Brooke Henson was 20 when she vanished from Travelers Rest, South Carolina, in the early hours of a Fourth of July. Family members last saw her sitting on the front porch about 2:00 a.m.; she had told them she was going to walk to a nearby store that was closed at that hour after arguing with her boyfriend. That departure was out of character, and initial police thought she might have left on her own, which delayed an extensive search.

In later statements police said witnesses placed her at other parties in a different part of the county that same night, raising the possibility someone picked her up. Investigators long focused on her boyfriend at the time, Shaun Shirley, who had a criminal record and was uncooperative; he died of a reported drug overdose in 2019 while police were pursuing new leads. In 2006 a woman using Brooke’s name and Social Security number enrolled at Columbia University; that woman was later identified as imposter Esther Reed and was found not to be connected to Brooke’s disappearance.

Searches, tips and even ground-penetrating radar work as recently as late 2023 have not located Brooke. Law enforcement believes foul play was involved and that others may have information. If anyone knew Brooke’s movements the night she vanished or saw her after 2:00 a.m., can you help with details?