Account
Aug 03, 2011
Jan 08, 2024
Debra
Vanluven
68
40
60 inches
105 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the early part of 1997, a 40-year-old woman named Debra Mae Vanluven was navigating a period of uncertainty. Known to use the last names Gustin and Payne, Debra was living a transient life, which added to the difficulty her family faced in staying in regular contact with her. The official date of her last contact is recorded as March 1, 1997, when the brown-haired, blue-eyed woman was last seen in Roseburg, Oregon. At the time of her disappearance, she was in the company of her live-in boyfriend, Michael John Braae, a man who would later become a central figure in the investigation into what happened to her. Her family and friends grew deeply concerned when they couldn't reach her, eventually reporting her missing later that year. The timeline of Debra's last known movements paints a concerning picture. In early 1997, she and Braae had been living in a motel room in Lacey, Washington. Sometime after she was last seen in Oregon, her path seemingly moved eastward. In April of 1997, Debra placed a phone call to her ex-husband, which authorities were able to trace to a public phone booth in Missoula, Montana. This call would be one of the last known communications from her. A few weeks after this call, the owner of the motel in Lacey, Washington, contacted Debra's mother with unsettling news. All of Debra's personal belongings had been discovered abandoned in the motel room she had shared with Braae; the only significant item missing was her purse. From that point on, all contact with Debra Vanluven ceased, and she has not been seen or heard from again. The investigation into Debra's disappearance has invariably focused on her boyfriend, Michael Braae, who is considered the prime suspect. Known as "Cowboy Mike," Braae's history is marred by violence against women. In 2008, he was convicted for the 2001 rape and murder of Lori Jones, a crime that also occurred in a Lacey, Washington, motel room, and he was sentenced to 48 years in prison. Authorities consider him a suspected serial killer and have linked him to other violent crimes, including the disappearance and murder of Susan Ault and the killing of Velina Larson. Due to the circumstances surrounding her last known activities and her association with a convicted murderer, investigators strongly suspect foul play in Debra's case. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office continues to hold the case file, but without further evidence or leads, the disappearance of Debra Vanluven remains an unsolved and painful mystery for her loved ones.
Mar 01, 1997
Roseburg
Oregon
Douglas County
No
10548
Douglas County Sheriff's Office
Roseburg
Oregon
Douglas County
97470
Brad O'Dell
Sergeant
1036 Southeast Douglas Avenue, Oregon
5414404450
County
Law Enforcement
98-5285
1998-09-15
Douglas County Sheriff's Office
Brown
Blue
Blue
05/28/2026
