Rita Jolly was 17 and a junior at West Linn High School when she disappeared from West Linn, Oregon, in the summer of 1973. On June 29 she left her home about 7:15 p.m. for one of her frequent walks and was last seen between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m., possibly in the Robinwood neighborhood or on Sunset Avenue. She left without personal belongings and with a smile, which led her family to expect she would return soon.

Foul play is suspected and the family has long believed she was a victim of a crime. Investigators have pursued numerous leads over the decades, including possible sightings of a hitchhiker who resembled Rita, and the case has been re-examined for links to other unsolved crimes in the region. Ted Bundy has been considered as a possible connection, but he never confessed to her disappearance and no definitive link has been established. The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate.

If anyone remembers Rita, her walks around West Linn on June 29, 1973, or saw someone matching her description that evening, please share what you know.