In the days following the 1980 presidential election, 44-year-old political fundraiser Nancy Marleine Snow returned home to Maryland — and vanished.

A multilingual world traveler and political professional, Nancy had spent the fall working on a Senate campaign in St. Louis. On November 4, she flew to Baltimore, attended an election party, and the next morning, was picked up by a man she trusted — her housesitter, Paul T. Collins III. That was the last confirmed time she was seen alive.

Days later, Collins told police that Nancy had met a mysterious man called “Captain Jay,” who offered her a job crewing a yacht from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean. He claimed she left Annapolis with $1,000 in cash and would be home by Christmas.

But investigators never found a “Captain Jay.” No boat, no records, no passport use — nothing to support the story.

As weeks passed, Nancy’s daughters in California grew frantic. When her oldest daughter’s birthday came and went with no call, they knew something was wrong. They filed missing-person reports, searched Florida marinas, and pushed police in Maryland to investigate.

Decades later, detectives would call Nancy’s disappearance what they believe it truly was — a homicide. The man who last saw her, Paul Collins, remains a person of interest.

The supposed boat trip? Still unverified.

Nancy’s remains? Still missing.

Forty-four years later, her daughters continue to fight for answers.

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