From the 1960s and into the 1990s, Madalyn Murray O’Hair was the voice and face of atheism in the United States. Madalyn’s closest partners in her business dealings, legal battles, and life were her youngest son Jon Garth Murray and her granddaughter Robin Murray. When the three went missing in September of 1995 under suspicious circumstances, local law enforcement, family, even friends were slow to respond. This is part one of a two-part story describing what happened when “the most hated woman in America” and her family disappeared.

Sources:

Bryce, R. (1998, November 20). Abducted by aliens? Credit card clue. The Austin Chronicle. https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/1998-11-20/520646/

Bryce, R. (1999, June 4). Preying on atheists. Austin Chronicle. https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/1999-06-04/522124/

Bryce, R. (2000, June 9). Picking up the pieces. Austin Chronicle. https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2000-06-09/77537/

Dracos, T. (2003). Ungodly: The Passions, Torments, and Murder of Atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair. Free Press.

Duggan, P. (1999, August 16). The atheists’ cold case gets warmer. The Washington Post.

Fairbank, K. (1997, March 9). Oh god, O’Hair is still missing. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-03-09-mn-36392-story.html

Hall, M. (1999, May). Has Madalyn Murray O’Hair met her maker? Texas Monthly. https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/has-madalyn-murray-ohair-met-her-maker/

MacCormack, J. (1996, August 11). Atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s disappearance a mystery one year later. San Antonio Express-News. https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Archive-Atheist-Madalyn-Murray-O-Hair-s-11017379.php

MacCormack, J. (1996, December 8). Funds missing along with atheist O’Hair. San Antonio Express-News. https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Archive-Funds-missing-along-with-atheist-O-Hair-11017393.php

MacCormack, J. (1998, February 1). IRS probes O’Hair trio; atheists left nearly $100,000 in gold coins in S.A. before vanishing. San Antonio Express-News. https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Archive-IRS-probes-O-Hair-trio-atheists-left-11017369.php

MacCormack, J. (1999, January 31). ID of headless body may revive O’Hair case. San Antonio Express-News. https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Archive-ID-of-headless-body-may-revive-O-Hair-11017421.php

MacCormack, J. (2003, July 10). True Confessions. Dallas Observer. http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/true-confession-6387834

Milloy, R. E. (2001, March 16). Bodies identified as those of missing atheist and kin. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/16/us/bodies-identified-as-those-of-missing-atheist-and-kin.html

Swartz, M. (1997, March). The lady vanishes. Vanity Fair. https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/1997/3/the-lady-vanishes

Travis, A. (2021, March 12). Man convicted for ties to 1995 death of ‘Most Hated Woman in America’ resentenced to nearly 50 years. KXAN Austin. https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/resentencing-hearing-friday-for-man-convicted-for-1995-murder-of-madalyn-murray-ohair-theft-of-600k-in-gold-coins/

Tregaskis, R. (1965, October). Madalyn Murray. Playboy.

Van Biema, D. (1997, February 10). Where’s Madalyn? TIME. https://web.archive.org/web/20080314192357/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985893-2,00.html

Without a Prayer (Season 7, Episode 10). (2002, December 14). In Forensic Files.

Wright, L. (1989, January). God Help Her. Texas Monthly. https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/god-help-her/

Good News Sources:

Janik-Faires, Darlene. “Dog Swims for Several Miles, Finds Way Home after Falling off Shrimp Boat in Galveston Bay.” FOX 26 Houston. June 2, 2022. https://www.fox26houston.com/news/dog-swims-for-several-miles-finds-way-home-after-falling-off-shrimp-boat-in-galveston-bay.

Wenger, Stephanie. “Texas Dog Swims for Several Miles to Safety After Falling Off Boat and Reunites with Owner.” PEOPLE.Com. Accessed July 10, 2022. https://people.com/pets/dog-swims-for-several-miles-to-safety-after-falling-off-boat/.

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