Therese Vanderheiden-Walsh

On 22 June 1990, five-year-old Therese Vanderheiden-Walsh was abducted from a daycare center in Kaneohe, Hawaii. From the jump, authorities believed that her estranged mother, Merle Vanderheiden, was responsible. To make matters even more complicated, investigators feared that Merle had been aided by a shadowy organization known as the "Children of the Underground"...

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On Friday, June 22nd, 1990, a five-year-old girl was at a daycare center in Kaneohe, Hawaii, not too far away from the home where she lived with her father and stepmother. Throughout the prior week, she had participated in a variety of activities at the daycare - all of which were part of the "Summer Fun" program run by the Kokokahi YWCA - and had already started to get ready to head to a swim class that afternoon. First, though, came a small recess break for her and the other kids in the program.

As this little girl played with the other kids during their recess break, a staff member noticed a woman near the school grounds, who stood out: this woman was wearing dark sunglasses and a large, floppy hat. This teacher made a mental note of the woman, but at the moment, had no reason to think that anything was untoward.

Recess came to an end at around noon that Friday and students began piling back into the classroom. As each student began returning to their seats, the teacher - who had observed the mysterious woman with the hat and glasses nearby - soon noticed that the five-year-old girl had not returned to her's.

While trying to figure out where this little girl had gone, another employee of the daycare center would claim that the mystery woman had grabbed her by the hand and run off with her; first out of the building, then to a nearby gray station wagon. It was clear to everyone that the little girl had been abducted, with the mystery woman carrying out a well-concocted plan to make off with the five-year-old.

Within moments, the two had disappeared, and would never be seen again.

This is the story of Therese Vanderheiden-Walsh.

Francis Walsh and Merle Vanderheiden met in Maryland in 1979. While the beginning stages of their story together can be read as a romance, it quickly became clear to everyone involved in their lives that they were not meant to be with one another.

Both were assigned to U.S. Army Intelligence Units at Fort Meade, with Francis holding the rank of major and Merle stationed there as a first lieutenant. Having just gotten out of a failed marriage, Francis later recalled to the Honolulu Advertiser:

"The old rebound. I asked her out. I was probably feeling lonely."

After knowing each other for approximately one year, the two married in September of 1980 at the base chapel, with few people in attendance.

Merle decided to leave the military a couple of years later, having grown bored of the administrative tasks assigned to her, having been previously trained in counter-intelligence. Francis, though, would stay in for the time being, and the couple would eventually relocate to Huntsville, Alabama for his orders.

Despite their relationship having already encountered some turbulence, the couple would soon give birth to their first and only child in the summer of 1984. Born on America's birthday (July 4th), Therese Rose Vanderheiden-Walsh would soon become the apple of the eye for both of her parents, earning the nickname "T.R." (short for "Therese Rose").

Despite this little bundle of joy, however, the marriage between Francis and Merle - which had shown fractures in the past - would deteriorate rapidly after Therese's birth.

In 1985, Francis received orders relocating him again - this time, to Hawaii. He viewed this as a chance for the couple to start over, in what many see as a tropical paradise; however, their problems were just as pronounced there as they ever were on the U.S. mainland, if not more so. Being isolated from almost all of their friends and family continued to weigh heavily on the couple, and they continued to take out their frustrations on each other.

The relationship between Francis and Merle reached a breaking point in May of 1987 when Francis decided to move out of their home. Having already slept in his car for the last few months, this decision was an easy one, logistically speaking... but marked a permanent end to their marriage.

What followed was a pretty bitter divorce and custody battle, which really began to escalate later that year. In December of 1987, Merle would accuse Francis of sexually abusing Therese, but was unable to provide any evidence of this claim whatsoever. Authorities began investigating this allegation and found nothing to support the allegations of sexual misconduct.

A social worker brought on to oversee the separation and custody battle would end up looking into these allegations - as would a psychologist hired by Merle herself - and both agreed that there was no evidence of any sexual misconduct. Rather, it seemed like Merle was attempting to brainwash the young and impressionable Therese into thinking that her father had done terrible things to her. The psychologist would later diagnose Therese with "parental alienation syndrome," which is when a child comes to believe that one parent is good and the other is evil, usually triggered by outside pressure.

The social worker and psychologist both agreed that if Merle were to receive custody of Therese, she would likely take the little girl away from her father and disappear.

The judge overseeing the couple's custody battle would ultimately rule in Francis' favor, citing Merle's unpredictability and what they called "a flagrant disregard for the child's needs." Within a day of the ruling, Merle had left Hawaii, with the judge stating that she wasn't allowed to visit the child unsupervised and needed to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before seeing Therese again.

