Sherry Lynn Marler

Twelve-year-old Sherry Lynn Marler accompanied her stepfather into downtown Greenville on a June morning in 1984. He gave her a dollar to buy a drink and told her to return to the truck. Minutes later, she was gone.

The morning began with ordinary farm errands.

On June 6, 1984, twelve-year-old Sherry Lynn Marler accompanied her stepfather, Raymond Stringfellow, from their rural Butler County home into downtown Greenville.

Raymond needed to visit a bank.

Sherry wanted a soda.

According to the account repeated for more than four decades, Raymond gave her a dollar and told her to meet him back at the pickup truck in approximately fifteen minutes.

When he returned, Sherry was not there.

He waited.

He searched nearby businesses.

He called Sherry’s mother at the Waffle House where she worked.

By 11:46 a.m., Sherry had been reported missing.

No confirmed witness has publicly placed her anywhere after she separated from Raymond or, according to the earliest version of his account, after he heard the passenger door of the truck close behind him.

Forty-two years later, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency continues to classify Sherry’s disappearance as an active involuntary missing-person case. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children still circulates an age-progressed image showing what she might look like as an adult. (ALEA)

“Little Farmer”

Sherry was born on August 18, 1971.

She had brown hair and brown eyes and stood approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall. Estimates of her weight ranged from 100 to 120 pounds.

She had a two-inch scar on her abdomen and a wide scar near one shoulder on her upper back. At twelve, she still had a mixture of baby and permanent teeth, with fillings in two teeth. Those dental details remain important because they could help identify her if unidentified remains were ever compared with her records. (Charley Project)

Sherry was known within her family as “Little Farmer.”

She was described as a tomboy who enjoyed agricultural work and knew how to operate farm equipment. She liked accompanying Raymond while he worked on crops and machinery, and she reportedly listened to country singer Kenny Rogers. (Uncovered)

The day she vanished, Sherry was wearing a red, long-sleeved plaid work shirt, faded blue jeans, new gray tennis shoes with Velcro fasteners and a watch with a black band. (Charley Project)

Her clothes looked like the clothes of the farm child her nickname described.

They would become the last confirmed description anyone had of her.

The Morning at Home

Sherry’s mother, Betty Stringfellow, worked as a waitress at a Waffle House in Greenville.

In a personal account later published by the Surviving Parents Coalition, Betty said she needed to be at work by 7 a.m. on June 6. A relative was visiting and using Sherry’s bedroom, so Sherry had slept on the living-room sofa.

Betty remembered opening the door to leave and briefly disturbing her daughter. Sherry moved but settled back down.

That was the last time Betty saw her. (SP Coalition)

According to what Raymond later told Betty, he was preparing to leave when Sherry ran outside carrying her shoes and asked to go with him.

She often wanted to accompany him when he went somewhere, and he allowed her to come along that morning. (SP Coalition)

An account Raymond gave reporters in 1986 described the morning somewhat differently.

In that version, Sherry awoke after hearing him make coffee. Before driving into town, the two reportedly worked on a combine and checked crops in several fields.

The differences do not prove deception. Memories change, and later news reports often include details omitted from early summaries.

But they make the precise morning timeline harder to establish.

One account places Sherry asleep until Raymond was almost ready to leave. Another describes her awake earlier and working with him before the trip. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

The Trip Into Greenville

The family lived a little more than eight miles outside Greenville.

Raymond reportedly needed to visit First National Bank to handle paperwork connected to a farm loan. Accounts generally place their arrival downtown between 9 and 9:30 a.m. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

The familiar version of the story says Raymond parked near the bank and gave Sherry one dollar to purchase a drink from a Chevron station across the street.

He told her to meet him back at the truck in about fifteen minutes. (ALEA)

But even this central moment is not described identically in every account.

Some summaries say Sherry was last seen crossing the street toward the Chevron station.

Raymond’s earlier statement reportedly said he placed the dollar on the truck seat as he got out. While walking away, he heard the passenger door close but did not look back.

If that earliest account is accurate, Raymond did not actually see Sherry leave the truck or confirm the direction she walked. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

That distinction changes the last-known point.

Sherry may have crossed toward the gas station.

She may have walked in another direction.

She may have approached a vehicle in the parking area.

Or someone may have approached her almost immediately after Raymond turned away.

There is no publicly confirmed witness who saw what happened next.

Fifteen Minutes

Raymond said he remained inside the bank for approximately fifteen minutes.

