Kristy Jean Rogers was 16 when she disappeared from Crestview, Florida, in the early morning hours of August 2, 1997. She had told family she would spend the night at a friend’s house but instead stayed with her boyfriend, Mack Cawthon, who reported she left his home about 5:00 a.m. to avoid being seen by his grandparents. Kristy’s home was only about a fifteen-minute walk away, yet she never arrived and stopped all contact.

Police initially treated the case as a possible runaway, but that idea was abandoned after she failed to get in touch and she left behind all her belongings, including medication for a kidney infection she needed. In February 1998 a bag containing clothing and personal items was recovered in woods behind a local shopping center; the bag appeared to have been placed there after an earlier search of the area. Authorities have said she may have been abducted by someone she knew, and age-progression images have been released as the investigation continues.

Anyone who knew Kristy, where she spent time, or who has information about the early morning of August 2, 1997 is asked to contact the Crestview Police Department.