The story we’re going to talk about today is a 30-year-old mystery. Imagine just getting back from a cross-country trip to visit your family, feeling great about your future and your marriage and then within a few days vanishing like a vapor. Despite exhaustive efforts from family members, reporters and the police over the years, this mystery seems destined to remain unsolved. But there is always hope. Let’s talk about Pam Page.
Pamela Frisby was born on January 18, 1957 and raised in Arkansas. She grew up in a loving, large family and was close with her parents, Willie and Mary, and her 7 older siblings. Pam met Rob Page while he was on leave from the Navy. Interestingly enough Rob’s sister was actually married to Pam’s brother. Rob and Pam were married in 1977 not long after they met and by all accounts their marriage was good in the early years. After living in several different places due to Rob being in the Navy, the couple eventually moved to Peoria, Arizona in 1983. There was a rough patch a few years prior to Pam’s disappearance where the couple had talked separation when Pam had a pregnancy scare. She had looked into possibly relocating back to Arkansas, but when it turned out she was not pregnant, her and Rob patched things up and were more in love than ever. They had a successful video rental store named “Fast Forward Video” in Glendale, Arizona. Twelve years into their marriage, all things appeared to be looking up for Rob and Pam. But appearances can sometimes be deceiving.
I want to take this time to thank Pam’s sister, Jimmie Frisby Rice, for helping me with this article. She has been so gracious in corresponding with me at length, giving me many specific details and sharing personal family photos and paperwork that are crucial in telling this story. I appreciate her cooperation so much. She has worked relentlessly, as well as the rest of the family, in trying to investigate her sister’s story which I will detail a bit later.
In July of 1989, Pam went to Arkansas for a week for a visit with her family. Jimmie remembers Pam being in good spirits. She talked about how much in love with Rob she was and talked about their plans for the future. They were looking into buying a new house, purchasing new furniture and plans were even in the works for opening up a second video rental store. When Pam left to go back to Arizona, her family was pleased to see her in such a good place in her life. Little did they know it would be the last time they would ever see their loved one.
Pam left Arkansas for home on Sunday, July 16th, 1989. While Pam was visiting her family, she mentioned that her back and stomach had been hurting. Pam’s sister Trena called her sister Wednesday, July 26th, 10 days after she had arrived back in Arizona to check on her. Trena had forgotten about the time difference between Arkansas and Arizona so the call was at 4 am, Arizona time. Rob answered the phone and matter-of-factly told Trena that Pam had left him the previous Friday. Trena was absolutely shocked that her sister had been gone for four days and Rob didn’t bother to tell any of her family. He also told Trena that Pam had left him a goodbye letter and she insisted that Rob read it to her over the phone so he did. Another strange development is that one of their miniature Dachshund’s named Rerun was also missing, while their other dog, Killer, was at their home. As soon as Trena gets off the phone, she frantically calls the rest of the family to tell them that Pam is missing. One by one, the family members called Rob and asked him to read the letter he claims Pam had left behind. Pam’s father asked that Rob send him a copy so he could see the actual letter. He agreed. The family was shocked when viewing the letter as it was type-written and the handwritten “Pam” at the bottom looked nothing like her signature. Jimmie was nice enough to send me a copy of the actual letter that I will include here but I will type out what it says for easier reading:
Rob,
I was going to write this but every time my hand started shaking.
You may already have figured out what is happening. Sarah said I shouldn’t write you a letter but you deserve an explanation.
By the time you read this I will be a long way from here. Right now I’m not even sure where we are going to go. I’m not coming back either. I have thought this thing out and have been planning this for several months. I thought I would go back home but it just isn’t right. I know this now since my trip. I’m leaving because I’m not happy and I know you aren’t either. I thought living back home would make me happy. It won’t, I know this now. I guess I really don’t know what will make me happy, but I have to find it. I do know that we are not happy together and we haven’t been in so long I really can’t remember anymore.
You have changed so much over the years and each year we just keep getting farther apart. We don’t love each other and I’m not sure if we every really did. I’m not sure what real love is but it has to be better than this. We are only existing together and it is making me crazy. I really care about you but I have to start doing something for me. I’m tired of trying to please everyone in this world except myself. I’m tired of being nice to you, the girls, the members, my family, your family and everyone else and getting nothing in return. The only one who can find happiness for me is myself.
The only real friend I feel like I have is Sarah. She understands my feelings and has really helped me to face the realities of life. She has done what I am doing. Sarah and I are both looking for the same thing happiness. She hasn’t found it here and neither have I. I’m not sure where we are going yet but I guess it really doesn’t make much difference. Sarah and I have really gotten close to each other over the months and I don’t think I could do this without her being there.
