances: Phyllis disappeared around midnight from a campsite near the chili cook-off. Her vehicle, belongings and Irish Setter puppy were left behind. Witness accounts placed her near a campfire shortly before she vanished, and investigators also sought an unidentified young blond man associated with a Honda 350 motorcycle. No confirmed trace of Phyllis has been found.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Phyllis Eleanor Berry Disappearance: 21-Year-Old Chickasaw Woman Vanished From Terlingua, Texas, in 1975

Very Brief Case Summary

Last seen: November 1, 1975
Location: World Championship Chili Cook-Off area, Terlingua, Brewster County, Texas
Age: 21
Status: Endangered missing; foul play has long been suspected
Key circumstances: Phyllis disappeared around midnight from a campsite near the chili cook-off. Her vehicle, belongings and Irish Setter puppy were left behind. Witness accounts placed her near a campfire shortly before she vanished, and investigators also sought an unidentified young blond man associated with a Honda 350 motorcycle. No confirmed trace of Phyllis has been found.

The Disappearance of Phyllis Eleanor Berry

Phyllis Eleanor Berry was 21 years old when a weekend trip to the remote West Texas community of Terlingua became one of the state’s longest-running missing-person mysteries.

Berry, who lived in Odessa, Texas, was born September 16, 1954. She was a member of the Chickasaw Nation and has been described as having brown hair and hazel eyes, standing about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing approximately 110 pounds. Identifying characteristics included pierced ears, a flat brown mole on the lower-right side of her abdomen, a slight space between her upper front teeth and a freckle between her thumb and wrist.

She was also known by the surnames Benny and Ecklison, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

A Trip From Odessa to the Terlingua Chili Cook-Off

At the end of October 1975, Phyllis traveled from Odessa to Terlingua with her roommate, Vangie Strait, and friend Terry Robert Bailey. Her Irish Setter puppy accompanied them.

The group was headed to the World Championship Chili Cook-Off, an event that drew thousands of visitors to the isolated Big Bend-area community. Berry and her roommate had reportedly left their jobs and intended to spend time camping and traveling. Food, clothing and other belongings were packed into Berry’s vehicle.

Accounts of that weekend indicate Berry met or encountered numerous people at the crowded gathering. One was an unidentified man described as being in his twenties with blond hair who reportedly rode a dark-colored Honda 350 motorcycle. Berry was reportedly seen riding with him at some point during the gathering. Contemporary reporting indicated authorities wanted to identify and question the motorcyclist, but the available historical record does not establish that he was considered a suspect.

Phyllis Berry’s Final Known Hours

Later that evening, Berry reportedly attended an informal dance and encountered friends from Odessa. Another man traveling with them, described in later accounts only as a hitchhiker named “Jim” from Austin, also became part of the group.

The group eventually returned to the camping area and gathered around a fire.

According to accounts assembled from historical reporting, two people briefly left the fire to gather wood. The hitchhiker reportedly remained with Berry for a short time before following the others. When they returned several minutes later, Berry was gone.

The Charley Project places the disappearance at approximately midnight and says Berry was last known to be around a campfire approximately a quarter-mile from the headquarters of the chili competition.

Her vehicle did not disappear with her. Neither did her belongings or her puppy.

Those circumstances have remained particularly significant because people close to Berry did not believe she intended to abandon her life without warning. Her roommate said Berry had been happy, and investigators have long treated foul play as a possibility.

The Search in Terlingua

Friends initially searched the camping area themselves.

When Berry could not be found and relatives and friends in Odessa confirmed she had not returned there, law enforcement became involved. Historical accounts describe aerial searches as well as searches of the campground and surrounding terrain.

The setting made the search unusually difficult. Terlingua is a sprawling desert community near Big Bend and the Mexican border, with rugged terrain and remnants of historical mining activity.

Later retellings of the case have discussed abandoned mine shafts as one possible explanation for Berry’s disappearance. There is no publicly documented evidence, however, establishing that she entered or fell into a mine. That remains a theory rather than a known fact.

Authorities also investigated the possibility that Berry had simply left the gathering with someone. The Texas DPS missing-person bulletin continues to state that she may have departed on the back of a motorcycle with an unidentified man.

