"There was nothing there. I opened drawers. There was nothing. Not one odd sock, not one old shirt." — Sherry (referring to her mother's belongings after her disappearance)
This episode of Crime Junkie investigates the 1984 disappearance of Mary Baderaco, a case marked by domestic violence, inconsistent statements, and a slow-moving investigation. Mary's daughters, Sherry and Beth, last saw their mother shortly before she vanished. Her husband, Dominic, claimed Mary left him voluntarily with $100,000, leaving her car with a broken windshield behind. Despite Dominic's history of domestic violence and the suspicious circumstances, initial police response was minimal, treating it as a missing person case rather than a potential crime.
Over the years, Sherry and Beth relentlessly pursued answers, facing numerous obstacles. The case was reclassified as a homicide in 1990, but leads were scarce. A key development occurred when an informant suggested Mary was murdered at Dominic's direction, involving members of a motorcycle gang, though this lead did not immediately result in charges. The investigation involved digging on properties associated with a man named Ernest Dockinhausen, who was eventually charged with interfering with the investigation, but this did not yield Mary's car or any definitive evidence.
In 2009, Dominic Baderaco was finally named a suspect in Mary's murder. Subsequently, a grand jury investigation was initiated, but its findings remain sealed. In 2012, Dominic was convicted of attempting to bribe a judge, receiving a seven-year prison sentence. He was later released early. Despite decades of effort by Mary's daughters, law enforcement, and a significant reward offered for information, Mary's whereabouts, her car, and the truth of her fate remain undiscovered, leaving the case unresolved.