The Unsolved: Kortne Stouffer

If you have any information regarding this case, the family asks that you contact [email protected] or Private Investigator Leah Jennings at [email protected].

Case Status: Unsolved
Last Update: 3/20/2025
Page Version: 2025.03.20-1358

Contents

Details

Piercings: Tongue, Ears
Tattoos: ONE LOVE (Right Bicep), Stars (Left Foot), Pistol w/ Flowers (Left Abs/Back Torso)
Pets: A black Labrador named Sheba and a pet snake

Date of Last Contact: July 29, 2012
Employment History: Former Stylist at Elle Salon, dog groomer, worked for Stouffer Equipment
Education: Northern Lebanon Senior High School
Missing From/Residence: 810 West Main Street, Palmyra, PA
Last Seen Wearing: Dark colored shorts with bright floral print, yellow tank top.
Jewelry: She wears a diamond wedding band and a silver class ring. She might have also had bracelets on her arm.
Known Aliases & Screennames: kortnebrat2009

Quick Summary: Missing under suspicious circumstances. Last seen at her apartment in the early morning hours of July 29th, 2012 after returning home from a night out with friends. Purse, phone and keys found inside her residence. Her vehicle was parked outside her home.

Timeline of Events

May 27th, 2011: Left for Wormtown Music Festival (Camp Kee-wanee in Greenfield, Massachusetts)

April 4th, 2012: Tools worth an estimated $740 were stolen in a garage burglary that was reported Wednesday, Palmyra police said. There is no indication that this event is directly related, but I thought it worth mentioning.(Source)

June 16th, 2012: Jason Thierwechter, 28, was fatally shot in the 700 block of North Ninth Street in Lebanon. Police said they found marijuana and a lot of cash inside the home. Lebanon is about a 22 minute drive away from Palmyra. There is no indication that this event is directly related, but I thought it worth mentioning. (Source)

June 20th, 2012: Palmyra police were called to a home in the 800 block of West Main Street Wednesday night for a reported burglary. Police were told that a Sony Playstation 3, a Carnation CR180 Booknote Counter and a black and blue backpack were missing. There is no indication that this event is directly related, but I thought it worth mentioning. (Source)

July 28th, 2012, 9:05PM: Underage drinking party reported at Kortne & Brad's apartment. 7 people found to be underage, 2 cited. Brad Herr (Kortne's boyfriend at the time) is also arrested by probation officers due to the party. Cited were Michael Burdge, 19, of 325 E. Main St., Palmyra, and Corey Bowman, 18, of 1025 N. Forge Road, North Londonderry Township. (Source)

July 28th, 2012, 10:07PM: Kortne receives text messages from Cody Pruet and Milton Rodriguez to join them at the Gas Station Bar in Hummelstown, PA. Kortne meets them, leaves her car at Gas Station Bar and travels with Cody, Milton and another couple to Hardware Bar in Harrisburg in Milton's car.

July 29th, 2012, 1:50AM: Verbel altercation with Arvard Brown's girlfriend. Kortne is asked to leave the Hardware Bar by security and is seperated from her friends. They regroup at a nearby pizza shop and return to the car.

July 29th, 2012, 2:45AM: Group returns to Palmyra. Cody is DD. Couple is dropped off on North Railroad Street. Milton is dropped off on West Cherry Street. Kortne is dropped off at her car at Gas Station Bar and both of them drive seperately to Kortne's residence.

July 29th, 2012, 3:00AM: Kortne and Cody arrive at Kortne's residence. They get into a verbel altercation with Janice Riemenschneider, Rick Sheetz and Todd Saksek whom they suspect contacted police about the earlier underage drinking party.

July 29th, 2012, 3:12AM: Palmyra Police are called by Richard Sheetz on Kortne who was 'supposedly' making threats against tiowards him.

July 29th, 2012, 3:15AM: Palmyra Police arrive at the residence. The neighbors all report Kortne as being loud and unruly. Todd Saksek reports being kicked in the leg by her. All subject appear to be under the influence of alcohol and are told to go back in their homes.

July 29th, 2012, 3:22AM: North Londonderry Police arrive on scene as backup.

July 29th, 2012, 3:49AM: Police leave the scene.

