Mystery Man Sought in Missing Teacher Case
Aug. 27 -- Three weeks ago, a married 52-year-old nursery school teacher vanished without a trace and police in Northern California are now searching for a mystery man seen eating dinner with her the night she disappeared.
Nancy MacDuckston left her Belmont, Calif., home the morning of Aug. 11, and left a note with the nursery school where she worked as director. She wrote that she would be taking a trip to the seaside town of Davenport.
MacDuckston, a mother of two adult children in their 20s, was seen shopping and mailing out postcards from Davenport that day. On Aug. 12, her husband, Bruce MacDuckston, reported her missing.
Police say the best lead they have is from witnesses who saw her eating dinner with a mystery man the night she disappeared. Sgt. Dan DeSmidt, a spokesman for the Belmont California Police Department said they have not ruled out the idea that MacDuckston may have been romantically involved with the man.
"We don't know what the man's relationship is to the missing woman. And we very much want to talk to him," DeSmidt said. "He's our best lead right now."
But police still don't know whether they are investigating a case of abduction, a voluntary disappearance or a suicide.
"There is no shortage of theories in this case, and that's why we want to talk to the man in the sketch so much," DeSmidt said. "We really haven't been able to rule anything out, which makes it so difficult for the investigators."
Mystery Dinner Companion
The unidentified man was described to be a Polynesian or Asian man of about 50, who stands about 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs approximately 150 pounds and has salt-and-pepper hair. He and MacDuckston appeared to share a pleasant dinner, witnesses say.
The next day, police found her tan minivan, which still contained her wallet, a few miles north of Davenport. Police also found the missing teacher's chair, book, sun hat and other belongings on a nearby bluff. The area is a well-known place for suicides, according to police.
