“Is it my mother?”
It’s her first question, her last question, and it’s the only question she asks when hearing about the latest news about the next discovery of human remains somewhere in the Wheeling area.
That’s why it’s been a very emotional few weeks for local resident April Green Thompson, a South Wheeling native whose mother vanished 23 years ago from the former campus of the Ohio Valley Medical Center. Two reports were filed in Belmont County early last week concerning remains being found in the Ohio River near the Interstate 470/Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge, and another was discovered in a creek in Lansing that was later identified.
Plus, former Wheeling residents Christopher and Sarah Riley were convicted Monday of the wrongful concealment of a deceased human body after burying Andrew Downs of Ohio County following his overdose death in June 2021.
So, when a South Wheeling resident discovered a human skull near the intersection of 42nd and Wood streets, Thompson’s mind raced yet again.
“It wasn’t a good week for me, that’s for sure. Anytime there are reports like that, it reminds me of what happened to my mom,” Thompson said. “But then when I heard about what was found in South Wheeling, well, that hit me pretty hard because I didn’t know if it could possibly be the remains of my mother.”
Nancy Green was dropped off in the early morning of Sept. 30, 2002, on the OVMC campus for an appointment at the Northwood complex, but she never called her sister for a ride home. When the family checked with the doctor’s office, the nurses reported that Nancy did not check in for the appointment.
Search parties checked the wooded areas near the medical facility, and they also scoured the woods near Wheeling Hospital because Green had hid on the hillsides before until wildlife scared her into the parking lot where security officer found her.
“When the skull was found in South Wheeling, at first I did think there was a chance. My brain went haywire thinking of everything that could have been possible,” Thompson said. “I wanted the skull to be my mom so there would be some kind of closure. I guess I still wouldn’t have known what happened, but at least I would have had something.
“(Wednesday) wasn’t a very good day for me, honestly. I had every damn emotion possible yet again,” she said. “When someone posted a photo of the skull, though, I knew it wasn’t my mom because of the teeth, but I am happy that someone will more than likely get some closure. My brain, though, is back to all the what-ifs, and I hate that.
“I don’t ever forget my mom, but I do try to push it to the back of my mind. Times like this, though? It all comes back front and center.”
According to data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, more than 17,000 adult Americans were missing at the end of 2020, and at least 13,000 unidentified body cases were on the books, as well. In Pennsylvania, 401 residents remain missing today, and the same is true in Ohio for 358. Currently, 120 cases involving missing adults remain active in West Virginia.
April and her family registered Nancy Green’s disappearance with the Center of Missing Adults, a non-profit that offers support but not an investigation. There are the addresses of her seven different residences, more than 100 names of possible acquaintances, and the names of nearby businesses that she may have visited after choosing not to go to her morning treatment.
“I just know the God-awful turmoil it has brought to light for me yet again,” Thompson said. “I still have all of the same unanswered questions anyone would have if they were me, but the biggest one is why she wouldn’t have wanted to still be my mom. That’s what I really want to know.
“I really do hope the family that belongs to the remains that were found this week gets the closure I’m sure they want. Because of what I’ve been through, I know people go missing every day,” she added. “And at least this situation will bring light again to the fact my mom has been missing for so long, and, yes, I do believe someone knows something, so maybe someone will finally tell me something.”
Investigators returned to the search area in South Wheeling earlier today, this time with cadaver canines, and according to reports, additional remains were discovered in the area.
”I really hope they give someone the closure they need,” April said. “I know how they feel.”
