Rosemary E. Hamilton Buck, age 20, went missing from Syracuse, New York on August 11, 1973.
Rosemary was last seen by her mother at Rosemary’s apartment at 1102 Wolf Street in Syracuse. According to her mother, Rosemary had been up most of the previous night crying. She was struggling with alcohol and a bad marriage. She was concerned about the danger of her young son being taken away by Child Protective Services, since her husband was incarcerated for breaking and entering at the time.
She had been in a mental hospital at some point, and had been trying to get her life together at the time of her disappearance. On the morning of August 11, she’d told her mother that she was exhausted, and would run away if Child Protective Services continued to harass her. She’d asked her mother to please fight for Ronnie (her son) if this happened.
Later that day, her mother left, taking Rosemary’s young son with her. When they returned that evening, Rosemary was not there. Her family never saw or heard from her again.
A downstairs neighbor came forward and said that they had seen Rosemary hitchhiking on the corner of Wolf and 6th. The witness said that Rosemary got onto the back of a motorcycle.
A couple years after Rosemary’s disappearance, the wife of her brother, who lived in Texas, received a bizarre phone call. There were two females on the line, and they claimed to be calling from Cleveland. One of the women was heard telling the other, “Be careful what you say, don’t give your name.”
Rosemary’s sister-in-law told authorities that the caller appeared to know things about the family that only Rosemary would know. Strangely, there is no indication of what the caller wanted. I think that could be a huge clue.
I’m also curious to know, since it wasn’t specified, if the one of the women on the phone seemed to be ‘commanding’ the other, or if they seemed to be friendly with each other. Did Rosemary know anyone in Cleveland?
It’s been reported that Rosemary had told friends that she ‘eventually’ intended to go to Boston to meet a male friend. I’m not sure if ‘eventually’ would refer to ‘at some point in her life’ or if it meant that would be where she was trying to hitchhike to. There is also no mention of whether she took any belongings with her, which makes it difficult to conclude whether she likely did run away.
Rosemary is reported to have frequented The Yellow Balloon at the time of her disappearance. The Yellow Balloon was a music venue in Syracuse, but its name was changed to The Lost Horizon in 1971, two years before Rosemary’s disappearance. She also liked to travel to attend rock concerts.
Rosemary’s son is in his 40’s now and has only vague memories of his mother. He is eager to find out what happened to her, as are other family members.
I don’t see any UID’s that seem to match in New York, unless by chance she’d gone down toward New York City, but there’s no real reason to think she would have.
Sources:
Official Cold Case Investigations
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Your question in relation to whether Rosemary knew anyone in Cleveland…did you mean Cleveland, New York? If so, her husband and his family were from Cleveland. She had friends who lived in Cleveland. Because this was so long ago, there is barely any news reports relating to her disappearance. I have been trying to find out any information on this case, but to no avail. I am also trying to located my cousin, Rosemary’s son, Roy (Ronnie) Hamilton (Buck). Who was later adopted by Rosemary’s parents & had moved to Texas. Last known city was Fredericksburg. If anyone here might have any information on this case that is NOT located on the internet or knows the whereabouts of Roy Hamilton, please let me know. Thank you.
Hi,
I mentioned Cleveland because of that phone call, and the caller(s) saying they were from Cleveland. I assumed they were referring to Ohio. I wish there were a way to find out who made that phone call.
Renee,,
Hey this is Donnie or ” Roy ” as you remember get a hold of me , I would love to talk to you
I was wondering if Rosemary had any Native American heritage?
I also checked to see if she was ruled out in a case from Allenstown NH and she is not listed as having DNA compared to that woman.
Susan,
Rosemary had NO Native American heritage. I do not see any that match her or would be a possible match. There is a woman, but she had 3 children with her, which does not match Rosemary. She has only a son and he is alive and well. What is the NAMUS#?