E267: Joan Gay Croft

Coffee and Cases Podcast

Allison Williams, Maggie Damron

Unsolved, Murder, Conspiracy, True Crime, Cold Cases, Mystery, Society & Culture

4.8 • 608 Ratings

🗓️ 2 May 2025

⏱️ 86 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On April 9, 1947, a monstrous F5 tornado tore through Woodward, Oklahoma—obliterating homes, claiming over 100 lives, and leaving behind one of the most haunting mysteries in American history. Four-year-old Joan Gay Croft survived the storm, injured but alive—only to disappear from a hospital basement hours later, never to be seen again. Who took her? Why was she taken? And why has no trace ever been found? In this episode, we unravel the heartbreaking case of Joan Gay Croft and the theories that still haunt investigators and listeners alike. This is not just a story about a storm—it's about what was lost in the chaos, and the enduring hope that the truth might still be found. If you are interested in bonus content for our show or in getting some Coffee and Cases swag, please consider joining Patreon. There are various levels to fit your needs, all of which can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases

Transcript

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0:00.0	Growing up, I was captivated and terrified by the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy's adventure began with the
0:07.0	raw power of a tornado, an ominous twisting cloud tearing her world apart. I vividly recall
0:15.2	being both entranced by the swirling sepia tone disaster and petrified, it might appear in my own sky.
0:24.5	Tornadoes represented a blend of wonder and horror, a devastating phenomenon that could rip your home
0:32.4	away, your family, and your very sense of safety. As I grew older, this childhood fear evolved into a mature understanding.
0:42.9	My terror was not merely imaginative.
0:46.3	Tornadoes truly embody destruction in its purest form.
0:50.4	And nowhere was this destructive power more apparent than in the terrifying aftermath of the
0:57.9	1947 Glazer Higgins-Woodward tornado, one of the deadliest storms in American history.
1:06.6	On the evening of April 9th, 1947, a monstrous F5 tornado, two miles wide,
1:15.6	with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour, descended upon the small town of Woodward, Oklahoma,
1:23.6	leaving unparalleled devastation in its wake.
1:27.0	Over 100 lives were lost.
1:29.9	Entire neighborhoods obliterated.
1:32.6	And among the chaos, a mystery emerged.
1:36.9	The disappearance of a four-year-old girl who somehow survived the tornado
1:42.2	only to vanish into the storm's chaotic aftermath.
1:48.3	This is the haunting and unresolved mystery of Joan Gaycroft.
1:54.8	Music I'm going to be the Welcome to coffee and cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold.
2:35.0	My name is Allison Williams.
2:37.0	And my name is Maggie Damran.
2:38.7	We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement.
	...

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