I’m taking Rerun with me, he always did love me the best. Killer was always your favorite and I know he would miss you if I took him also. I know they will miss each other. Be good to Killer, cause I’m really going to miss him alot.
I’m leaving this way cause I don’t think I could tell you these things face to face. I know you thought we were going to get a divorce. I just don’t think I could go through all that. It would drive me insane to play 20 questions with everyone about and everyone would be trying to put us back together when we both know it wasn’t meant to be.
I’m taking the hoard. A second store was never meant to be. I’m leaving you enough money in the accounts to keep you in the green. I’m going to take the car but only to meet Sarah. I will leave the keys behind the driver’s seat and look. It will be at one of the Winchell’s donut shops in town. I just don’t want you to try and find me. Please don’t try I’ll just leave. I’ll leave the other keys, the checkbook and all my credit cards on the table with this letter.
I’m not sure if I could ever go back home again after doing this but try to explain what I’m doing. I love my family but they just wouldn’t understand what I’m trying to do. I do feel good about what I’m doing I know inside that this is the right thing for both of us.
I know you will do ok with the store. You might want to make two of the girls managers. I know that is what you have always wanted. You should get an accountant too. Try not to get too carried away with your ideas and everything will work out.
You always have to have the last word. This is the one time when I beat you to it.
Please try to understand why it must be this way. I really don’t want to hurt you but I don’t want to hurt myself. I don’t want you to hate me.
I am going to take the pictures, you never look at them anyway.
Please don’t worry about us we will be alright. Between Sarah and me will have plenty of money to take care of ourselves.
Promise you will eat right. You are always bad about that when I have been gone. You can’t live on cereal and pizza all your life. You can tell the members whatever you want to make it easiest on you and the girls.
I have always thought you were going out on me even though I don’t know when you would have time to. If you are I guess I don’t really blame you but I’m glad I never found out. I don’t know exactly what I would have done. If you never have, I’m sorry I mistrusted you. I never went out on you. I always hoped that someday things would change with us. I know now that isn’t possible. I’m sure there must be someone out there who is right for me and you because we sure aren’t right for each other. Sarah is looking for the same thing and together I think we will find it.
Take care of Killer.
Pam
Pam’s family rushed to Arizona as soon as they heard she was missing. Although Rob assured them he had reported his wife’s disappearance to the authorities, when her family arrived at the police station they discovered no such police report had been filed. As soon as the authorities were made aware, they started to investigate Pam’s disappearance and began to question Rob.
As far as anyone can tell, Pam was last seen alive and well on Friday night, July 21st, 1989. She had walked out to the parking lot with her asst. manager from the video store where they were discussing the second store Pam was planning on opening. The workers at the video store all said that Pam was in a good mood that week. They remember that Pam and Rob were very affectionate towards each other when Rob would come into the store. Seemingly not the actions of a wife who just a few days later would be leaving her husband.
As far as the letter, Jimmie is adamant that is there absolutely no proof that “Sarah” ever existed. The family, as well as the police, looked into and interviewed absolutely everyone who was in Pam’s life. Her friends, customers at the video store, employees at the video store, people at a stained-glass class Pam was taking were all spoken with. Not only did they never encounter this mysterious “Sarah”, no one had ever even heard of or seen such a person. Jimmie also believes that Rob made one of the couple’s dogs disappear along with Pam to make it more believable. In fact, during her trip to Arkansas just before her disappearance, Pam had stated she would never separate the dogs (because they were older dogs and had grown up together) so the family knew she would never do the exact opposite less than a week later.
When questioned by the police, Rob had a very colorful version of events that happened the day Pam went missing. He initially claimed he needed to pick up an ignition switch for his truck so he went to several auto parts stores to try to find one. At one of them, his truck didn’t start so he phoned home and got no answer. He then called a taxi. He claimed he never went into the house, just into the garage, got the part he needed and then rode his bicycle back to where his truck was. Once his truck started, he drove home and found the letter. He said that they had $60,000 in cash stashed away in a safe at the store and when he noticed his wife was gone, he checked and their cash was also gone. He claims he found Pam’s Corvette at a nearby donut shop the next day. None of the employees at any of the auto parts stores remember Rob or anyone that day asking about an ignition switch. Also, none of the employees or customers remember seeing Rob’s very distinctive truck parked at the store where Rob claimed it remained for 4 hours (and part of that time he said he was working on it). Another version he told to the employees at their video store was that Pam was sick on Saturday morning. He stated he left her home sick and when he went to the house at 11 am to check on her he found her gone and the note left. Interestingly enough, it is also thought that Rob took his boat out the same weekend Pam disappeared.
