35 Years Later, Man Makes Plea for Answers in Sister's Disappearance

Judith Chartier was 17 years old when she disappeared on June 5, 1982. And 35 years later, her brother says his heartache is year-round.

"It hurts all the time," said Joe Chartier. "It's a hurt I can't explain. It's heavy on the heart. It's very hard because Judy was my best friend growing up; her and I did everything together."

He says his sister was with her fiance at a party in Billerica. They had an argument and she drove him back home to Chelmsford, then went back to the party. Friends say she was last seen leaving to go home around 2 a.m.

Judith Chartier was driving a dark purple Dodge Dart, but she seemingly vanished. Her brother says police never found her or her car. He says her social security number never came up and she never picked up her last paycheck from work.

In 2012, there was a glimmer of hope when police found bones in a yard by the Chartiers' old Gorham Street home, but they turned out to be deer bones.

Joe Chartier hopes the 35th anniversary of her disappearance might get someone out there to remember some small detail to lead police to find Judy.

"I've lost both parents and my four brothers," he said. "I can deal with that because I know what happened. But with Judy, it's different. We don't know what happened. It's very difficult to live with."

On June 17, Chartier's family and friends are holding a tip campaign at the Chelmsford Radisson. They hope to inform the public more about her disappearance and hope someone can come forward with more information.

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