When he returned, Sherry was not waiting at the truck.

At first, he was reportedly irritated. Sherry had been told when to return, and he expected her to follow instructions.

After roughly ten additional minutes passed, concern replaced frustration.

According to Betty, it was unlike Sherry to disobey and remain gone. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

Raymond began checking the surrounding area.

He reportedly searched businesses where Sherry might have gone, including stores selling farm machinery or equipment. Those were places “Little Farmer” might reasonably have entered to look around. (Uncovered)

At some point between approximately 10:15 and 10:30 a.m., Raymond called Betty at work and asked whether Sherry had come to the Waffle House.

She had not.

The restaurant was roughly two miles from the bank, far enough that Sherry would have needed time to walk there. Public accounts do not explain precisely where Raymond placed the call or everything he did before making it. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

Police received the missing-person report at approximately 11:46 a.m.

By then, more than two hours may have passed since Sherry was last believed to be at the truck. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

A Child Missing From the Center of Town

Greenville was a small city where families expected someone to recognize a child walking through downtown.

Sherry disappeared in daylight.

She was not hiking in remote woods or traveling alone along an interstate.

She vanished from a commercial area near a bank and gas station during the morning.

Yet investigators could not locate a confirmed witness who saw her purchase the drink, speak to another person or enter a vehicle. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

The absence of witnesses created several possible explanations.

Sherry could have entered a vehicle willingly with someone she knew.

A stranger could have persuaded her to approach.

Someone could have forced her into a vehicle during a moment when no one nearby was looking.

She might also have walked to another business and encountered danger outside the immediate bank area.

The narrow public timeline does not establish which possibility investigators considered most likely.

The active ALEA classification describes the case as involuntary, while the Charley Project classifies it as a non-family abduction. (ALEA)

The Search

Law-enforcement officers and community members searched extensively after Sherry disappeared.

Later reporting described searches covering hundreds of acres of woods and fields around Greenville. Flyers were distributed, information was entered into national missing-child systems and the family appealed publicly for help. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

No clothing, shoe, watch or personal item was publicly confirmed as belonging to Sherry.

No location was identified as a crime scene.

No vehicle was conclusively linked to her disappearance.

No ransom demand was publicly verified.

The absence of physical evidence meant investigators had little ability to determine whether Sherry remained in Butler County or was driven out of the area within minutes.

Greenville sits near Interstate 65, a major north-south route through Alabama.

A vehicle leaving the city could quickly travel toward Montgomery, Mobile or highways crossing into neighboring states.

That possibility became increasingly important when reported sightings began arriving from outside Alabama.

Reported Sightings

Over the years, witnesses claimed they saw a girl resembling Sherry in several cities and states.

Locations mentioned in later case reviews included Grand Bay and Birmingham in Alabama, as well as Memphis, Boston, Dubuque and New Orleans. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

Several reports shared similar details.

Witnesses described a girl who looked disheveled, dazed, unhappy or frightened. She was reportedly accompanied by a middle-aged man, often described as approximately 50 years old, around 5 feet 8 inches tall, heavily built and weathered in appearance.

Some accounts mentioned noticeable crow’s feet around his eyes.

One witness reportedly heard the girl call him “B.J.” (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

A sighting at a shopping mall in New Orleans was reportedly communicated to Sherry’s mother shortly before Christmas 1984. (Uncovered)

None of the sightings was confirmed.

Witnesses can sincerely mistake another child for someone whose photograph has appeared in the news. Physical descriptions may also become more similar as stories are repeated and combined over time.

No publicly available law-enforcement statement confirms that the girl with the unidentified man was Sherry.

The reports remain possible leads, not proof that she survived for months or years after leaving Greenville.

The Man Called “B.J.”

The repeated description of a middle-aged man has become one of the most discussed elements of Sherry’s case.

If several independent witnesses truly saw the same girl and man in different locations, it could suggest that Sherry was abducted and transported through multiple states.

If the reports were mistaken or influenced by earlier publicity, the man may never have existed.

The public record does not disclose how investigators tested the sightings.

It is unclear whether witnesses were separately shown photographs, whether composite sketches were created or whether vehicle descriptions and travel records were compared.

There is also no public confirmation that Sherry knew anyone called B.J.

The name may have been misheard.

It could have been a nickname, initials or a word unrelated to the man’s identity.

Without a verified sighting, the description cannot be treated as a confirmed suspect profile.

