Kortne Stouffer was 21 when she vanished from her condo in Palmyra, Pennsylvania on July 29, 2012.
Kortne’s father is Scott Stouffer, her mom is Wendy Stouffer Hammel. Wendy has at the very least 5 youngsters in response to on-line sources – Kortne, Ryan, Austin and Kerstin are a few of their names.
Across the time of her disappearance, Kortne had labored as a salon and spa worker and as a pet groomer.
Her sister Kerstin mentioned that Kortne was “carefree” and “very loud.’” She was additionally described as a contented, a modern-day free spirit. Kerstin mentioned that Kortne was “an lively, full of life, happy-go-lucky individual.”
“She was all the time wanting to place a smile in your face,” she mentioned. “She was all the time the lifetime of the occasion wherever she was at, and she or he was only a loving, sort human being.”
Kortne was courting a person named Bradley Herr in 2012. They lived collectively in an condo in Palmyra.
It is a timeline of the hours main as much as her disappearance:
On Saturday July 28, 2012, Kortne and Brad hosted a celebration at their condo. Police had been referred to as at round 9pm by a neighbor. Authorities responded to a report of an underage ingesting occasion.
After they arrived, police discovered round 8 folks on the condo. Brad was taken into custody for a probation violation. Two different attendees had been cited for underage ingesting and had been later launched.
Police broke up the occasion and once they left, Kortne was the one one left within the condo.
After Brad was taken into custody, Kortne was upset. She referred to as her mom at 9.50pm and mentioned that she was apprehensive Brad would now go to jail for a very long time.
At 10.07pm, she bought texts from two of her mates – Cody Pruett and Milton Rodriguez. They requested her to hitch them at a bar in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania.
Kortne drove to a venue referred to as the Gasoline Station Bar and the others met her there. She rode with the others to the {Hardware} Bar in Harrisburg. That bar has now completely closed.
Kortne’s father Scott has mentioned of the circumstances resulting in her disappearance “All of it goes again to a number of the people who had been round her that evening.”
At round 1.50am on Sunday, July 29, 2012, Kortne bought into a quick altercation. Some reviews say that the combat was with the girlfriend of a person named Arvard Brown. Information Nation reviews that Kortne really fought with a person that she believed had stolen cash from her previously.
Kortney was requested to go away and have become separated briefly from her group. They ended up discovering one another. The group went to get some pizza and returned to their automobile.
At 2.45am, the group drove again to Palmyra. That is round 17 miles/25 minutes drive from Harrisburg. Cody was the designated driver and he was driving Milton’s automobile.
Cody dropped off another members of their occasion first, after which dropped Milton to his residence. Kortne requested him to take her again to the Gasoline Station Bar in order that she may get her automobile. He did so, after which adopted Kortne again to her condo in his automobile.
When Kortne bought residence at round 3am, it was reported that she bought right into a verbal argument with two neighbors that she suspected had made the report back to police the evening prior. Cody is believed to have been along with her at the moment.
One neighbor named Todd referred to as police at 3.12am and mentioned that Kortne was threatening him. He advised police that she had gone into her condo and {that a} man along with her (presumably Cody) was additionally making hassle. Todd and Kortne had been reported to have by no means gotten alongside. The week earlier than she vanished, Kortne referred to as her mom and mentioned that Todd was ‘videotaping’ her.
Police arrived on the advanced a couple of minutes later, at 3.15am. Each side tried to argue their case. Officers believed all concerned had been beneath the affect and advised all of them to return into their very own properties.
At 4.11am, one of many neighbors referred to as police once more and mentioned that Kortne was screaming by the partitions and stomping on the flooring. He additionally mentioned that she was screaming threats in direction of different neighbors.
Police went again to the advanced once more at 4.31am. They weren’t in a position to make contact with Kortne. They did hear a canine contained in the residence. They knocked and appeared into home windows, however weren’t in a position to acquire entry to her place. Information Nation reviews that by that point, all the pieces was quiet and darkish so police left.