July 29th, 2012, 4:11AM: Todd Saksek contacts Palmyra Police regarding Kortne screaming through the walls, stomping on the floor, slamming doors and making threats.

July 29th, 2012, 4:31AM: Palmyra Police arrive with backup. Police attempt to make contact with Kortne but nobody answers the door. They report hearing a dog bark from deep inside the home when they knocked.

July 29th, 2012, 4:36AM: Palmyra Police leave.

July 29th, 2012, 7:30AM: Todd Saksek files a formal complaint against Kortne for prior incident at the Palmyra Police Department. It is also stated that Kortne's parents believe Cody left around 7:30 from Kortne's apartment. (Source)

July 29th, 2012, 7:56AM: Cody Pruett claims Kortne was gone when he awoke. He drives to Sheetz and texts her: "Hey, what happened to you?" He travels to Rodriguez's house to return the car and to be driven back to his residence in Hummelstown area.

July 29th, 2012, 12:36PM: Cody Pruett texts Kortne and gets no response.

July 29th, 2012, 1:58PM: Cody Pruett texts Kortne and gets no response.

July 30th, 2012: Kortne's mother, Wendy, worried since her daughter never shows up for work, goes to her apartment and finds the door unlocked and Kortne's wallet and cellphone inside. Her car is parked outside. July 30th, 2012, 2:42PM: Scott Stouffer (Kortne's father) reports Kortne missing to the Palmyra Police Department. No evidence of foul play is found in the residence. Kortne's purse is next to her bed with cigarettes, money and a cellphone. Her shoes and keys are on the stair landing where she usually took them off. Her car is parked outside with the windows down.

July 31st, 2012: Lebanon County Detectives are asked to assist Palmyra Police Department.

August 8th, 2012: Ground search conducted with K-9's, 2 mile radius.

August 9th, 2012: Searches of her residence and the neighbor's, as well as related vehicles, are performed.

October 10th, 2012: Arvard Brown, Todd Kline, Jacob Walsh and Kyle Mayer rob a woman and their 9 year old son during a burglary at gunpoint. (Source)

March 4th, 2013: A bounty hunter begins distributing flyers of a man he suspects is involved in multiple disappearances, from Fort Bragg North Carolina to Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. One of the victims he lists as a connection is Morgan Harrington, who went missing on October 17, 2009. Her killer, Jesse Matthew Jr., was officially charged in her disappearance and murder on February 10, 2015. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the flyer that the bounty hunter was distributing to confirm if it matches Jesse Matthew Jr., nor have I found any credible links between Jesse Matthew Jr. and Kortne Stouffer or the area surrounding Palmyra, PA. I plan on doing a deep dive into Jesse Matthew Jr. as soon as I am able to, both to research his crimes and to search for any connections. I don't have high hopes in a connection, but it never hurts to look, does it?

April 13th, 2013: Kortne's apartment is emptied out by her family. It is stated that "B" wanted his belongings and to "move on with his life". (Source)

January 13th, 2014: Bill Warner, a private detective, draws similarities between Kortne Stouffer's case and other missing woman. (Source)

March 21st, 2014: A woman named Amanda Ballester, who knew Stouffer, says the 21-year-old's body was wrapped in a carpet, wrapped in chains and dumped in Memorial Lake - near Fort Indiantown Gap. (Source)

April 12th, 2014: Parietal bone fragment found along railroad tracks in Macungie, PA (Lehigh County). Identified as Female. (Source)

July 29th, 2014: Larry Palmer, a volunteer searcher, concludes his search of Memorial Lake, using sonar scans, and declares Kortne isn't there. The police also performed their own searches prior, with the same declaration. (Source)

Additional Details

• According to this source there were actually 2 dogs in the apartment at the time of Kortne's disappearance, one was Kortne's, one was her boyfriends. This is interesting since this is the first time I've seen two dogs mentioned.

