Gesler was last seen in Auburn, Washington on March 13, 1976. She left her husband and children at home in the 400 block of north Prospect at 11:00 a.m., saying she was going to rent a hotel room so she could be alone and study for an upcoming college final exam. She was driving a metallic blue 1973 Mercury station wagon. She said she would return the next day. Gesler kept a hairdresser's appointment in Auburn, Washington that day. She never returned home and has never been heard from again. After her disappearance, her car was found abandoned in a municpal parking lot at 1st Street northeast and B Street in Auburn.

Authorities believe Gesler was murdered by her ex-husband, Glenn Allan Bagley. Photos of Bagley are posted below this case summary. It was his car Gesler was driving on the day of her disappearance, and phone records prove he called her a few days before. Investigators believe he was responsible for the 1973 disappearances of Althea Blankinship and her son Jeffrey as well; they lived in a small rented apartment inside Bagley's home in Port Townsend, Washington, and he was the last person to see them.

Bagley, a retired civil engineer, presently lives in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Washington police haven't spoken to him since 1976; he moved to the Philippines shortly after Gesler disappeared. He maintains his innocence in all three cases and claims he was building a cat house in his garage on the day Gesler went missing. His then-girlfriend supported his story, but in 2004 she recanted and told the police Bagley had threatened her life. He supposedly said if she ever revealed anything he'd told her, she would "end up in the same culvert in Quilcene as Esther." Investigators are trying to build a murder case against Bagley, although it's unclear whether he can be extradited even if charges are filed against him.

Gesler's case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected. Kent police are investigating her disappearance.

Left: Glenn Allan Bagley, circa 1970s;
Right: Bagley, circa 2009