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On February 14th, 1982, the body of a young woman was found on the side of the highway in northern Arizona. Due to the state her body was found in they were not able to immediately identify her. So, for almost 40 years, 17 year old Carolyn Eaton was known as Valentine Sally. Finally in 2021, thanks to a lot of dedicated individuals and advancements in DNA technology, Valentine Sally got her name. But the case remains unsolved.
Carolyn was last seen at the Monte Carlo Truck Stop diner on or around February 2nd, 1982. She was wearing a maroon and white striped sweater and seasons brand jeans. She was with an unidentified white male, possibly in his 50s or 60s. He was wearing a cowboy hat with a peacock feather and a brown leather vest. The pair was just over an hour from the grand canyon, if you visited the park in jan/feb 1982, please check your photos for Carolyn and a male matching this description in the background.
Anyone with information about Carolyn’s case is urged to contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s office at 928-774-4523.
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Resources:
Bonvillian, Crystal. “Arizona's 'Valentine Sally' Identified through DNA, Genealogy as Missing Missouri Girl after 40 Years.” WSOC TV, 26 Feb. 2021, https://www.wsoctv.com/news/trending/arizonas-valentine-sally-identified-through-dna-genealogy-missing-missouri-girl-after-40-years/4LVWA2JOX5HVDPJLORZ5U2X2NE/.
“Carolyn Celeste ‘Valentine Sally’ Eaton...” Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22536872/carolyn-celeste-eaton.
GCD. “Cold Case Archives.” Northern Arizona Gazette, 28 Oct. 2016, https://www.northernarizonagazette.com/tag/cold-case/.
Goodman, Jessica, and Briana Whitney. “'Valentine Sally' in Arizona Has Been Identified after 40 Years.” AZFamily, 22 Feb. 2021, https://www.azfamily.com/news/valentine-sally-in-arizona-has-been-identified-after-40-years/article_ed4c5288-7538-11eb-8d56-374703fdda20.html.
“Grand Canyon Annual Visitation 1915 to Present.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://irma.nps.gov/STATS/Reports/Park/GRCA.
Hendricks, Larry. “County Cold Case ID'd after 39 Years.” Arizona Daily Sun, 28 Feb. 2021, pp. A1–A7. Newspapers.com.
Hendricks, Larry. “File: Valentine Sally (1982).” Arizona Daily Sun, 28 Aug. 2013, https://azdailysun.com/file-valentine-sally-1982/article_b944c50c-deaa-537d-b980-d78461731019.html.
Hendricks, Larry. “Helping the Lost.” Arizona Daily Sun, 18 Mar. 2015, pp. A1–A6. Newspapers.com.
Hendricks, Larry. “Who Is Valentine Sally?” Arizona Daily Sun, 24 Sept. 2013, pp. A1–A7. Newspapers.com.
Miller, Joshua Rhett. “Missouri Teen Id'd as Arizona Cold-Case Victim from 1982.” New York Post, 23 Feb. 2021, https://nypost.com/2021/02/23/missouri-teen-idd-as-arizona-cold-case-victim-from-1982/.
Ramsdell, Becky. “Unsolved Mysteries Could Use a Little Technology.” Arizona Daily Sun, 20 Sept. 1997, p. 2. Newspapers.com.
“'Valentine Sally' in Arizona Has Been Identified after 40 Years.” AZFamily, 23 Feb. 2021, https://www.azfamily.com/video/valentine-sally-in-arizona-has-been-identified-after-40-years/video_49e4dc46-0278-53bc-81b2-d7a1d0714dd1.html.
Whitney, Briana. “True Crime Arizona: Who Is Valentine Sally?” AZFamily, 12 Feb. 2021, https://www.azfamily.com/news/original_reporting/true-crime-arizona-who-is-valentine-sally/article_00c002f8-6c18-11eb-9845-e37d4f94d932.html?fbclid=IwAR3zHNu8aAYyYOD-lKae77IvUKfQEY6mddnoGWdXV8R9G7uemRfAzEa4aj0.
“Who Was Valentine Sally.” Who Was Valentine Sally, https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2019/pre-update/who-was-valentine-sally.