Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Crystal L. Kipper








Kipper, date, approximate 1997
Date Missing 02/24/1997
Missing From
Kansas City, Missouri
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 04/17/1978 (44)
Age 18 years old
Height and Weight 5'5, 125 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A dark olive green mock turtleneck, Lucky U jeans, a denim car coat, a diamond cluster ring and a gold band.
Associated Vehicle(s) Red 1989 Ford Probe LX (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Kipper has a small scar on her right cheek.
Details of Disappearance Kipper drove to St. Joseph, Missouri from her family's residence in Kansas City to pick up a friend during the evening of February 24, 1997. They went ice skating together.
The low-fuel warning light in Kipper's red 1989 Ford Probe LX activated as she was driving her friend back to St. Joseph at approximately 1:00 a.m. She refused to stop for a gas fill-up, saying that her car always had good gas mileage and she could return to Kansas City without topping the tank. Herfamily says she used her AAA Auto Club membership several times prior to February 1997 after allowing her car to run out of fuel while driving.
Kipper dropped her friend off in St. Joseph at approximately 2:00 a.m. and promised to call him by 3:00 a.m. to announce her arrival home. Her friend fell asleep while waiting for her call. Kipper's car apparently ran out of fuel shortly after 2:30 a.m. as she drove down Interstate 29 north of the Kansas City International Airport.
A truck driver observed a dark-haired Caucasian female flagging down traffic with a concerned look on her face by the southbound shoulder of the highway at approximately 2:34 a.m. The woman fit Kipper's description. The witness told investigators that he saw another vehicle backing up on the exit ramp towards the woman's car as he passed. Kipper has never been seen again.
Kipper's mother discovered her daughter's Ford Probe later in the morning on Interstate 29. The hazard lights were on and the vehicle's battery was low. There was no sign of Kipper at the scene.
Authorities searched the Kansas City, Missouri residence of John E. Williams later in 1997 when he was implicated in the abduction and sexual assault of another woman. Investigators discovered Kipper's identification cards, paycheck stub, car keys, mock turtleneck and jeans inside Williams's home.
DNA tests confirmed that the clothing belonged to Kipper and investigators believed the damage to the clothing was consistent with a homicide. Williams was questioned about Kipper's and claimed he accidentally struck and killed her with his vehicle on the night of February 24 on Interstate 29.
Williams was a convicted sex offender and told authorities he was afraid of becoming implicated in the crime, so he placed Kipper's body in his car and disposed of her remains. He initially refused to divulge her burial location, but eventually led investigators to the Platte City area. Nothing was discovered during an extensive search.
Authorities learned that Williams had his car's windshield repaired the day after Kipper vanished. They believed it was damaged by someone kicking it during a struggle.
Williams denied the statement and also denied intentionally killing Kipper. Several witnesses provided tips which placed Kipper's body in the woods of Platte County, but no evidence was located to confirm the reports.
Williams was imprisoned for the rape and abduction of the other Missouri woman and was about to be charged with Kipper's homicide when he committed suicide in his cell in April 1999. He died without revealing the location of Kipper's remains. After his death, two of his cellmates corroborated his previous statements, saying he had told them he had killed Kipper and disposed of her body.
Kipper had been an exotic dancer in the Kansas City area in 1996, but had decided to leave the industry at the time of her disappearance and had secured employment elsewhere. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Platte County Sheriff's Department
816-858-3452
Other
Child Protection Education of America
The Kansas City Star
New York State Missing and Exploited Children's Clearinghouse
NamUs
KSHB 4

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos