Quick Entry #21: Mary Ann Johnson-Knightly
Continuing my focus on Delaware cases. I chose Mary Ann Johnson-Knightly for that reason and because I was able to add a few things that other entries don't have. I dedicated Semi Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind to this entry. I will always remember this song fondly. Last time I listened to this song. I was singing it out loud with someone very special. Good memories.
Semi Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind
Mary Ann Johnson-Knightly
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Missing Since:
February 18th 1998
Missing From:
Date Of Birth:
March 22nd 1969
Height & Weight:
5'9 & 130 lbs
Hair & Eyes:
Brown & Blue
Other:
Scar over Right Eye
Abdominal Scar
Wearing:
Black Tights &
Brown Leather Jacket w/Fur
Husband:
(Deceased: March 23rd 1958-June 13th 2014 at Age of 56 in a motorcycle accident)
Address at Time of Disappearance:
Saint Georges, DE 19733
Agencies
Delaware State Police Troop 3:
302-697-4453
M-101233767
Details of Disappearance
"She said she needed to get away for a while. I thought she would have been in Florida by now."
Roy Knightly, Mary Ann's Husband
Mary Ann Knightly was last seen by her husband Roy Drew Knightly at their residence at 1517 S. Dupont Highway at 11:30 pm on February 18th 1998. She had borrowed her mother's van earlier that day with the understanding she would return it the next day. Roy is on record stating Mary Ann packed a bag and informed him she needed to get away for awhile, And planned to visit her sister in Florida and leave that night. Roy later fell asleep after Mary Ann supposedly left and woke up 1 am the next morning. Roy claims that Mary Ann wasn't at their residence. Mary Ann never made it to Florida. Roy told Mary Ann's mother that she had asked him to take the van back to her. Roy didn't know how much money Mary Ann had with her at the time. Mary Ann's mom reported her missing on the 26th. It's unclear how she planned to travel to Florida. Mary Ann had previously left home for up to 3 days without telling anyone where she was going. Up until his death, Roy remained a Person of Interest and was never cleared of any involvement. Mary Ann is the mother of 4. It's highly unlikely she would have stayed away this long without contacting her children. Much less her family. Mary Ann was later declared dead in 2015.
Analysis
Well obviously the husband, Roy Drew Knightly was the focal point of the investigation. As I mentioned, He has since passed away. But he was never cleared of any involvement. He was the last person known to see her. There was a huge window between 11:30 pm and the time Roy took the van back to Mary Ann's mom's house. I hate to just pin this on Mary Ann's husband. Because it's always a possibility that he had nothing to do with it at all. (As is my analysis in the Sandra Andrews' case.) But I don't think this is the case here. I saw in Roy's obituary where people were commenting on what a great guy he was. And he may have been. Obviously IF he killed his wife. He wasn't. And the fact that he died in a motorcycle accident may have been karma. I included a screenshot of the surrounding area of their old address on S. Dupont Highway to show you the terrain around that residence.. I am unsure if any searches were conducted behind their former home either then or recently. I'm gonna assume they didn't own a car at the time? Or Mary Ann just wanted to make sure she left Roy with a vehicle when she left. There is nothing in the reports that I found that would answer that. Certainly a van would make transporting a body somewhere fairly easy if that is what occurred. Unfortunately, Since the primary person of interest is deceased. We will have to wait for someone to happen upon some bones somewhere. Yes, I do think she is deceased. She is the mother of 4 kids who are now adults now. And I doubt she planned to remain out of their lives. It would seem that there were some kind of issues in the marriage if she had left before for a few days without telling anyone. The only thing that would really clear Roy of this, Is if Mary Ann had a boyfriend on the side. And Roy fell asleep that night. And she had the boyfriend pick her up. But there would be no reason for her to borrow the van if that was the plan. Unless those plans changed that night for some reason. I don't think that is the case. But it's a possibility. I looked into Roy's background. And it seems as though he was once a driver for an Escort Service in Delaware. And he was charged for promoting prostituting in the 80s. But I didn't see any violent arrests.
News Coverage
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The News Journal: March 3rd 1998
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