Novella C. Sutton vanished on New Year’s Eve 1981 at age 26 and has not been heard from since. After reviewing archives, public records, background reports, and historical sources, this report presents the first known public profile documenting her disappearance.
Published by Underground Mysteries on March 9, 2026 — documenting overlooked and underreported missing persons cases.
Novella C. Sutton disappeared in an unknown town in Virginia on December 31, 1981. Despite reportedly going missing many years ago, Underground Mysteries is hoping to bring awareness to this highly underrepresented missing person case. Up until this publication, there have not been any Internet news articles on her disappearance. The only awareness that existed thus far is a news article from her original disappearance in the early 1980s as well as public pleas from her family on social media.
Through independent research, I was able to piece together information regarding Novella’s disappearance, in an effort to revive this case and bring it into the media spotlight. Because such little information existed in this case, I searched archives, historical information, public records, yearbooks, newspapers, background reports, and much more to collect information for the search. I am also conducting my own search for Novella.
I was able to uncover that Novella C. Sutton was born March 16, 1954, and she was 26 years old when she disappeared on December 31, 1981 — New Year’s Eve. If alive at the time of this publication, Novella would be 72 years old.
Novella is described as an African American female with black hair and brown eyes.
Reports indicate she was last seen somewhere in Virginia, though the exact city or county has not yet been confirmed, as aforementioned.
During this research, I located an old record tying Novella to a residence on the 6200 block of Limekiln Pike in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she lived years prior to her disappearance. I also found her yearbook photo; she was from the class of 1975 and attended Olney High School in Philadelphia. The main photo displayed in this publication is her high school yearbook photo. She may have looked a bit older at the time of her disappearance.
Novella’s family is still desperate for answers and have never given up searching for her.
Cases like this are sometimes referred to as “underrepresented” or “underground” missing person cases, meaning the disappearance may have been reported long ago but never received widespread attention or documentation in modern national databases.
At the time of this publication, Novella Sutton’s case is not listed in NamUs, the United States national database for missing and unidentified people. Efforts will be made to attempt to submit a case profile into NamUs, but such cases must typically be reviewed and approved by law enforcement before becoming publicly visible.
In the meantime, I added Novella’s case to Underground Mysteries’ database of unreported and underrepresented missing people, where I host cases that are unreported / underrepresented or cases that have not yet been entered in the NamUs database. It also hosts old cases that have been mistakenly closed or “lost cases.” If you would like to add your loved one’s case to this database, please click here.
Much about the disappearance of Novella C. Sutton remains unknown. However, even decades later, awareness can sometimes lead to new information, witnesses, or records that help bring clarity to long-unsolved cases.
At this time, it is not yet known which law enforcement agency originally handled the missing person report, or whether the case remains active with any police department.
If you have any information on Novella Sutton’s disappearance, please contact your local law enforcement agency. You could also contact me here, and I will contact Novella’s family.
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Case Information
Name: Novella C. Sutton
Also Known As: Novella Sutton
Date of Birth: March 16, 1954
Age at Disappearance: 26
Date Missing: December 31, 1981
Last Seen: Virginia, United States (exact location unknown)
Race: African American
Sex: Female
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Known Residence: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (6200 block of Limekiln Pike)
Case Status: Long-term missing person / cold case
NamUs Status: Not currently listed in NamUs
Case Category: Underrepresented missing person case
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