Cody would later inform Kortne’s household Kortne had began harassing the neighbors once more however he managed to get her to relax. He mentioned that they went to sleep in separate rooms at round 4am. He mentioned that he awoke at roughly 7am (some reviews say it was nearer to 8am) and observed that Kortne was not there, so he left.
After Cody left the condo, he stopped at a comfort retailer to make a purchase order and was seen there on CCTV. He texted Kortne presently and didn’t get a reply. He apparently additionally tried to name Kortne’s cellphone from a payphone which appears attention-grabbing as he had a working cell.
At 7.30am, one of many neighbors who had been combating with Kortne throughout the evening went to authorities to make a proper criticism towards her.
Kortne had been resulting from meet her household that day at a good. When she didn’t present up, they went to her condo to test on her. They discovered her purse, keys, cellphone and automobile had been left there however there was no signal of Kortne. Additionally they mentioned her entrance door had been left unlocked and her canine was left there unattended. The TV and air conditioner had additionally each been left on.
“I simply don’t imagine for one second that many individuals may be concerned with my daughter that evening, in such a brief time period, and don’t have any data and do not know what occurred to her,” Scott mentioned.
Scott reported Kortne lacking at 2.42pm on July 30, 2012.
Police started investigating the disappearance. Investigators have mentioned everybody in touch with Kortne that evening was interviewed a number of occasions. They’ve additionally confirmed that they had been trying into two break-ins at Kortne’s condo earlier than her disappearance.
A number of the individuals who had been questioned included Cody and Milton, Arvard (the one who she had argued with on the bar), in addition to the neighbors in her advanced.
Cody has been reported to have been very cooperative and gave his DNA. Authorities searched Milton’s automobile and residential, in addition to Cody’s residence, and nothing suspicious was mentioned to have been discovered.
Todd’s residence was additionally searched and there was nothing discovered both there or in his automobile to hyperlink him to Kortne’s disappearance.
There was a Disappeared episode on this case, and it was reported in that, that Todd had referred to as the landlady and mentioned that if she wouldn’t cope with the ‘scenario’, he would.
Arvard advised police that he had an alibi for the time that Kortne disappeared. He mentioned that he and his girlfriend had been at his dad and mom’ residence. Arvard was arrested later in 2012 for breaking and coming into and armed theft – unrelated to Kortne’s case.
One principle that has emerged is that the screaming that was reported by the neighbors round 4am was really Kortne combating off an attacker. It has been speculated that when police arrived shortly after that and located the condo quiet and darkish, that she was already useless.
A rumor unfold across the city, speculating that Kortne had been murdered and her physique had been disposed of in a lake. This information is from a weblog titled ‘Tales of the Unsolved’
In March 2014, a neighborhood girl contacted Scott a couple of dialog she’d overheard between two acquaintances. They’d mentioned they’d killed Kortne whereas stealing marijuana and cash from her condo, after which they rolled her physique right into a carpet and threw it into Memorial Lake,
The lake was searched twice, with no outcomes.
Some reviews do point out that Cody was cleared, nevertheless many are skeptical of this. That is information concerning a potential Cody principle from reddit:
In accordance with family and friends, Cody had a crush on her for YEARS. Her boyfriend’s in jail, and she or he goes out with him for drinks. He takes her residence, is spending the evening, most likely expects one thing of her. Issues don’t go his method, and a combat/struggles ensues. Kortne is sadly murdered throughout this combat, and Cody disposes of the physique quietly, greater than doubtless within the boot of his automobile.
He left a word in her condo earlier than leaving that morning, and referred to as her cellphone from a PAYPHONE. He had a working cellphone. Why would he do that? To arrange an alibi for himself, clearly. When she’s reported lacking, he makes use of the “I used to be ingesting and I’m a heavy sleeper,” excuse, and the police have him on digicam at Sheetz , so that they virtually clear him of any involvement straight away.
It is a social media submit that Kortne’s sister allegedly made, referencing Cody and Milton.
