20 year old Jamie Harper was last seen in Rantoul, Illinois on March 10, 2007. She disappeared after attending a party in the 1300 block of Laurel Drive.
Disappearance
On the evening of March 9, 2007, Jamie Harper left her mother’s home in Paxton, Illinois to attend a party in the 1300 block of Laurel Drive inside the Maplewood Estates trailer park in Rantoul, Illinois.
She was accompanied by her boyfriend, who states he had things to take care of and that Jamie was going to find a ride home.
Jamie was last seen at approximately 4:30am in Rantoul. She had plans to spend the night at a friend’s house, however she never arrived and hasn’t been seen since.
Her mother reported her missing to the Paxton Police Department the following week. She waited to report her missing since Jamie had failed to return home for a few days at a time in the past.
“Her friend was supposed to bring her home the day after the party, but he never did,” Jamie’s mother, Susan Kehrer, stated in an interview with Crime Library. “I waited to report her missing, because there were times in the past where she stayed out for a couple days.”
Investigation
All of Jamie’s possessions, including her medication, were left behind at home.
Jamie’s boyfriend was initially considered a person of interest, however police later said they no longer considered him a suspect.
Shortly after her disappearance, police received a tip from an anonymous caller that Jamie had overdosed, and that her body was disposed of in an area southeast of Paxton known as Dogtown.
The area was searched by authorities in April 2008, but no clues as to her whereabouts were found.
Person Of Interest Possibly Linked To Another Case
Police have noted similarities between Jamie’s disappearance and that of Heather Dawn Mullins Zimmerman, who disappeared from Gifford, Illinois in May 1997.
Both cases share the same person of interest, however no arrests have been made in either case.
The person of interest is described as a 30 year old man from Rantoul who was at the party with Jamie on the night she disappeared. They reportedly left the party together, but he returned about an hour and a half later without her.
The man was taken to the police department for questioning, but refused a polygraph exam. His phone records indicate he left Illinois the day after the police interview, and traveled to Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and then Louisiana.
In late June 2007 he was arrested in Florida and extradited back to Illinois for warrants related to a burglary case.
On June 28, 2007, investigators tried to interview him again in relation to Jamie’s case, however he immediately asked for an attorney.
He received a five year prison sentence later that summer after pleading guilty to burglary.
In October 2007, Investigators searched a property on the west side of Route 49, just north of Route 136, in Vermilion County that belongs to the person of interest’s father.
Several items of interest were seized during the search, including clothing, a seat belt that appeared to have blood on it, and a partially burnt bucket, however none of the items could be confirmed as to being directly related to Jamie’s case.
The man was later released from prison on the burglary charge, but then convicted of aggravated domestic battery which resulted in a sentence of 20 years. He will be eligible for parole in 2032, when he is 56 years old.
Appearance
White female with brown hair and brown eyes. Jamie stands 5’0 tall and weighs 125 pounds. Both of her ears are pierced as well as her left nostril. She has a tribal design tattoo on her lower back.
Clothing & Accessories:
Jamie was last seen wearing a white jacket, blue jeans, sandals, and carrying a small black bag.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Jamie Harper please contact the Paxton Police Department at (217) 379-4315, or Ford County Crime Stoppers at (217) 784-4173.
Ford County Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,900 reward for information that leads to Jamie’s location.
Agency case number M07-B1258.
