Wayland's Biggest Unsolved Case: The Disappearance of Sarah Pryor

It frustrated detectives and shook up the town, and the country.

Police Chief Robert Irving counts the mystery of Sarah Pryor as Wayland’s biggest unsolved murder.

In a recent interview with Wayland Patch, Irving talked about the disappearance and murder of Pryor, who went missing on Oct. 9 in 1985 when she went for a walk on Concord Road.

“More than 10 years later, a bone fragment was found in a construction area,” said Irving. “The fragment was analyzed using DNA testing and was identified as being Sarah. Despite periodic leads, and a suspect who is imprisoned in Texas for committing a similar crime, no charges have ever been filed in the case.”

The Sarah Pryor Living Memorial Committee maintains sara.org, which details Pryor’s disappearance, maintains a missing children list and provides legal info and informative links.

A bronze statue of her sled and dog Katie were dedicated in a memorial at Hannah Williams Park in October 1996.

“Since her disappearance in 1985, Pryor has become an emblem for parents’ fears and a tool for a children’s safety movement,” it reads on sara.org.

Read the full interview with Wayland’s chief here.