“I don’t know what else it’s going to take….they had been seen cleansing out the automobile the following day “to return to their grandma”. There may be a watch witness that noticed them taking muddy shovels out of their truck together with taking their muddy boots off on the tailgate of their truck quickly after she disappeared and now they submit some shit like this on fb. HELLO DETECTIVES..
Additionally the final time the cops had been referred to as was for a noise criticism from the neighbors of stomping on the ground above them and the canine barking. Effectively her canine wasn’t a barker and by no means was. I feel kortne wasn’t stomping to piss the neighbors off however she was being attacked by cody and combating for her life and the canine was witnessing it and barking to attempt to shield kortne. There was a lacking carpet from her condo clearly what they used to roll her up in after issues had gotten out of hand…”
One different principle is that phrase of Brad’s arrest unfold rapidly. It has been steered that somebody thought with him gone, the condo could be a simple goal for cash or medication. Kortne’s dad and mom spoke within the Disappeared episode about their considerations. They mentioned that they thought she had been getting in with the mistaken crowd.
It is a remark from reddit – the poster has now deleted their account however together with it for curiosity.
In 2017 I attended a home occasion and over heard a gentleman, his identify was Ben that’s all I keep in mind. However he claimed to know that early that morning 2 males had been tipped off a couple of couple lbs of weed and a stash of money that was contained in the condo. Apparently the assailants assumed she’d be sleeping, however wasn’t. There was a small wrestle and from he mentioned “they strangled her and dumped her on the quarry”.
Scott has spoken to the media many occasions within the years after Kortne disappeared. On the eleventh anniversary, in 2023, he mentioned “There’s a variety of vacancy; there’s all the time hope. A number of my household bonds collectively fairly nicely and we’re robust for one another. We undoubtedly need solutions, and I don’t assume we deserve an vacancy for the remainder of our lives.”
Scott additionally mentioned that there had not been a lot communication concerning the case between the officers concerned and his household. He additionally mentioned that new data has come out from State Police, however he was not at liberty to reveal it to the media.
Scott mentioned he was annoyed that there have been elements of the case that had not been investigated for over ten years.
“I feel there’s somebody accountable, they usually should be held accountable and assist give everyone concerned some closure as nicely give them their simply punishment,” mentioned Scott.
“I imply, I want we may simply snap our fingers and blink our eyes and that she would come again in simply the best way that she left and that we didn’t should stay with 11 years of trauma and heartbreak and all the pieces that she’s missed, but it surely’s not an ideal world,” he mentioned.
Kerstin mentioned “I, in my coronary heart, imagine that one thing dangerous occurred to her 11 years in the past and that there are nonetheless folks strolling round this city that undoubtedly know what occurred or had been concerned in it.”
Kortne’s household spoke to the media once more in 2024. “It’s nonetheless an ongoing case,” Kerstin mentioned. “It’s not closed. It’s nonetheless open, and we’re nonetheless looking for out what occurred to her.”
“Kortne might have been somewhat misguided, however she had spirit,” Scott mentioned. “She was an exquisite individual. There’s no purpose I didn’t get to stroll her down the aisle and see her have youngsters, and I’m very annoyed with the pursuit of the case.”
“It’s simply irritating,” Scott mentioned. “Twelve years later these individuals are nonetheless strolling round, (whereas) now we have no closure. We now have no solutions. My household suffers each day.”
Human stays had been present in York, PA in December 2024. The stays had been discovered round one hour away from the place Kortne disappeared.
The detective investigating the case confirmed to CBS 21 they obtained tips on a possible connection to Kortne, because the sketches bear resemblance. In June 2025, it was confirmed that the stays don’t belong to Kortne. The individual stays unidentified.
On the time of her disappearance, Kortne had shoulder-length blond hair, inexperienced eyes, tattoos on her arm and was 5 ft 8 inches tall. A $100,000 reward has been supplied to anybody with details about what occurred to Kortne.
July 29, 2025 will mark 13 years since Kortne vanished.
SOURCE LIST
https://www.fb.com/kortne.stouffer
https://www.fbi.gov/needed/vicap/missing-persons/kortne-ciera-stouffer
https://www.newsnationnow.com/lacking/kortne-stouffer
