Sean Phelan

Sean’s story

Sean Kenneth Phelan was 21 when he checked out of the Six Pence Inn, a budget motel in Tustin, in October 1981. He had been depressed after a recent divorce and family problems. He was known to hitchhike up and down the West Coast between Southern California and Washington State. He has not been seen or heard from since. [1][4]

Who Sean was

Sean was born on Feb. 2, 1960. He was 5’10” and slim, with light brown hair and blue eyes. He had a small scar over his left eye, one on his left index finger and one on his left shin or ankle. He had married and divorced by the age of 21. [1][2][4]

One of the two photos the Sheriff’s Department released shows him in a white cap with a “USN” badge, the kind worn by U.S. Navy enlisted men. Whether he served hasn’t been confirmed in any public record. [1]

Some records note that he may use the surname Getty. [2][3]

What happened

The only established event is the checkout. Official and federal records say Sean checked out of the Six Pence Inn in Tustin on Oct. 1, 1981. After that there is no confirmed sighting, call or record. Given his history, it is possible he set off hitchhiking north, but no one has reported seeing him on the road. [1][4]

Where it happened

The Sixpence Inns were a Santa Ana–based chain of economy motels. In December 1988, when Motel 6 agreed to buy the chain, it had 49 motels, including one in Tustin. Most were converted to Motel 6s. A Tustin Sixpence clearly existed in the 1980s, but the 1981 address hasn’t been confirmed from a directory of the time. [5][6]

What investigators have said

The Sheriff’s Department lists Sean as an endangered missing person. Dental X-rays are available for comparison with unidentified remains. His case was entered in the national NamUs database in 2013. [1][2][4]

Where accounts differ

• The date. The Sheriff’s Department and NamUs say Oct. 1, 1981. The California DOJ and the Charley Project say Oct. 18, 1981. One may be a check-in or report date. [1][2][3][4]
• The alias. “Getty” appears in the state and Charley Project listings but not in the federal one. [2][4]
• A scar. On the left shin (NamUs) or a round scar on the left ankle (Charley Project). [3][4]

Open questions

• Did Sean serve in the Navy, and if so, when and where?
• Where was he heading when he left the motel?
• What is the connection to the surname Getty?
• Did any agency in Washington State ever record him after 1981?

What you can do

• If you knew Sean, or picked up a young hitchhiker heading north in October 1981 who matched his description, contact the cold case team.
• Check unidentified remains: search NamUs for unidentified men found along the I-5 and Highway 101 corridors in California, Oregon and Washington after October 1981.
• Research: a 1981 Tustin city directory would place the Six Pence Inn. If Sean served in the Navy, records of his service may be requestable from the National Archives.