• On August 20th, someone named "CP" responded to a blog run by Chelsea Hoffman, and an article about Kortne's disappearance. We are 'assuming' it was posted by Cody Pruett, but have no actual proof of the matter. Still the post states the following:

  "I honestly don't feel any pressure, I didn't do anything wrong and everybody will find that out one day and you will all have to apologize to my friend and I. You're right, there is no such thing as a perfect crime and I hope to god they find out who really did this so all the people that don't know me and don't know how good of a person I actually am can stop accusing me of something I didn't have anything to do with. Yes, I was there, but I don't know anything about her disappearance and neither does my friend. Hopefully you people will stop wasting your time looking and pointing in the wrong direction and start looking somewhere else and actually find my good friend Kortne because I want her home. I feel for her family and I want them to have their little girl back again" - CP, August 20th, 2012, 4:51 AM

• According to this news article, it was reported Kortne's car keys were found in her car. This makes me wonder if she left them in the car when they arrived back from the bar or if she left to drive somewhere in the middle of the night (during the hours of her disappearance).

• In April of 2012, police charged Stouffer with furnishing alcohol to a minor, which is a misdemeanor, following an incident at her apartment. However, that charge was reduced to a summary offense of disorderly conduct, according to online court records. Looking at this PA Docket, we can see the actual date of that offense as April 25th, 2012.

People Associated With Case

Brad Herr

• Kortne's boyfriend at the time.
• Brad Herr was taken into custody on July 28th, 2012 (the night of a drinking party) and subsequent PA dockets seem to reflect that, although the date on them is July 30th, 2012. (Source)
• Brad was on probation at the time for drug and alcohol related charges.

Todd Saksek

• Kortne's neighbor (lived in the other half of the duplex).
• Altercations with Kortne the night of her disappearance.
• Has a history of drug-related charges. (Source)

Cody Pruett

• Friend of Kortne & last known person to see her.
• Stayed with her at her apartment the night of her disappearance.
• Reportedly, was interviewed, polygraphed and DNA acquired. (Source)

Milton Rodriguez

• Friend of Kortne & Cody.
• Was out with Kortne the night she disappeared.
• Was known to have cooperated with law enforcement. Search warrants were obtained for his 2004 Acura, the car that Cody had used to drive to Kortne's apartment the night of her disappearance. Also had alibi. (Source)

Arvard Brown

• Girlfriend is involved in verbel altercation at The Hardware Bar with Kortne on the night of her disappearance.
  
• Kortne's father says she knew Arvard and there are claims Kortne owed money to someone in Arvard's circle. (Source)
  
• Arrested for burglery charges in 2016. He and 3 other individuals terrorized a woman and her 9 year old child on October 10th, 2012. (Source)

Arvard Brown's GF

• Referred to "SS" in blog post's comments section.

Janice Riemenschneider

• Downstairs neighbor of Kortne.
• Involved in altercation with Kortne the night of her disappearance.
• Arrested in 2004 for DUI and drug charges. (Source)

Richard Sheetz

• Downstairs neighbor of Kortne.
• Involved in altercation with Kortne the night of her disappearance.
• Arrested in 2009 for Simple Assault and Harassment, according to docket reports. (Source)

Andrew Lengle

• Lived 600 block of West Main Street in 2012.
• Arrested on March 27th, 2012 for reckless endangerment, false imprisonment, etc. (Source)
• Arrested again for Simple Assault in 2017 and Sex With Animals in 2022. (Source).
• Coincidentally, Andrew was released (on bail) 06/25/2012. While there is no evidence (so far) that links Andrew with Kortne, Andrew's disturbing behavior and his proximity to Kortne in 2012 does pique my interest.

Amanda Ballester

• Claim made in March of 2014 that Kortne was wrapped in a carpet, wrapped in chains and dumped in Memorial Lake. Subsequent search of the lake reveals nothing. (Source)
• Credibility is very low, considering Memorial Lake was thoroughly searched. (Source)

Serial Killer Deep Dive

Bill Warner's List

Brookelyn Shae Farthing Unsolved. NamUS: #MP21168
Brookelyn stays overnight at a foreclosed house owned by Josh Hensley after a party. Josh leaves briefly as she is smoking on his couch only to return to his house on fire and Brookelyn nowhere to be found. (Help Find Brooke Website)

Jessica Heeringa Solved/Body Not Found. NamUS: #MP20137
Jessica disappeared from the Exxon gas station she was working at the night of April 26, 2013. Jeffrey Willis was tried and convicted in September of 2016 of her murder, along with the murder of Rebekah Sue Bletsch, also committed in 2014. His cousin, Rebekah Sue Bletsch, was tried and convicted in 2018 of helping Jeffrey dispose of Jessica's body. (WoodTV News Article)