Following his divorce from Merle, Francis Walsh - who had since left the military, and now worked as a bank manager in Honolulu - began seeing another woman named Janice Anderson. However, their relationship was marred by bizarre encounters early on, with Merle confronting the couple on their first date.

While out on their first date, Merle - who had tracked down the couple - began screaming at both, not only harassing Francis and Janice but lobbing threats in their direction. As this altercation began spiraling out of control, Francis encouraged Janice to get into their vehicle while he tried to calm down Merle.

Things at this point had remained verbal. But things quickly became physical when Merle - seemingly triggered by the sight of her ex-husband on a date with another woman - lurched forward into the car Janice was in, attacking the other woman with a stun gun. Thankfully, the charge on the stun gun was low enough to not cause any injury, but that was the only thing stopping Merle was causing any significant harm to her ex-husband's new love interest.

Merle would leave the scene moments later, but not before ripping out the vehicle's distributor wires, disabling the car, and leaving Francis and Janice abandoned at their location.

Following this 1988 incident, Francis obtained sole custody of Therese, and the two continued to live in Kailua, Hawaii, while Merle moved back to the U.S. mainland to be closer to her own family. There, she continued to make regular phone calls to Therese but wasn't allowed any unsupervised visitation, pending a court-ordered psychological evaluation that she refused to take.

Francis and Janice eventually got married and began to create a new life of their own in Hawaii. After a while, Therese would begin to open up to her dad and new stepmom, who Merle had done her best to poison in the mind of the little girl. Janice would later recount to the Honolulu Advertiser that Francis and she tried to give Therese a sense of normalcy, putting the girl into therapy to help work through the emotional baggage that Merle had forced upon her.

For a time, things seemed to be good. This period was the happiest in Francis's life, and he began to hope that Merle - already estranged from Therese, other than the occasional phone call - would one day be out of their lives for good.

Sadly, though, it seems like Merle had plans of her own.

On the afternoon of June 22nd, 1990, the owner of the daycare center that Therese was attending in Kaneohe contacted Francis, who had been at work. Francis heard what had happened - how the mysterious woman in the floppy hat and glasses had grabbed Therese's hand and run off after recess - and he immediately knew what had happened.

Merle had come back for her daughter.

Honolulu Police investigating the abduction quickly surmised that the woman seen near the daycare was Merle Vanderheiden, Therese's estranged mother, who wasn't allowed to see her unless she arranged it through the courts.

Based on the witness statements of the staff members at the daycare center, investigators surmised that Merle had been lying in wait for the opportune moment (while wearing a wig, hat, and sunglasses) then sped away with Therese while the students returned to class after recess. In the chaos of the moment, she had been able to slip off into a gray station wagon, and then off to destinations unknown.

In the days and week to come, Francis and Janice (Therese's father and stepmother) would search for Therese and Merle throughout the area, with them and others monitoring outgoing travelers at docks and airports nearby. Sadly, though, they were unable to find any trace of mother or daughter, with the two seeming to have disappeared into thin air after fleeing from the daycare center that Friday afternoon.

On July 4th, Therese's sixth birthday came and went, and no contact was made.

Honolulu Police issued a warrant for Merle Vanderheiden's arrest on July 26th, 1990, after being unable to contact her on the U.S. mainland, charging her with first-degree custodial interference. They would be joined approximately one week later by the FBI, who issued a warrant of their own on August 2nd.

Now with federal agents tracking the case, Francis and his loved ones hoped that Merle would be tracked down in no time. They didn't think that the woman would be able to evade authorities for long, but their hope would dwindle with each passing day, week, and month that Therese remained missing.

It appeared like the warning issued by the officials involved in the custody battle had been right... if Merle gained custody of Therese, she would take the girl away from her father and disappear forever. And based on her prior activity - which included brainwashing her own daughter into believing heinous lies about her father - it was not believed that she had done so for the safety or protection of Therese. Rather, she had likely done so simply to hurt Francis.

Later, Honolulu Crime Stoppers would issue a press release highlighting the case, noting:

"(Merle) has prior military training and experience from the Army in military intelligence and may possess the skills to elude trackers and change her identity."

While I typically cover a wide gamut of theories in the stories I cover, this case - the abduction of Therese Vanderheiden-Walsh - is tragically pretty straightforward.