Runaway or Abduction

Sherry’s family did not believe she ran away.

Her mother said Sherry had been looking forward to watching a favorite television program and visiting her grandmother that day. She did not have serious problems at home that would explain abandoning her family without preparation. (Charley Project)

Sherry also had little with her.

She had no publicly reported luggage, significant money or change of clothing. She left in work clothes during a routine trip into town.

The one-dollar errand was supposed to last minutes.

Nothing about it resembled a planned departure.

Raymond later acknowledged that Sherry might have entered a vehicle willingly if she recognized or trusted the driver. He reportedly believed she would have fought someone who tried to take her by force. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

A child entering a vehicle voluntarily does not mean she intended to disappear.

An abductor may be familiar to the child.

The person may offer a ride, claim a family member sent them or create a reason for the child to approach.

Voluntary entry and involuntary disappearance are not mutually exclusive.

Scrutiny of the Family

As the last known adult with Sherry, Raymond was inevitably examined by investigators.

Later reporting says police asked both Raymond and Betty to take polygraph examinations. Both declined.

Raymond publicly questioned why the family should submit to testing when they believed reported sightings had not been investigated adequately. Law enforcement described the request as standard procedure because Raymond was the last person known to have been with the missing child. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

A refusal to take a polygraph is not proof of involvement.

Polygraph results are not reliable enough to establish guilt or innocence, and people may decline them for legal, personal or medical reasons.

No publicly available source states that Raymond or Betty was charged in connection with Sherry’s disappearance.

Missing People in America’s current case summary says both Sherry’s biological father and stepfather were investigated and ruled out as suspects. (Missing People in America)

Raymond maintained until his death that he had no involvement.

Sherry’s family remained firm in defending him against rumors that circulated through the community. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

A Timeline That Changed

The variations in Raymond’s account remain relevant even without evidence that he harmed Sherry.

Investigators depend on precise timing in an abduction case.

A difference of thirty minutes can change which customers were at the bank, which employees were working at the gas station and which vehicles passed through the area.

The public record contains uncertainty over:

• When Sherry woke up
• Whether she and Raymond worked on farm equipment before leaving
• When they departed home
• Whether they arrived downtown around 9 or 9:30
• Where the truck was parked
• Whether Raymond saw Sherry leave it
• Whether she crossed toward the gas station
• How long Raymond waited before searching
• Where he went before calling Betty

A recent Alabama Cold Case Advocacy review compared early newspaper reporting with later family accounts and found that those details were never completely reconciled. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

That does not mean the central story is false.

It means the exact window in which Sherry disappeared is less certain than the familiar fifteen-minute account suggests.

Rumors That Outgrew the Evidence

Sherry’s disappearance has attracted numerous theories during the past four decades.

Some involve family members.

Others involve human trafficking, child exploitation, photographs, farms or claims that Sherry was pregnant.

Alabama Cold Case Advocacy’s 2026 review found no publicly confirmed evidence supporting the pregnancy or exploitation allegations. (Alabama Cold Case Advocacy)

Those claims should not be repeated as established facts.

Rumors can become particularly damaging in a case with almost no physical evidence. Each retelling creates the impression that investigators confirmed something that may have begun as anonymous community speculation.

The responsible public record remains much narrower:

Sherry traveled into Greenville with Raymond.

She was expected to return to his truck.

She did not.

No confirmed witness has publicly established what happened afterward.

A Mother Who Kept Searching

Betty continued speaking publicly about her daughter for decades.

She participated in missing-child advocacy, maintained Sherry’s photographs and supported efforts to keep the case visible. A restaurant opened by members of the family in Enterprise reportedly honored Sherry and the anniversary of her disappearance. (reddit.com)

For families of long-term missing children, age-progressed images bring a particular kind of pain.

The photograph is not the missing person.

It is an estimate of the face time might have created.

NCMEC’s current poster shows Sherry as she appeared at twelve and an age progression estimating how she could look around age fifty. She would now be 54. (NCMEC)

The image asks the public to consider two possibilities at once.

Sherry may have died shortly after disappearing.

Or she may have survived, lived under another name and reached adulthood without understanding or being able to communicate who she was.

After more than four decades, both possibilities remain officially unresolved.

Identifying Sherry Today

Age progression can help, but the most reliable identifying information may come from physical and dental characteristics.

