November 20, 2009
A brief history of the case
- Nov. 6, 1996 — Kaelin Rose Glazier, a 15-year-old sophomore at South Medford High School, disappears while walking several blocks from her rural Ruch home to a youth group meeting at Applegate Christian Fellowship. She had stopped to visit a friend and was last seen heading down Haven Road to Highway 238. When she didn't arrive at church or home that night, her mother, Kimberly Cruz, called the Jackson County Sheriff's Department to report her missing. Officials first suspect she might be a runaway.
- November 1996 — The family and volunteers join the sheriff's department and Oregon State Police in combing the hillsides and ditches. The family hires a private investigator. They can't find her or any clear evidence that indicates whether she ran away or met with foul play, news reports at the time said. The Polly Klass Foundation in California and the Heidi Search Foundation based in Texas and Found Kids Foundation provide help.
- December 1996 — The Jackson County Major Crime Team takes up the case as concerns mount.
- May 14, 1997 — A national direct-mail marketing company sends out fliers, following family efforts to distribute information via truckers and local posters.
- Aug. 11, 1997 — Cruz talks about the case on a Geraldo Rivera television talk show special on missing children. She also appears on Maury Povich's and Montel Williams' shows in the first year after Kaelin's disappearance.
- Jan. 18, 1999 — Investigators identify Billy Frank Simmons, a Ruch teenager who was the last known person to see Kaelin alive, as a "person of interest" in the case, which detectives fear might be getting stagnant.
- Nov. 6, 2000 — On the fourth anniversary of Kaelin's disappearance, local and national law enforcement officials put out another public call for clues. They have followed more than 500 leads in the case and have used search teams, dogs, volunteers, aircraft and psychics to seek evidence, with no results. Foul play is suspected.
- June 26, 2003 — The Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation, an organization linked to three tourists who disappeared and were found murdered near Yosemite National Park in 1999, offers a $5,000 reward for information about Kaelin.
- July 31, 2003 — The case is featured on "Without a Trace," a CBS drama about an FBI team that tracks missing people. Each episode includes a segment about an actual case.
Reader Reaction
We welcome your feedback on this story, or any follow-up story ideas you might have. Please send a letter to the editor to letters@mailtribune.com, or submit story ideas online here. When submitting a letter to the editor, please review our submissions policy.
We welcome your feedback on this story, or any follow-up story ideas you might have. Please send a letter to the editor to letters@mailtribune.com, or submit story ideas online here. When submitting a letter to the editor, please review our submissions policy.
Ads by Google
News
Calendar
Homes
Autos
Jobs
Classifieds
What are you looking for?
LOCAL REVIEW
-
Our daughter has grown so much in her 5 years in the symphony. Faina and Cindy are amazingly talented,...posted on 6/12/2009
-
I love this place. Kind of off the beaten track, but you can actually get mechanical pencil erasers (ALL...posted on 6/12/2009
-
I just stayed at LOTW for the first time in over thirty years. We've been up there visiting, but finally...posted on 9/29/2009
-
The nice thing about this dentist is that he's not afraid to refer you to a specialist if he feels that your...posted on 6/12/2009
-
El Patron is the best Mexican Restaurant in the Rogue Valley. Emillo and Josephino are the sweetest and...posted on 6/25/2009
-
..I feel good about the food they serve.Simple and fresh,mostly organic as well and thats important to...posted on 6/5/2009
-
I just had a friendly chat with Mike (the Manager I think) and he went above and beyond the call of duty to...posted on 7/9/2009
-
A different experience. If you like tomatoes ask for extra same goes with olives, and if you aren't into an...posted on 7/13/2009
-
The food here is the best chinese food that Medford has to offer. Everything is fresh and very yummy. The...posted on 6/22/2009
-
Best tire store in...posted on 8/6/2009
