Key facts
- Names: Rozlin Rochelle Abell; Fawn Marlene Abell
- Born: August 25, 1966 (Rozlin); October 25, 1969 (Fawn)
- Ages at disappearance: 18 and 15
- Last seen: July 25, 1985
- Location: Home near NW 59th & Rockwell, Bethany, Oklahoma
- Height / build: Rozlin: 4’11”, 90 lbs; Fawn: 5’1″, 100 lbs; both red/blonde hair, blue eyes
- Status: Still missing — entered into national databases only in 2010; case #10-2970
- Investigating agency: Bethany Police Department
“Hurry up, they’re waiting for us down the street”
It was a beautiful summer day — July 25, 1985 — when Rozlin Rochelle Abell, 18, and her younger sister Fawn Marlene Abell, 15, left their home near Northwest 59th and Rockwell in Bethany, Oklahoma. They told their family they were going out to look for jobs.
Their brother, Otto Abell Jr., came home that afternoon and overheard his sisters talking as they headed out the door. One of them said: “Hurry up, they’re waiting for us down the street.”
That was the last time he ever heard his sisters’ voices.
The girls were known to hitchhike — common practice at the time. The family believes they met with foul play. They were both wearing long, multicolored earrings. Neither has been seen or heard from since.
The 25-year delay
Here is what makes the Abell case genuinely shocking, beyond the disappearance itself: for nearly 25 years, the system barely acknowledged the sisters existed.
Fawn, at 15, was classified as a runaway. Rozlin, at 18, was legally an adult — so no police report was ever filed for her at all. It wasn’t until March 2010 that their brother Otto contacted the Bethany Police Department and forced a fresh look. The detective assigned, unfamiliar with the case, discovered something astonishing: Fawn had been entered into the National Crime Information Center at some point but was later removed for unknown reasons — and Rozlin had never been entered at all. Only then, a quarter-century late, were both sisters officially entered into the national missing-persons databases.
Detective Austin Warfield took up the case around 2014, collecting DNA samples from family members — “hopefully we’ll be able to get a match on some bones or human remains found at some point,” he told News9. He noted the evidence suggests the women are no longer alive: their Social Security numbers have been inactive since 1985. The family launched a Facebook page and circulated age-progressed renderings. In February 2026, a Medium investigation revisited the case; a 2026 YouTube documentary marked 40 years: “This Cold Case Still Haunts Oklahoma.”
Theories: what might have happened
Hitchhiking gone wrong. The family’s own belief, and the most direct reading: two teenage girls, known to hitchhike, got into the wrong car on a summer afternoon in 1985. The brother’s memory — “they’re waiting for us down the street” — suggests they were meeting someone, or someone’s car. No driver has ever been identified.
The Royal Russell Long theory — debunked. Long, a serial killer active in the region, was long speculated as a suspect. In 2017, researchers established he was incarcerated in Wyoming when the sisters vanished — serving time for kidnapping — and was extradited to Oklahoma City on August 9, 1985, to stand trial for the murders of Cinda Pallett and Charlotte Kinsey. He could not have taken them. The theory is dead.
Someone close to home. Over the years there has been gossip and rumor about people near the family — including speculation about their father, Otto Abell Sr. Their sister Lorelie has said she believes she knows what happened. None of it has produced evidence, charges, or answers. Rumor is rumor; the case file holds no suspect.
Voluntary disappearance. Two sisters, 18 and 15, starting over somewhere. Against it: no Social Security activity since 1985, no contact with a brother who has spent decades searching, and the age-progressed photos that have produced nothing. If they left voluntarily, they left no trace of the lives they supposedly built.
Have information?
Contact the Bethany Police Department at 405-789-2323, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- August 25, 1966 — Rozlin Rochelle Abell is born.
- October 25, 1969 — Fawn Marlene Abell is born.
- July 25, 1985 — The sisters leave their Bethany home to look for jobs; brother Otto Jr. hears “Hurry up, they’re waiting for us down the street.” Never seen again.
- 1985 — Fawn classified a runaway; no report filed for adult Rozlin.
- 2010 (March) — Brother contacts Bethany PD; both sisters finally entered into national databases.
- 2013 — News9 covers the family’s social-media campaign; Det. Warfield collects family DNA.
- 2017 — Royal Russell Long theory debunked.
- February 2026 — Medium investigation revisits the case.
- July 2026 — 41st anniversary; “40 Years Later, This Cold Case Still Haunts Oklahoma” (YouTube).
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Are Rozlin and Fawn Abell still missing?
Yes. The sisters have been missing since July 25, 1985 — more than 41 years. Their Bethany Police case (#10-2970) remains open.
What happened to the Abell sisters?
Nobody knows. They left home to look for jobs and were never seen again. Their family believes they hitchhiked and met with foul play. A popular theory implicating serial killer Royal Russell Long was debunked in 2017.
Why did it take 25 years for the Abell sisters to be entered into missing-persons databases?
Fawn was classified as a runaway and Rozlin, being 18, never had a police report filed. The oversight wasn’t discovered until their brother contacted Bethany police in March 2010 — 25 years later.
How old would Rozlin and Fawn Abell be today?
Rozlin was born August 25, 1966 — she turned 60 in August 2026. Fawn was born October 25, 1969 — she turns 57 in October 2026.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information — especially about who the sisters may have been meeting on July 25, 1985 — should contact the Bethany Police Department at 405-789-2323.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Bethany Police Department (405-789-2323; case #10-2970); NCMEC (1-800-843-5678); 411GINA.org missing-person flyers.
- News: News9 (2013); The Oklahoman (via Medium, 2026); Kym Pasqualini, “Rozlin and Fawn Abell: Two Sisters Vanish in Oklahoma in 1985” (Medium, Feb 23, 2026).
- Reference: Oklahoma Cold Cases (oklahomacoldcases.org); Crime Solvers Central case file.
- Media: “40 Years Later, This Cold Case Still Haunts Oklahoma” (YouTube, 2026); Just the Tip-Sters podcast (Bleav); HubPages — “Two Sisters Vanish” (Whereabouts Still Unknown research).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.