The Husband Who Vanished Joseph P. Blank 1 The McDonnells lived in Larchmont, a suburb of New York City. Jim was foreman of mail carriers at the post office where he had worked for 25 years. Married in 1960, he and Anne were childless. 2 During February and March 1971, Jim McDonnell suffered a curious series of accidents. None was critical in itself, but the combination appeared to trigger a strange result. 3 Carrying out the garbage one evening, he slipped on ice-coated steps, bruised his back and struck his head. A few days later, driving to work, he lost control of the car, hit a telephone pole and banged his forehead against the windshield. Ten days later he again lost control of his car and hit a pole. Found unconscious, he was hospitalized for three days with a cerebral concussion. 4 On March 29, 1971, Jim borrowed a friend’s station wagon and drove to Kennedy Airport to pick up Anne’s brother. When he returned the borrowed car at 10 p.m., Jim declined the offer of a ride home. Ordinarily the walk would have taken about 15 minutes. 5 At 11:15 p.m. Anne called the owner of the station wagon; he had no idea why Jim had not yet reached home. At 2 a.m., Anne called the police and reported her husband missing. 6 Investigation confirmed that McDonnell’s personal and professional records were impeccable, and turned up no evidence that he had been a victim of an accident or attack. The only explanation was amnesia.