It's believed by almost everyone involved in this case that Therese was abducted by her mother, Merle Vanderheiden, a mentally deranged individual that disappeared alongside her daughter. However, this assumption presents some tumultuous issues, in that Merle was a well-trained intelligence asset for the U.S. military who had seemingly become deranged in the years before her disappearing act.

Despite having been court-ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, Merle continued to have regular access to firearms and was believed to be armed and extremely dangerous. Authorities believed that she was an active threat to not only Therese and herself but anyone that might mean to do her harm. However, it was believed that Merle's prior training in U.S. counter-intelligence made it likely that she knew how to evade police, and was likely going to create false identities for herself and Therese while heading out on the run... all the while, employing similar brainwashing tactics as before to make the girl forget about the life she had lived before her abduction.

As recounted by reporters with the Honolulu Advertiser, in the first year after Therese's abduction, her father Francis hired a private investigator, who found several leads for Merle's whereabouts.

First, this P.I. found a potential link to Colorado Springs - back on the U.S. mainland - but this was believed to be a potential welfare scam, with someone using Merle's social security number to claim benefits for themself.

Then, however, this P.I. discovered that Merle's social security number had been pulled during the purchase of a Ford van in Nederland, Texas, which seemed to have been purchased with the help of Merle's family there. The investigator was able to pull the owner registration and vehicle ID number, which led to an address in Daytona Beach, Florida.

After providing this information to authorities, U.S. Marshals were able to pull the driver's license for the owner of the Ford van: a mysterious woman named Mary Jean Hamm. When authorities glanced at the photo used for "Mary Jean Hamm," they were surprised to find that this was none other than Merle Vanderheiden, who had donned glasses and a bad wig for this new identity.

Sadly, "Mary Jean Hamm" was no longer living at the address listed on the driver's license, but this revelation seemed to confirm everyone's suspicion: Merle Vanderheiden was still alive, and was living under false identities.

Subsequent attempts to track down "Mary Jean Hamm" would prove fruitless, with the Ford van being sold to Merle's sister-in-law in 1994. By the time authorities found the van, it had been completely wiped of fingerprints and forensic evidence, with FBI Special Agent Margaret Faulkner recounting to reporters:

"They are thumbing their nose at us. I think this is funny to them, that they are beating the FBI."

To Francis Walsh back in Hawaii, having had to live for four years without knowledge of his daughter's continued existence, this confirmed that Merle's family was in on the ruse and were likely cooperating with the fugitive to escape from justice. More importantly, they were likely impeding law enforcement's efforts to reunite Francis with Therese.

When asked about the weird coincidence with the Ford van - that it just-so-happened to be sold to Merle living under a fake name, and had then been sold back to them years later - the family of Merle Vanderheiden said it was just an innocent mix-up, and that the FBI and Francis Walsh were "out to get them."

Francis would end up spending tens of thousands of dollars (if not more) to track down his missing daughter. While his money was never able to produce the intended result - of reuniting him with Therese - he was able to find a large number of breadcrumbs left behind by Merle during her multi-year escape from justice.

It was discovered that Merle had purchased the death certificate of a child in Salt Lake City, which she had likely used to create a new identity (after obtaining a new social security number). It was also learned that Merle's social security number had been used in Mesa City, Arizona in 1989 - months before the abduction - along with the name "Pat Doherty." This was likely another identity being set up by Merle well ahead of time, in preparation for the abduction that would follow. This indicates that she was creating identities well ahead of time.

In the years after Merle stole Therese away from the daycare center near Honolulu, her social security number was used multiple times throughout Texas; including once in Houston, when Merle set up a P.O. box under her real name; and then again in November 1991, in Bridge City, Texas, near where Merle's relatives lived.

Over time, Francis and his network of private investigators would uncover a vast labyrinth... at least ten separate identities linked to Merle, each with various names and backstories used to create identities and procure necessary legal documents. It had become apparent that Merle, a bona fide chameleon, was able to blend into any surrounding and hide in plain sight.

Francis would tell reporters with the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 1995:

"(Merle) has gone underground, and there's no trace of her or Therese... She's very elusive, and everything we've checked out comes to a dead end."

In that same article, FBI Special Agent Margaret Faulkner would state:

"She hasn't left any trails. We may stumble on something but so far we don't have much to work with."

With all of this in mind, it's time we take a few steps back and discuss another possible avenue for discussion: the shadowy organization known as "Children of the Underground." To begin, we'll discuss the story of Emily Michelle Sawyer, which is shockingly similar to Therese Vanderheiden-Walsh's.

