Right: clothing Kortne was wearing at the time of her disappearance
Right: clothing Kortne was wearing at the time of her disappearance
Name: Kortne Ciera Stouffer
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: July 29, 2012
Location Last Seen: Palmyra, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
Date of Birth: April 24, 1991
Age: 21 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 110 lbs
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Green
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Pierced tongue and ears; Tattoos: "ONE LOVE" on right bicep; stars on left foot(see photo); pistol with flowers on left abdomen to back of torso (see photo)
Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Available
Clothing: Dark colored shorts with bright floral print; yellow tank top (see photo)
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown
Kortne Stouffer was 21 years old when she went missing from her Palmyra home on July 29, 2012. She spent the previous night out with friends in Harrisburg and vanished sometime after returning to her apartment on Main Street early the next morning. Her purse, phone and keys were found in the apartment and her car was still parked outside.
On the evening of Saturday July 28, Kortne and her boyfriend Bradley Herr were hosting some friends for a get-together at their apartment. Brad was only 20 at the time, and he was on probation for previously being caught underage drinking. When neighbors felt the party was getting too loud, someone called the police and the probation and parole court as well. Police and Bradley's probation officer show up and when he's found to be in violation of the conditions of parole, Brad is arrested on the spot and taken away from their home.
After the house party had been shut down, Kortne ends up at a bar in downtown Harrisburg with a few of her friends. As Kortne becomes more intoxicated, she becomes angrier as well, and it's reported that she starts a fight with a couple at the bar who are acquaintances. Some speculate that she was accusing them of stealing money and drugs from her home, but whatever the details of that argument were, Kortne is kicked out of the bar. She then must text two of her friends inside to drive her home, 29-year-old Cody Pruett, and friend Milton Rodriguez. Cody drives Milton's car, drops Milton off at his house, and then takes Kortne home with plans to return Milton's car in the morning.
Outside of the apartment, Kortne gets in another confrontation with the neighbors, specifically because Kortne believes one of the neighbors is the person responsible for getting her boyfriend arrested. The confrontation escalates, and another neighbor calls the police for the second time that night. Police arrived at Kortne's apartment building around 2:30 in the morning. They break up the argument and tell everyone to calm down and if they have to return during the night, someone will get arrested. Cody takes Kortne inside as the police suggested and, in her apartment, Kortne is stomping, screaming, and banging on walls. The police are now notified for the 3rd time that evening. According to Cody, who is the only other person to know what happened inside of that apartment, when they realize the police have been called, they shut off all the lights and pretend to be sleeping to avoid getting in trouble.
Cody falls asleep. When the police arrive a little before 4am, the whole house is still and dark, and the police leave.
At around 7:30am, Cody says he wakes to find Kortne not in bed. He calls out to her a few times, glances around the apartment, notices everything seems normal, and heads out to a convenience store before returning Milton's car. At this time, he texts Kortne to let her know he is headed out. Hours later, Kortne was nowhere to be found. The next day, her family reported her missing.
For a decade there have been searches on land and in the water. There have been yearly vigils. But there has been no sign of Kortne. The Lebanon County District Attorney's Office says her disappearance continues to be an active investigation with the assistance of federal and state law enforcement partners, as well as other local agencies and the family's private investigator.
Agency Name: Lebanon County Detective Bureau
Agency Contact Person: Michael DiPalo
Agency Phone Number: 717-228-4403
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 12-188
NamUs Case Number: 17800
NamUs
ABC News
Added: 12/18/2023; Last Updated: 12/18/2023 - By: hb
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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