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Case Description

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Cheryl DeBalso, a 37-year-old woman from Reading, Pennsylvania, was last heard from in early May 2004. After being in contact with her family in the first few weeks of May, she mysteriously vanished. DeBalso failed to attend a family event later that month, and no one has heard from her since. At the time of her disappearance, she was in an abusive relationship and had previously suffered physical assault in August 2003.

Cheryl is described as a Caucasian female, standing 5'8" and weigh ...Read More
Last Seen: May 01, 2004

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Victim Details

May 22, 2020

Feb 08, 2023

Cheryl

DeBalso

57

37

58 inches

59 inches

120 lbs

125 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

In the spring of 2004, a sense of unease began to settle over the family of Cheryl Lynn DeBalso. A 37-year-old woman from Reading, Pennsylvania, Cheryl was known to her loved ones, but the regular rhythm of communication with her started to fade. The last confirmed contact anyone had with her was on May 1, 2004. In the weeks that followed this early May contact, a concerning silence grew. The alarm for her well-being intensified when Cheryl, a woman with brown hair and brown eyes, failed to show up for a family event planned for the third week of that same month. This absence was out of character and marked the definitive point when her family knew something was wrong. Since that time, her whereabouts have remained a complete mystery. At the time she vanished, Cheryl was described as a White female, standing between 4 feet 10 inches and 4 feet 11 inches tall, and weighing approximately 120 to 125 pounds. A distinctive mark that set her apart was a Grateful Dead tattoo located on her calf. Details about the specific clothing she was wearing at the time of her disappearance are not publicly known, nor are there any records of what personal belongings she may have had with her. The lack of these details adds another layer of difficulty for those trying to piece together the final moments before she went missing. Her case was officially reported to the Hazleton City Police Department, and her information was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) years later, on May 22, 2020, in the hopes that new leads might emerge. The years have stretched on with no answers for Cheryl's family and friends. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain vague; contact was simply lost, and she was gone. Without any clear indication of foul play or evidence that she left voluntarily, her case has remained open and unresolved. The investigation, now spanning over two decades, is a quiet but persistent effort to uncover the truth. For those who love her, the passage of time has not diminished their need for answers. The case of Cheryl DeBalso is a somber reminder of the many individuals who disappear without a trace, leaving behind a void of information and a family left to wonder what happened in the days and weeks after she was last heard from in May 2004.

May 01, 2004

Reading

Pennsylvania

Berks County

19603

No

82309

Hazleton City Police Department

Hazleton

Pennsylvania

Luzerne County

18201

David Rodick

Detective Sergeant

40 North Church Street, Pennsylvania

5704594940

Local

Law Enforcement

190165602

2019-07-31

Hazleton City Police Department

8603

Brown

Brown

Brown

06/08/2026


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