Then what the family already knew was confirmed 3 weeks after the disappearance by the crime lab. The signature at the bottom of the letter was absolutely notPam’s handwriting. Rob then had to change his story a bit. He claims he found the letter in their word processor at home and added the last 4 sentences to it, printed it out and signed Pam’s name. He then stated he had thought his wife had left him for a woman and was embarrassed. He also admitted to driving her car to the donut shop, went to a pay phone across the street and called a taxi. However, after the police analyzed the word processor at the house it was discovered that the letter was written all at the same time so once again Rob’s different versions weren’t holding up. The police had asked him to take a polygraph on several occasions and he declined. It was also highly doubted by both police and Pam’s family that there was even $60,000 in the couples safe to be taken by Pam as the couple seemed to spend most of the money they made and would not have had that kind of savings.
Pam’s family worked tenaciously to find her and get answers as to how and why she went missing. Even though the family lived 1300 miles away from where their loved one disappeared, for the rest of 1989 they traveled to Arizona every single month to do their own investigating. They would travel there several times a year and subsequently as the years went on the visits would get a bit farther between but they never gave up turning over every stone to try and find Pam. They would consistently walk around the neighborhood where Pam and Rob lived as well as the area where the video store was putting up fliers and tracking down all of Pam’s friends and acquaintances to talk to them. They were also assisted by investigative journalists, the late Don Devereaux (those who are UM fans will recognize his name) as well as Jana Thorsen who was at the time a reporter for the Peoria Times newspaper. These two investigators worked tirelessly to try to get answers to Pam’s case and researched and wrote numerous articles about her disappearance.
The family did learn some interesting things on their trips to Arizona and it seemed everything they discovered continued to point the finger at Rob. On one of their trips soon after the disappearance they were talking with people in the area when they learned some new information. They spoke with a woman in a nearby cul-de-sac who had the business card of a gentlemen who ran a bookstore in the area. The man saw Rob, a woman and a small child throwing a lot of trash bags in the dumpster several of the businesses shared right after Pam went missing. This was something all shop owners had agreed not to do so the man looked in the dumpster after the couple left and said it appeared to be bags of women’s clothing. The bookstore owner had to leave town soon after due to a family member’s illness and had no idea at the time that Pam was missing. When he did find out he shared the story with the police but they never passed it on to Pam’s family. Rob would also take down missing person’s posters of Pam as soon as they were put up and had even contacted a divorce attorney prior to her going missing asking how to get a divorce if your spouse is gone. If things don’t seem obvious enough Rob even hired his own PI to investigate his wife’s disappearance. According to Jimmie, the PI actually went to the police and Pam’s family saying he thought Rob had done something to cause her disappearance.
Jimmie states that at the time of Pam’s disappearance, Rob was thought to be having an affair with his secretary at the Paleo Verde Nuclear Plant where he worked. She said the secretary’s mother-in-law confirmed this. It was reported the week before Pam went missing (when she was visiting her relatives in Arkansas) Rob had spent most of the time with the secretary and her young son on his boat. It is thought perhaps her and the son as well as Rob could be the ones seen putting belongings in the dumpster soon after the disappearance.
Although Jimmie believed that her sister was dead, she followed up on every lead in hopes it would give them answers. She wrote police departments, colleges and many places asking if there was a Pamela Frisby Page enrolled or living there. They drove all around Arizona putting up posters and asking about unidentified bodies that had been found. They did find out, within a few years of her disappearance, that Pam’s social security card had been used which briefly gave the family renewed hope. It was discovered that this person even lived close to Pam’s family in Arkansas. It turns out the woman was named Pamela Jean Page, she was the same age as the missing Pam Page and even had red hair. It was discovered that she had lost her social security card and applied for a replacement but was given a new card with Pam’s number on it by mistake. Jimmie even spoke to this woman and arranged for her parents to meet her just to convince them it was not their Pam. The woman was very understanding and agreed to meet the family, which she did. Sadly, she passed away a few years later from an illness.
As sort of a last resort, Jimmie also contacted psychic Carol Pate to see if she could give the family any answers. Jimmie was amazed at the information that Carol came up with on what little she was given. She says she saw a vision of a couple arguing and the man suffocated the woman with a pillow. Another female then came to assist him in placing her in the trunk. The couple drove Pam somewhere and she saw the numbers 2-4-1 and the name Coolidge as well as a gray factory near a railroad. She then said the man pulled over, removed the body and started to dig. The reporter, Jana Thorsen, followed up on those clues. She found a gray factory near some railroad tracks in Peoria. Nearby she found a sign with the numbers 2-4-1. A route that ran from Rob and Pam’s house to a friend’s house passed both of these sites and ended at a street named Coolidge. Without locating Pam’s remains or knowing exactly how she went missing however, it is impossible to know how much of Carol Pate’s vision would prove to be accurate.
