Dennis Palmer disappeared from his Jackson, California home on the morning of August 3, 1987. He told his girlfriend he planned to visit his parents in Alpine County that day; she last saw him about 6:30 am when she left for work. By evening both Dennis and his truck were gone, and his parents said he never arrived.

Friends began searching his property within a week, and on August 10, 1987 authorities formally searched the area. Seventeen days after he was last seen, Dennis’ body was recovered from a mineshaft on his property. Authorities have confirmed the death is being investigated as a homicide, but few official details about manner or motive have been released.

A Letter to the Editor in the Ledger Dispatch by someone identifying himself as a friend alleges Dennis was beaten, run over, shot twice, and that a witness and a detective believed they knew the killer; those claims have not been publicly confirmed by law enforcement. If anyone has information about Dennis Palmer’s death, please contact the Amador County Sheriff’s Office or the cold case email provided.