Emily was a four-year-old girl that was abducted by her mother, Carol, who was locked in a bitter divorce and custody battle with Emily's father. Months after the divorce proceedings kicked off - with no end in sight - Carol decided to allege that Emily's father had been sexually abusing Emily. As had been the case with Therese, a seven-month investigation turned up no sign of abuse, and on the eve of the family court hearing - where Emily Sawyer's father was expected to get custody of her - Carol and Emily both disappeared.

Over the coming months, no trace of mother nor daughter would be found, and Emily's father would sue Carol's family, alleging that they had helped the two evade authorities. This lawsuit was unsuccessful, due to presenting a lack of proof; however, throughout his painful ordeal, Daniel Sawyer, Emily's father, would learn about an underground organization that aimed to keep children missing.

Children of the Underground.

This controversial vigilante group helped - or, rather, helps - hide children and parents following allegations of abuse (or other similar claims). The organization was founded by Faye Yager, a controversial figure in her own right, who has acted as an obscure spokesperson for the Children of the Underground over decades, and has claimed credit for not only Emily Sawyer's disappearance but dozens, if not hundreds (or thousands), of others.

Having witnessed her own daughter suffer from the traumatic after-effects of sexual abuse, Faye Yager decided to start the Children of the Underground in 1987, hoping to circumvent the court system that had failed to protect her own child. For the first handful of years, the group operated in the shadows, but gained mainstream exposure in the early 1990s, when publications began learning about the shadowy network of conspirators that Yager operated.

It wasn't until Yager herself became the target of several high-profile lawsuits (including one touching nine digits) that she decided to recede from the public eye. But the organization she had founded - which operated with no supervision from any government entity, mind you - continued to help men, women, and children live on the lam.

As reported by People Magazine, Yager and her associates would give each of their runaways specific instructions to avoid detection, which usually started with the advice:

"Don't look anything like yourself. We'll meet you at the station. Leave everything behind that might remind you of your past life, including pictures and credit cards and your driver's license. Forget who you are."

From there, runaways were instructed to move around via public transportation: buses, trains, and on the rare occasion, even flights (in an era when security for flying was much more relaxed). The Children of the Underground would advise on how runaways could change their appearance by cutting their hair, wearing different clothing and identifiers (such as wigs, jewelry), etc. They would then help hide parents and children in an estimated 1000 safe houses set up throughout North America.

This organization, which was described by People Magazine as "the new underground railroad," was similarly described by the Orlando Sentinel as "a vigilante labyrinth" of "homemakers, ministers and ordinary working people" who were aided in their quest by former abuse survivors and their loved ones.

Despite receiving a lot of attention decades ago, before quickly returning to the shadows, the Children of the Underground still exists and is headed by the same people... many of whom remain unidentified and unpunished after helping dozens, if not more, circumvent law enforcement. While their actions may be limited in this day and age - due to technology making it harder than ever for people to truly disappear - their activities carry on with regularity.

Faye Yager, the group's de facto leader, spoke to Newsweek in 2016, when she was no longer still seeking news headlines but was still actively involved in the organization, stating:

"My group still exists... there're so many people involved. I wouldn't have any trouble hiding anybody. I could call up, I could send a family to any battered woman's shelter or anything in this country, and I assure you, they would disappear and families would hide them. It's that easy. It's very easy."

During this conversation, Yager estimated that the Children of the Underground had helped approximately 7000 people run away from unsafe or abusive households, even though law enforcement estimates that amount to be much closer to a few hundred. The organization's controversial tactics have endured over the years - and inspired several others - and while those involved seem to have good intentions, it's become apparent that doesn't always equal good results... after all, while they might have helped rescue hundreds of men, women, and children from an unsafe situation at home, they have also circumvented the law to ensure that children never see their other relatives again.

Early on, it was speculated that Merle Vanderheiden might have sought refuge with the Children of the Underground and might have received help from them in creating new identities for herself and/or Therese. Their disappearance might be included in the hundreds, if not thousands, of cases that Faye Yager's group claims credit for. At least, that's the theory that Francis Walsh developed after spending the final years of his life searching for any trace of his missing daughter.

Therese's father never held it against police for not finding his daughter, but seemed to express disapproval over their handling of her abduction, telling the Honolulu Advertiser in 1996:

"Every lead that has happened, was either followed up too late, or was so far after the fact the trail is cold, or it was bungled. The police have done a lot of work, but it is not a high priority case for them... It is not a drug lord or someone who's a danger to people on the street. It is just custodial interference... But it's my daughter."

