The enigma surrounding Anna Manning’s vanishing may be inching closer to resolution.
On May 25, the Boyle County Sheriff’s Office revealed a breakthrough in the decades-long quest to find Anna: human remains were uncovered on a Kentucky property. This discovery emerged shortly after charges were filed against her husband and mother-in-law, implicating them in her disappearance.
The remains have yet to receive official identification, but authorities indicated they were located in an area previously flagged as a site relevant to Anna Manning’s case.
On May 19, Anthony Manning, Anna’s husband, faced indictment for murder, tampering with evidence, and corpse abuse. This information was shared in a statement from the sheriff’s office. His mother, Barbara Manning, is accused of complicity in these charges.
Anna Manning, who was just 23 at the time, was last seen by her aunt, Elsie Williams, on November 19, 1992. She was spotted outside a jewelry store in Junction City, Kentucky, according to NamUs, the national database for missing and unidentified persons.
Anna was just 23 when she was last seen by her aunt Elsie Williams in Junction City, Kentucky standing outside a jewelry store on Nov. 19, 1992, according to NamUs, the national missing and unidentified persons system.
Although Anna shouted to her aunt that she had something to tell her, Elsie—who had raised Anna since she was 13 years old—never saw her again or learned what she wanted to reveal, per NamUs.
According to The Advocate Messenger, seven months before she disappeared, Anna signed a warrant for Anthony’s arrest after he was accused of kidnapping her. At the time, Anthony had brought the couple’s 2-year-old daughter for a visit during a period of estrangement in the marriage and then demanded Anna have sex with him.
When she refused, he allegedly handcuffed her and led her out the back door, but she escaped when he went back inside to retrieve their daughter and her purse, the outlet reported. She then ran to a neighbor’s house and called 911.
Anthony was sentenced to 182 days in jail for unlawful imprisonment in connection to the incident, but 152 of the days were probated.
Though Anna disappeared in 1992, she was not formally reported missing until Feb. 25, 1994, according to the outlet.
Remains Are Allegedly Discovered on Barbara Manning’s Property
For years, Anna’s whereabouts remained a mystery, even as investigators scoured a five-acre property on Spring Valley Drive owned by Barbara.
Then, earlier this month, investigators announced the indictments of Anthony and Barbara, although they did not reveal what evidence led them to make the arrests.
Oxygen reached out to the Commonwealth Attorney Justin Johnson and the sheriff’s office, but did not receive an immediate reply.
Days after the indictments, skeletal remains were discovered buried in a shallow grave behind a mobile home on Barbara’s property, Lex 18 reported, possibly providing Anna’s family with answers.
“I knew she was there,” Elsie told the news outlet. “I’ve known all along she was there.”
Elsie added that her niece has continued to be a be a presence in her life, even after she disappeared.
“You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I could feel her in the room at times,” she told Lex 18. “We’ve always known she was here, always, always from day one.”
Barbara and Anthony are currently being held at the Boyle County Detention Center on $2 million cash bonds, according to the sheriff’s office. It’s unclear whether either has retained an attorney.
Both are scheduled to be arraigned on June 15, according to court records reviewed by Oxygen.
Authorities have said the investigation remains ongoing.