Joan Butler was 24 when she vanished from Overland Park, Kansas, after a night out; the last confirmed time she was seen was in the early morning hours of June 18, 1989. Her apartment showed signs she returned home — the clothes she had been wearing were there, plus a half-eaten piece of toast, a half-smoked cigarette, and a single contact lens. A neighbor reported hearing a loud thud around 4:30 a.m. that same morning. Joan, her red Chevrolet Corsica rental, and about $900 were missing.

Her rental was found July 25 in an apartment complex in Lenexa, and a man seen opening the trunk fled when police approached. That man was identified as Richard Grissom Jr.; his fingerprints, wallet, checkbook, and driver’s license were later located inside the car.

Grissom was linked to two other young women who disappeared that summer. In 1990 he was convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of Joan Butler, Theresa Brown, and Christine Rusch and received multiple life terms; he has not revealed the victims’ locations, so the families have had no burial. If anyone knew Joan or has information about her last movements or where she might be, please share what can help bring answers.