In the predawn hours of July 15, 1999, the quiet of a Richmond Heights, Missouri, apartment was broken by the cries of a two-month-old baby. When the infant's father, Christopher Herbert, returned home around 4 a.m., he found his daughter alone and the babysitter, 12-year-old Heather Nicole Kullorn, was gone. Heather, a student at Blow Middle School, had been staying with Herbert and her friend Dana Madden for about a week to care for their baby. On the night she vanished, Madden was at her overnight job and Herbert was out, leaving Heather in charge. The scene was unsettling; there were no signs of a forced entry, but significant traces of blood, later confirmed to be Heather's, were found on the couch. A white comforter with a floral pattern was also missing from the apartment.
The most chilling account came from a neighbor who, while walking his dog around 2 a.m., saw an unidentified man carrying a child of Heather's size, whose upper body was wrapped in a blanket, out of the apartment building.
The investigation into Heather's disappearance, led by the Richmond Heights Police Department, quickly determined that foul play was suspected and that this was likely not a random act. Investigators believe the person responsible was known to Heather or the couple she was staying with. The probe soon centered on a methamphetamine ring, as evidence of drug manufacturing was discovered in the apartment where Heather was last seen. This led to a prominent theory that Heather may have witnessed illegal drug activity and was abducted to silence her. Christopher Herbert's account of his whereabouts that night was inconsistent; he initially claimed to be at a party but later admitted to producing meth by the Mississippi River. This inconsistency, coupled with the discovery of the drug lab, made him and Madden persons of interest, though neither has ever been charged in connection with Heather's disappearance.
For years, the search for answers has continued, but the case remains unsolved. Heather's mother, Christine Kullorn, was a tireless advocate for her daughter until her death in 2017, always believing that Madden and Herbert knew more than they revealed. The case is a deeply painful chapter for the community and law enforcement, with a retired detective still reflecting on leads and what might have been done differently. The overview of this case is one of a vulnerable 12-year-old girl who vanished from a place she should have been safe. The presence of her blood at the scene, the witness account of a man carrying a child from the apartment, and the backdrop of illegal drug activity create a grim picture of her final hours. Despite hundreds of leads investigated over more than two decades, the absence of Heather's body and the lack of conclusive evidence have left her family and community without the peace of knowing what truly happened to her.Last Seen: Jul 15, 1999
