Disappearance of Julie Weflen

Julie Weflen
Born
Julie Ann Weflen

(1959-05-03)May 3, 1959
DisappearedSeptember 16, 1987 (aged 28)
Washington, U.S.
StatusMissing for 37 years, 3 months and 16 days
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
SpouseMike Weflen

Julie Ann Weflen (born May 3, 1959)[1] is a missing woman who was last seen on September 16, 1987.[2] She disappeared from her workplace in Spokane County, Washington. Her case is considered a presumed homicide although her body has never been found and there are still no suspects.[3] In 2004, true crime author Ann Rule dedicated an entire chapter about Weflen's abduction in her book Kiss Me, Kill Me.

Disappearance

Weflen worked as an operator for the Bonneville Power Administration in Spokane, Washington. She parked her minivan in the gravel lot along Four Mound Road and logged into the Spring Hill Substation near Riverside State Park at 2 p.m. on the day she disappeared. BPA workers have stated that she probably finished work and returned to the minivan about 3:45 p.m.[4][5]

Weflen was last seen heading toward a substation at Four Mound and Coulee Hite Road. Her hard hat, toolbox, a water bottle, and a pair of sunglasses were located on the ground beside her truck and the driver's side door and back hatch were found open. Her purse was discovered in the rig where she had worked.[6]

Investigation and aftermath

A reward of $25,000 has been issued for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people involved in Weflen's disappearance.[7] Since she disappeared, the BPA and local law enforcement officials have received plenty of information, but nothing has ever helped in finding her.[8]

Weflen's former co-worker, John Polos, has hypothesised that her abduction may have been connected to other unsolved cases involving similar-looking women in the Spokane–Coeur d'Alene area at the same time; this theory has not been definitely proven by law enforcement who have ruled out serial killers Robert Lee Yates and Gary Ridgway as suspects.[9] Weflen's mother died in 2006.[10]

Potentially linked cases

  • 17-year-old Laurie Lynn Partridge disappeared on December 4, 1974, after she left Ferris High School in Spokane, Washington to walk the two miles to her house. No one has ever heard from Laurie again since she never returned home.[11][9]
  • Nurse Kathryn Gregory, 24, disappeared on November 5, 1981, from a parking lot in Spokane's South Hills. Her car was found parked two blocks away from where she was last seen; foul play is suspected.[12] "She looked like Julie's twin sister," Polos has said.[9]
  • Deborah Jean Swanson, 31, went missing on March 29, 1986, after she failed to return from the Tubbs Hill hiking trail in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Her car was later discovered locked the same day in a parking lot next to the trail.[13][9]
  • Sally Anne Stone, 21, went missing after she visited her physical therapist's office in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on May 16, 1986. She was never heard from again.[14][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Doe Network: Case File 2434DFWA". www.doenetwork.org. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  2. ^ Good, Meaghan Elizabeth. "The Charley Project: Julie Ann Weflen". www.charleyproject.org. Archived from the original on 2017-08-20. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  3. ^ "Missing on the job". Spokesman.com. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  4. ^ "Amateur sleuth says 25-year-old case of missing BPA worker Julie Weflen 'can be solved'". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  5. ^ "Detectives retrieve belongings from Weflen's locker". Spokesman.com. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  6. ^ "Julie Ann Weflen". nampn.org. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  7. ^ Kauder, Rob (2012-03-16). "BPA offering $25K reward in Julie Weflen disappearance". KXLY. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  8. ^ "BPA offers reward in 1987 disappearance of Julie Weflen". www.bpa.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Amateur sleuth says 25-year-old case of missing BPA worker Julie Weflen 'can be solved'". Richard Cockle. April 22, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  10. ^ "Unsolved Mysteries: What Happened to Julie Weflen? - J.H. Moncrieff". J.H. Moncrieff. 2015-03-03. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  11. ^ Laurie Lynn Partridge The Charley Project. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  12. ^ Kathryn Marie Rahe The Charley Project. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  13. ^ Deborah Jean Swanson The Charley Project. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  14. ^ Sally Anne Stone The Charley Project. Retrieved June 22, 2024.