A Report That Phyllis Was Alive Complicated the Early Search

One of the stranger elements in the historical account concerns a report that Berry had contacted authorities and was alive.

Later summaries based on contemporary newspaper reporting state that the active search was interrupted after authorities received information suggesting Berry had called to say she had left voluntarily. The purported communication was never satisfactorily established as coming from Berry, and subsequent events made clear that she remained missing.

Whether the report resulted from a prank, misunderstanding or another circumstance has never been publicly resolved.

Berry’s family continued to believe something serious had happened to her. They searched for answers and at one point offered a reward for information about her whereabouts.

The Motorcycle and Other People Seen With Phyllis

The unknown motorcycle rider remains one of the most frequently repeated details of the case.

Official Texas DPS information says Berry may have left the chili cook-off area on a motorcycle with an unknown male. The Charley Project describes the motorcycle as a Honda 350 and the rider as a blond man in his twenties.

There is an important distinction, however: available sources do not establish that the motorcycle rider was the last person conclusively seen with Berry.

Later accounts place Berry back at the campground after the motorcycle ride, where she interacted with other people before disappearing.

The hitchhiker called “Jim,” her Odessa acquaintances and Terry Bailey have also figured into reconstructions of her last hours. None of the sources reviewed for this article establish that any of these people has been charged in connection with Berry’s disappearance.

DNA, Dental Records and Unidentified-Person Comparisons

Berry’s case has remained relevant to efforts to identify unidentified remains around the country.

Historical NamUs information discussed by case researchers indicates that dental information, fingerprints and DNA information became available for comparison. Her NamUs missing-person number is MP2927.

Over the years, online researchers have proposed possible matches between Berry and unidentified women found in other states. One of the better-known discussions involved unidentified remains recovered in Davie, Florida, in December 1975.

That woman was eventually identified as someone else, meaning she was not Phyllis Berry. Other NamUs comparison lists likewise document Berry being excluded from unidentified-person cases.

These exclusions are significant: they eliminate possibilities but do not answer what happened in Terlingua.

Latest Publicly Available Investigation Information

As of the latest publicly accessible records reviewed, Phyllis Eleanor Berry remains an active missing-person case. There has been no publicly announced arrest, recovery of her remains or confirmed resolution.

The Texas Rangers are currently listed as the investigating agency by the Charley Project, with a contact number of 432-249-0961. The Texas Department of Public Safety continues to maintain an online Missing Persons Clearinghouse entry for Berry, identified by state case number M0007006.

The Chickasaw Lighthorse Police also continues to feature Berry among its missing-person cases, reflecting her membership in the Chickasaw Nation.

The publicly available case information has not revealed a newly identified suspect or a recent forensic breakthrough. The most recent substantive database maintenance visible through the sources reviewed includes a May 8, 2024 update to the Charley Project profile and Berry’s continued appearance in current Texas and Chickasaw missing-person records.

Anyone with information—particularly anyone who attended the 1975 Terlingua chili cook-off and remembers Berry, the campground, the unidentified motorcycle rider or activity around the campsite—is still encouraged to contact investigators.

An Important Date Discrepancy in Official Records

Most detailed sources, including NamUs-derived records, the Charley Project, Doe Network material and historical accounts, give November 1, 1975 as Berry’s disappearance date, with events extending into the early hours of November 2.

The current Texas DPS Missing Persons Clearinghouse page instead displays November 10, 1975 as the “Last Seen” date.

Because the surrounding historical documentation overwhelmingly centers on the November 1 chili cook-off weekend, the November 10 entry appears inconsistent with the broader record. Without an explanation from DPS, it should not simply be assumed to represent a later confirmed sighting.

Fifty Years Without an Answer

Phyllis Berry’s disappearance has endured partly because there is so little physical evidence pointing in any one direction.

She vanished from an enormous gathering in an isolated desert community. She left behind a vehicle, camping supplies, personal possessions and a pet. Searches failed to find her. No publicly verified communication from Berry followed.

Decades of unidentified-remains comparisons have eliminated possibilities without locating her.

Today, her case remains classified as an endangered missing-person case, and investigators still need information capable of explaining what happened after Phyllis Eleanor Berry was last seen among the campsites of Terlingua in November 1975.