Case Details
- Photo URLs:
-
- Missing Since:
- Missing Since 06/23/1997
- Missing From:
- Missing From San Francisco, California
- Classification:
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Gender:
- Female
- Race:
- Race White
- Date of Birth:
- Date of Birth 06/01/1979 (45)
- Age:
- Age 18 years old
- Height and Weight:
- Height and Weight 5’8, 140 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description:
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A black Spinelli’s t-shirt, a long-sleeved dark blue plaid flannel shirt, tan pants, and possibly Fly London sneakers with laces in the front and behind the heel. They also have an imprint of a fly on each of the soles. Carrying a green Jansport backpack with a black mesh pocket and two library books inside of the bag.
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Dark brown hair, brown eyes. Modafferi has facial dimples.
- Details of Disappearance:
- Kristen Modafferi, a college student studying industrial design, disappeared from San Francisco in June 1997. She was in San Francisco for a summer photography course and worked part-time at two coffee shops.
On her last day seen, June 23rd, she was seen leaving work with an unknown blonde woman. While some witnesses saw them together, her boss said she left alone. Bloodhounds followed her scent to a bus that went towards a beach, where the trail ended at the shoreline. No body was ever found.
Among her belongings was a personal ad seeking friends who enjoyed similar activities. It’s unclear if she placed it or responded to it.
An anonymous tip claimed two women murdered Modafferi and left her body under a bridge. The police investigated this lead, focusing on Jon Onuma, who admitted to making the false tip to get revenge on the women mentioned in the tip, who had work-related issues with his girlfriend. Onuma’s actions and other accusations of abuse against him remain relevant but provided no evidence in Modafferi’s disappearance.
Investigators also briefly considered Robert Durst, a man with a history of unsolved disappearances and murders, but found no connection to Modafferi’s case.
Despite all investigations, Kristen Modafferi’s disappearance remains a mystery.
- Agency:
- Oakland Police Department 510-238-3641
- Source Links:
This person was missing Missing Since 06/23/1997