Crystal Morrison Unsolved/Body Found. CharleyProject: Crystal Morrison
Morrison disappeared from Concord, North Carolina on August 23, 2012. In December 2019, her skeletal remains were found in the woods near the intersection of Davidson Highway (N.C. Highway 73) and Winecoff School Road. The cause of Morrison's death has not been determined and her case remains under investigation. A private investigator hired by her father believes she may have died of natural causes.

Brittany Wood Unsolved. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency: Case #120600259
Missing from Tillman Corner, Alabama en-route to her uncle, Donnie Holland's house near the Styx River and was last seen wearing blue jean shorts, blue t-shirt, white flip-flops & carrying a pink / teal blue tote bag. Donnie killed himself days later. In the months following her disappearance a number of her family were arrested for and prosecuted for taking part in a child sex abuse ring. (Fox10 News Article)

Heather Hodges - Solved/Body Not Found. CharleyProject: Heather Hodges
last seen at her residence on Shady Lane in Rocky Mount, Virginia at approximately 10:30 p.m. on April 9, 2012. In 2022, her then boyfriend Paul R."Scooter" Jordan II was tried and arrested for her murder. Heather's body was never found.

Kelli Bordeaux - Solved. CharleyProject: Kelli Bordeaux
Bordeaux disappeared from Fayetteville, North Carolina on April 14, 2012. In May 2014, her remains were found in a wooded area five miles from the bar where she was last seen. Nicholas Michael Holbert, a convicted sex offender who was with her the night of her disappearance, was charged in 2015 with her murder.

Katelyn Markham - Solved/Body Not Found. CharleyProject: Katelyn Markham
Markham disappeared from Fairfield, Ohio on August 13, 2011. In April 2013, her skeletal remains were found along Big Cedar Creek near Cedar Grove, Indiana. In 2024, John Carter was charged and sentenced for her death.

Lauren Spierer - Unsolved. Website: Find Lauren
Disappeared on June 3, 2011, following an evening at Kilroy's Sports Bar in Bloomington, Indiana.

Alivia Kail - Unsolved. NamUS: #MP10268
Brief Summary: Last seen leaving the West Mifflin, PA home of her brother and headed to Florida with her boyfriend of six months, Alex Lorenzi. She never returned. (Channel 11 News)

Holly Bobo - Solved. CharleyProject: Holly Bobo
Abducted from her home. Zach Adams was convicted thanks to a testimony by co-defendant Jason Autry, who was also convicted in her murder. Her remains were recovered.

Paige Johnson - Solved. CharleyProject: Paige Johnson
Brief Summary: While her death has never been solved, we do know she died while with Jacob Bumpass and, instead of contacting law enforcement, he just left her body in the woods. (Cincinnati.Com News Article)

Morgan Harrington - Solved. Wikipedia: Wikipedia: Morgan Harrington
Disappeared from the John Paul Jones Arena while attending a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia. Jesse Matthews pleaded guilty to murdering both Hannah Graham, 18, and Morgan Harrington. (BBC News Article)

Brittanee Drexel - Solved. CharleyProject: Brittanee Drexel
Brief Summary: Brittanee disappeared from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In May 2022, her remains were found in a wooded area west of Georgetown, South Carolina. They were identified through DNA and dental records. Raymond Moody was arrested for the murder, as was his girlfriend Angel Vause.

Crystal Hall - Unsolved. CharleyProject: Crystal Hall
NamUS: #MP1857 She was home alone at her apartment on Kentucky Avenue, talking to a friend on the phone, when she said someone was coming in the back door. She has never been heard from again. She does not own a vehicle, and all her belongings, including her purse and coat, were found in her apartment the next day.

Jennifer Keese - Unsolved. CharleyProject: Jennifer Keese
Brief Summary: Last contacted via cell at 10:00 p.m. on January 24, 2006. She was at her residence at Mosaic Apartments in the vicinity of the 3700 block of Conroy Road in Orlando, Florida at the time. She has never been heard from again.

