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Lora Lee Michel’s family has been wondering where she has been since she went missing. A small-town girl, Lora, with enormous Hollywood hopes, became engulfed in the celebrity whirlwind.
Lora was involved in a highly publicized child custody battle in court, which became infamous in the Hollywood industry.
Michel was eventually arrested, and her name has since vanished, leaving people to wonder what happened to her once she grew up. After acting in films such as “Tokyo Joe,” Michel was called the “new Shirley Temple.” People are still curious about her whereabouts and how her life has developed since her early celebrity.
A child actress in the 1940s, Lora Lee Michel at 7 was billed as a “sensation” with “the greatest appeal since Shirley Temple.” But following a scandalous custody trial and a stint in federal prison, she vanished from the public eye.
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) May 19, 2022
The Los Angeles Times published a story by Stacy Perman headlined “What happened to erstwhile child star Lora Lee Michel?” in May 2022. According to the story, Lora’s sister Barbara Wright Isaacs is still looking for her brother after 55 years, believing “…she’s either dead or doesn’t want to be discovered.”
Stacy eventually uncovered documents maintained by Lora’s second husband, Joe Wendel Owen, indicating that Lora died of cancer in 1979.
