Missing Since: 1987-06-28 Location: Reno, Nevada
Jennifer was last seen at approximately 3:00 p.m. in the Lemmon Valley area of Reno, Nevada on June 28, 1987. She bought candy and a soda a 7-11 convenience store on Lemmon Valley Drive and disappeared while walking away from the business towards her home on Surge Street, just a few hundred feet away. Jennifer should have arrived home in less than five minutes, but she never did. When twenty minutes passed and she hadn’t come back, her older brother went to the 7-11 to look for her, and couldn’t find her. She has never been heard from again. Authorities treated Jennifer’s disappearance as a possible abduction from the onset of the investigation. A White pickup truck seen in the area at the time was eventually accounted for, but witnesses also saw a light-colored Toyota Corolla that was never identified. It’s unclear whether the vehicle had anything to do with her disappearance. Jennifer is described as an independent child who was capable of asserting herself around adults and wouldn’t have willingly gone into a stranger’s car. Her family had moved to Nevada from Clearwater, Florida ten months earlier, and she seemed to be settling in well. She had no history of running away from home, and she was cautious and always let her family know where she was. No strong suspects have ever been identified in Jennifer’s disappearance; it remains unsolved. Her mother has kept the same phone number the family had in 1987, hoping Jennifer might call home someday. Investigating Agency Washoe County Sheriff’s Office 775-328-3001 775-328-3369 Source Information The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Child Protection Education of America NamUs California Attorney General’s Office The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes KOLO TV Child Quest International Inc. The Reno Gazette-Journal Nevada: Sandra Butler and Jennifer Martin | DARK MATTERS #42 Updated 8 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated April 15, 2025; age-progression updated.