Kerry Lynelle Johnson was 17 when she left Salem, Oregon, in late summer 1982 to visit a relative in Reno, Nevada and then a friend in San Jose, California. She was traveling alone and is believed to have been hitchhiking, possibly carrying a blue suitcase or bag. Kerry was five feet eight inches tall, about 160 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, a faint scar near one eye from stitches, and feet that turned slightly inward.

She reached the relative’s home in Reno and continued toward California. On September 14, 1982, Kerry called a family member and said she intended to return to Nevada before coming back to Salem and that she would be home by October 1, 1982. She never arrived and no further contact was made. The entire original police file was later lost, which has hindered efforts to reconstruct leads. Oregon law enforcement continues to list her as missing and the case remains unsolved.

If anyone remembers Kerry, saw her on the road in 1982, or has information about her travels between Reno and San Jose, please come forward.