Following Therese's disappearance, Francis Walsh helped found the Hawaii State Clearinghouse on Missing Children, believing that the existence of such an organization might have helped find Therese before she truly disappeared. Instead of simply lamenting his loss, he decided to be the change he wanted to see in the world, to ensure that no other parent had to deal with the same kind of loss. Hawaii became the 48th state to establish a clearinghouse for missing children, and this organization helped coordinate searches and raise awareness for missing children.

In 1997, Francis appeared on "Unsolved Mysteries" with Robert Stack to help raise awareness for his daughter's disappearance, having already missed out on more than half of her life. He could only presume that she was still alive when the episode aired but would have been entering her teenage years.

It seems like Francis Walsh was never able to emotionally recover from the loss of Therese, stating:

"There is a missing part of my life, somewhere. I think about it every once in a while, but I bury it. I don't let too many people in there. When I do think about it, I really get mad. Where is she?"

Sadly, in September of 1998, Francis Walsh passed away in his sleep due to a heart attack. Janice, his wife (and Therese's stepmother) would tell reporters with the Honolulu Advertiser after his death:

"I have no doubt in my mind that this was from the stress. This made him really depressed since she was gone. How does one say, 'Get over it'? You don't get over it.

"(Therese's) Daddy never stopped looking for her. He loved her more than she will ever know."

Sadly, Janice herself would pass away in 2014, leaving this story to fade from the headlines, with few people remaining that could act as advocates for Therese Vanderheiden-Walsh, who is still missing after more than three decades.

Merle Vanderheiden, Therese's mother, has reportedly been spotted over the years in states such as Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Colorado, and Texas. It's believed that she has sought employment at hospitals, as a social worker, and/or as a forest ranger. Some of the identities she has believed to have lived under are:

- Marie Walsh

- Kara Vanderheiden

- Jacqueline Smith

- Vann Vanderheiden

- Pat Doherty

- Mary Jean Hamm

- Kara Johnson

- Kara Cochran

It's believed that Therese - if she's still alive - might have adopted a similar surname. Because she was so young when she went missing, she likely doesn't remember much of her life before her abduction, if at all.

It is also possible - albeit somewhat morbid - that Merle, clearly deranged, killed Therese in an act of jealousy and left her remains behind in Hawaii before heading out on the run. On June 29th, 2014, an unidentified body was found in Honolulu inside of a metal receptacle inside of a box. No race or distinguishing details could be determined from the body, but certain details seem to match: the deceased was anywhere between two and six years old and stood approximately three feet tall. Because the remains were completely skeletonized (as of 2014), it's believed that a lengthy decomposition process had taken place.

This may or may not be one potential match for Therese, but I'll personally cling to the belief that she's still out there... and will, hopefully, one day learn the truth about her identity.

Merle Vanderheiden was born in August of 1950 and was 39 years old at the time of Therese's abduction. If she's still alive, she would now be in her early 70s, with naturally brown hair and green eyes. She stood between 5'5" and 5'7" and weighed approximately 130 pounds, with pierced ears, wore glasses and/or contacts, and may have worn wigs in the past to obscure her natural hair color.

Therese Vanderheiden-Walsh, on the other hand, was only five years old at the time of her abduction, but would now nearly be as old as Merle was at the time they disappeared, in her late thirties (approximately 37 at the time of this recording). As I mentioned earlier, she likely won't remember much, if anything, about her life prior to her abduction, but does have a couple of identifying marks: in addition to having strawberry-blonde hair and green/hazel eyes, Therese also had pierced ears as a little girl and has several moles on her back and shoulders. 555555

If you have any information about this case - or simply believe you might know something - please reach out to the Honolulu Police Department at 808-529-3115. You can also reach out to the FBI at their numerous tip lines, or anonymously through their online forum at fbi.gov/tips.

As of this episode's recording, the story of Therese Vanderheiden-Walsh remains unresolved.

Episode Information

Writing, research, hosting, and production by Micheal Whelan

Published on on October 2nd, 2021

Producers: Roberta Janson, Sara Moscaritolo, Travis Scsepko, Ben Krokum, Quil Carter, Jo Wong, Laura Hannan, Steven Wilson, Damion Moore, Scott Meesey, Scott Patzold, Aimee McGregor, Sydney Scotton, Thomas Ahearn, Marion Welsh, Patrick Laakso, Meadow Landry, Tatum Bautista, Denise Grogan, Teunia Elzinga, Ryan Green, Sally Ranford, James Herington, Jacinda Class, Stephanie Joyner, Rebecca O'Sullivan, James Weis, Kevin McCracken, Brooke Bullek, Shane Robinson, Lauren Nicole, Stacey Houser, and Sara Rosario