Sherry had:

• A two-inch abdominal scar
• A wide scar on her upper back near one shoulder
• Brown eyes
• Brown hair
• Dental fillings in two teeth
• A mixture of baby and permanent teeth when she disappeared

Her dental records are reportedly available for comparison. (Charley Project)

Those details may help investigators compare Sherry with unidentified remains found elsewhere.

They could also help an adult who has uncertain childhood memories recognize a possible connection to the case.

NCMEC notes that Sherry may use an alternate birth date of August 6, 1971, although her documented birth date is August 18. (NCMEC)

The reason for the alternate date is not explained publicly.

What Can Be Established

The public record supports several central facts:

• Sherry Lynn Marler was twelve years old when she disappeared on June 6, 1984.
• She lived with her family outside Greenville in Butler County.
• She accompanied her stepfather, Raymond Stringfellow, into town.
• Raymond went into or near First National Bank.
• He gave Sherry one dollar to buy a drink and expected her to return to the truck.
• Sherry was wearing a red plaid shirt, faded jeans and new gray Velcro-fastened shoes.
• She did not return.
• Raymond searched and contacted Sherry’s mother.
• Greenville police received the missing-person report before noon.
• Extensive searches failed to locate her.
• Reported sightings in Alabama and other states were never confirmed.
• No one has been publicly charged in connection with her disappearance.
• ALEA continues to list the case as active and involuntary.
• NCMEC continues to circulate her missing-child poster and age-progressed image. (ALEA)

What Cannot Be Established Publicly

The accessible record does not conclusively reveal:

• What time Sherry and Raymond left home
• Whether they worked on the farm before driving into town
• The exact time they arrived
• The precise location of the truck
• Whether Sherry ever reached the Chevron station
• Whether she bought a drink
• Who last independently saw her
• Whether she entered a vehicle
• Whether an abductor was a stranger or someone she knew
• Whether the reported man called B.J. existed
• Whether any out-of-state sighting was truly Sherry
• What vehicle may have carried her away
• Whether investigators developed a viable suspect
• Whether physical evidence was ever recovered
• Whether Sherry survived beyond June 6, 1984
• Where she is now

The absence of answers is not evidence for any single theory.

It is the reason the case remains open.

The Questions That Remain

Did Sherry leave the pickup truck?

Did anyone see her cross the street?

Was the Chevron station open and staffed?

Did a customer notice a child in a red plaid shirt?

Did Sherry know someone who expected to find her downtown?

Was a vehicle waiting near the bank?

Could someone have followed the family from their rural home?

Why did no confirmed witness see her during the short errand?

Were bank employees and customers identified and interviewed?

Were nearby businesses asked about unusual people or vehicles?

Did any reported sighting contain information that had not been publicized?

Who was the man some witnesses described?

Did Sherry actually call him B.J.?

And can modern DNA and missing-person databases connect her with an unidentified person whose remains were recovered far from Alabama?

How Alabama Unsolved Classifies the Case

Sherry’s case should be classified as:

Active involuntary missing-child case and suspected non-family abduction: Sherry disappeared during a brief errand in downtown Greenville in 1984. No confirmed witness, physical evidence or criminal charge has established what happened to her.

That description follows her official ALEA status and the classification used by national missing-person organizations. (ALEA)

It does not accuse a member of her family.

It also does not treat the unverified sightings as proof that she was transported across state lines.

The Dollar Left Behind

The story of Sherry Marler’s disappearance has endured because of its simplicity.

A child wanted something to drink.

Her stepfather gave her a dollar.

He expected her to return in fifteen minutes.

She never did.

But beneath that simple outline, the morning is filled with uncertainty.

No one can say with confidence when Sherry left the truck.

No one can say whether she reached the gas station.

No confirmed witness saw who approached her.

No camera recorded the vehicle that may have carried her away.

Within a few minutes, a twelve-year-old girl disappeared from downtown Greenville without leaving a publicly known trace.

The buildings have changed.

The businesses have changed.

The people who were downtown that morning have grown old, moved away or died.

Sherry remains twelve years old in the photograph used to search for her.

Somewhere, someone may remember a girl in a red plaid shirt.

Someone may remember a vehicle parked where it should not have been.

Someone may have heard a confession that sounded unbelievable in 1984.

Or an adult may look at Sherry’s childhood face and recognize something from a life they never fully understood.

Anyone with information concerning Sherry Lynn Marler should contact the Greenville Police Department at 334-382-7461. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also accepts information at 1-800-THE-LOST, or 1-800-843-5678. (greenvilleal.gov)