Cathy Marie Huffman
Physical Description:
Height: 5’2”
Weight: 115–120 pounds
Hair Color: Blond/Strawberry
Eye Color: Not specified
Race/Ethnicity: White / Caucasian, Uncertain
Cathy Marie Huffman was 19 years old when she went missing during the catastrophic Flood of 1985 in Franklin, West Virginia. On November 4, 1985, as the waters rose and swept across the region, Cathy and her husband tried to make their way home, navigating a landscape that had been changed in an instant.
After her husband crossed a flooded waterway by grabbing onto a tree branch and pulling himself to the far bank, he urged Cathy to stay where she was while he went to find a chainsaw to create a bridge for her to cross safely. When he returned, Cathy was gone.
It’s believed she may have tried to cross on her own and fallen in, or that a sudden surge of water swept her away. In the days that followed, her purple jacket was found about 300 to 400 yards downstream from where she had last been seen. Farther along the stream, her blouse—turned inside out and partly buried under rocks—was recovered, caught on a locust branch. Despite extensive searches, Cathy’s body has never been found.
What You Can Do
If you know anything about what happened to Cathy Marie Huffman or where she might be, please contact the West Virginia State Police at 304-358-2200.
She is listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) under case number MP133107.
Even after so many years, Cathy’s case remains open. In a flood that changed countless lives and even the smallest piece of information could help bring her story home.