Misty Gwinner - Unsolved/Body Found. LexingtonGov: Case #2005-58069
Found deceased April 5, 2005 on 700 block of North Cleveland Road.

NamUS Search: Pennsylvania

Fawn Marie Mountain - Unsolved. NamUS: #MP38755
Brief Summary: Subject was last seen at her last known place of residence located on Binks Mill Court, Claysburg, Greenfield Twp, Blair County. She has failed to make contact with family or friends. Recent developments suggest her murder may be tied to Heather Dilbert, who had been in a relationship with Fawn around the time she went missing. (WTAJ News Article)

Jessi Machell Short - Unsolved. NamUS: #MP19866
Brief Summary: Last seen on or about 1/27/2013 at her mother's home in Shenango Twp. Date of last contact cannot be confirmed. My gut tells me this case is unlikely to be connected to Kortne's.

Kaitlyn Lantz Leddy - Unsolved. NamUS: #MP42517
Brief Summary: Leddy took a taxi to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Surveillance camera footage showed her walking onto the bridge towards its high point, but she was never seen walking off the bridge. She has never been heard from again. Few details are available in her case. According to People Magazine Leddy suffered a head injury at 19 that resulted in issues such as schizophrenia and hallucinations. This case is probably not connected with Kortne's.

Amanda DeGuio - Unsolved. NamUS: #MP27914
Brief Summary: Amanda DeGuio was reported missing by relatives on August 27, 2014, but had not been seen by her family in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, since the first week of June of 2014, after she returned from a trip to Florida. Probably unrelated to Kortne's case.

Bryan Kohberger

I haven't found any direct connections, but Bryan could have traveled to the Palmyra/Harrisburg for the Heroin. There are also posts from 2011 made by Bryan on a TapATalk forum about Visual Snow Disorder (username Exarr) that indicate he was already dealing with strong personality issues.

Unidentified Body Search

NamUS Search: Pennsylvania

Links

Main Links

• FBI: Vicap Missing Persons
• NAMUS, Case #17800
• CharleyProject: Kortne Stouffer
• Official Timeline of Events
• Kortne Stouffer's Myspace
• Kortne Stouffer's Facebook
• Kortne Stouffer - Remember Me Facebook
• Bringkortnehome.com (via Wayback)
• Uncovered.com (Kortne Stouffer)
• Project Jason Forum on Kortne Stouffer
• Shroomery.org Forum Posts #1
• Shroomery.org Forum Posts #2
• Bring Natalee Home Forum (Kortne)

Blogs & News Articles

• August 3rd, 2012: Vigil held for missing Palmyra woman (via Wayback)
• August 8th, 2012: Kortne Stouffer Case Profile (Chelseahoffman.com) (via Wayback)
• August 9th, 2012: CNN.com - Transcripts (Jane Velez-Mitchell)
• August 10th, 2012: Kortne Stouffer Missing: Pa. woman, 21, seemingly disappeared without a trace from her apartment
• August 11th, 2012: Kortne Stouffer investigation entering third week (via Wayback)
• August 17th, 2012: Man says police searched his car following Kortne Stouffer disappearance (via Wayback)
• August 20th, 2012: Two men interrogated in Pa. woman's disappearance, police say
• August 25th, 2012: Kortne Stouffer disappeared amid volatile circumstances, her father says
• August 30th, 2012: Police release new info in Kortne Stouffer case (via Wayback)
• March 4th, 2013: Local man may have a huge lead in the disappearance of Kortne Stouffer (via Wayback)
• March 5th, 2013: Lebanon County DA scoffs at circulated flyer in connection with Kortne Stouffer (via Wayback)
• March 31st, 2014: Woman claims Kortne Stouffer's body was dumped in Memorial Lake
• April 1st, 2014: State police begin search of Memorial Lake
• April 9th, 2014: Expert pledges search for Kortne Stouffer in Lebanon County lake
• May 28th, 2014: Expert launches independent search for Kortne Stouffer's body
• July 29th, 2014: Volunteer expert searcher concludes Kortne Stouffer isn't in lake
• April 16, 2021: What Happened to Kortne Stouffer? Was She Found?
• July 29th, 2024: Family still seeks closure 12 years after