It might surprise you to know that Pam isn’t the only person in the Frisby family to go missing. Pam’s first cousin, Darla Harper, went missing 3 years before Pam did. She was in her mid 20’s, the mother of a little girl named Leslie and in the middle of a contentious divorce. Jimmie always wondered if Pam talking about Darla’s disappearance is what gave Rob the idea to make Pam “disappear”. Some years after Darla disappeared her ex-husband’s home was searched by the FBI. Under his home they found a tarp that had been doused with lime and acid. They found a tiny bone, but were unable to get any DNA from it. It was also known that her ex missed work at his job the entire next week after Darla went missing and had bandages on his hand. He then remodeled his bathroom that week (the same location where police searched years later and found the tarp). Some painters working in the area of her townhouse, as well as her ex, are thought to be suspects. Darla’s ex passed away a few years ago in a traffic accident. Sadly, just 2 weeks before Darla went missing, her sister Debbie (who had always struggled with physical problems) also died, so unfortunately, tragedy is something the Frisby family has had to deal with. When Unsolved Mysteries was contacted about profiling Pam’s case, her family asked if Darla’s case could be profiled as well. The producer looked into it but UM declined to tackle Darla’s disappearance saying something about it confusing the viewers. Surprisingly, Rob didn’t participate in the segment about Pam’s disappearance. Jimmie said Rob thought UM was on the side of Pam’s family and would twist what he said so he declined to be interviewed.
Decades would go by and there were never really any developments in Pam’s disappearance. The family is absolutely convinced that Rob killed Pam, but would really like to find her remains to help with closure. Then it was discovered that Rob Page had cancer. Time was running out. He would never speak to Pam’s family and avoided them if their path’s crossed while on one of their trips to Arizona. He died in 2009 after a slow, painful battle with liver and colon cancer. It was told to Jimmie that a relative of Rob’s asked him to tell what he knew about Pam’s disappearance on his deathbed while in hospice. Rob refused to say anything and made the person who asked about it leave the room. He would die soon after, taking the secret about what happened to his wife to his grave.
Pam’s family does want me to clear something up. I’m not sure of the source but there are reports out there that state that Rob is no longer a suspect in Pam’s disappearance. That is absolutely NOT the case. In fact, I will share with you a letter the family received 2 years ago from the Maricopa County Attorney’s office that should clear up any confusion. I will attach a photo of it but will type it out as well so it’s easy to read:
Dear Frisby Family:
I have reviewed the summary of this case and the appended Fact Chronology which includes the most recent witness statements. I have also spoken with Detectives Mark Stribling and Dennis Olson about their review of and follow-up on this case. If this matter was submitted to me today for consideration of charges I believe we would have a reasonable likelihood of conviction (despite Pam’s body never being found) of Robert Page on the charge of Murder in the Second Degree. We really have no solid information to prove premeditation for a count of Murder in the First Degree. This case offers nothing in the way of alternative explanations of Pam Page’s disappearance to warrant continuing working this case in efforts to find other suspects. In view of the fact that suspect Robert Page is now deceased I consider this case closed.
Sincerely,
Bob Shutts
Attorney-Cold Case Supervisor
It is now time for my thoughts on the case. It probably isn’t surprising to hear that I believe Rob Page killed Pam. I think he may have even planned her demise on the week she was visiting her family, doing research and working on the letter perhaps. From what the family has learned, he had a new love and was ready to have a future with her. Going through a messy divorce and dividing the couple’s considerable assets would have been a messy way to go and Rob just wanted to move on with his life. He was certain he could convince people that she moved on willingly and the only thing that kept him out of jail was, as Jimmie was told, “it was a different time back then” and it seems that with no body there would be no arrest.
It appears with the passage of time, the realization that Pam Page might remain missing is a distinct possibility. Still, her family has hope her remains can be found and she can be laid to rest near her family in Arkansas. Pam’s father passed away 6 years ago but Pam’s mother (now 95) and all of her siblings are still alive and want answers as to where their loved one is and what happened to her in her final hours. The Frisby family is amazing for the time and devotion they have spent over the last 30 years trying to find their loved one. It’s too bad that sheer determination and effort couldn’t locate a missing loved one. If it could, then Pam Page would certainly have been found many years ago.
This article was originally published at https://lostnfoundblogs.com
Much thanks to Crystal Dawn
Punk Noir Press 