The Disappearance of Kortne Stouffer
For this case I watched an episode of Disappeared. It’s season 8 episode 3, titled ‘Spirited Away.’ It’s always important for me to cover these cases, especially when there are very few answers about what happened.
A 21 year old woman disappears after a night out with friends.
Background
Kortne Stouffer
Kortne Ciera Stouffer was born on April 24, 1991, to Scott and Wendy Stouffer. She grew up in a large family, on a 10-acre farm in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This is where Kortne’s love of animals began. She rode horses, raised goats, and got her beloved dog Sheba, when she was 8 years old.
Kortne was described her family as being very confident, artistic, and very musically gifted. Kortne loved to sing, dance and be the center of attention.
The Disappearance
Kortne was 21 years old at the time she disappeared. She had recently adopted a hippie like persona, and seemed to be more at peace once she became her true self. Kortne didn’t go to college, but she worked several jobs, at a hair salon, and as a dog groomer. She had also recently moved in with her boyfriend, a man named Bradley Herr. The apartment was in downtown Palmyra, and was about 10 minutes from where her family lived.
On July 28, 2012, Kortne threw a party. During the party, the neighbors reported Bradley to the probation department. He was on probation at the time for underage drinking, and was taken in for violating his parole. Kortne was scared and upset. Kortne called her mom at 9:54pm that night, and thought that Bradley was going to spend four years in jail, which was about the time he had left on probation.
Kortne ended up going out with friends after getting off the phone with her mom. She reached out to a man named Cody Pruett, who was 29 years old. Cody and Kortne met for some drinks, before going out with one of Cody’s friends Milton Rodriguez.
The three of them took Milton’s car to a bar called Hardware, in downtown Harrisburg. Kortne was still very angry about what happened with Bradley, and she got into a fight with a man and his girlfriend. She believed this man, who was a local drug dealer, had broken into her apartment a few weeks prior to steal money. Kortne ended up being kicked out the bar, and texted Cody and Milton to take her home. Kortne asked Cody to drop her off at the gas station to get her car, and thought she was able to drive home. Cody ended up following Kortne to her apartment, to make sure she got home safely.
In the early morning hours of July 29, around 3am, Kortne got into another argument at her apartment. Her neighbors had been outside, and she picked a fight with a 44 year old man who lived her nearby. Kortne believed he was the one who called the police. The neighbor called the police, who told everyone that if the police were called again someone would go to jail. After this, Kortne and Cody went into Kortne’s apartment.
Kortne was still angry, and the neighbor called the police again. He said that Kortne was screaming, hollering, banging on the floors and stomping. When the police arrived a few minutes later, shortly after 4am, and everything was quiet. The police decided to leave.
Kortne’s apartment on W. Main Street
Where is Kortne?
That same day, the Lebanon County fair had began, and Kortne was supposed to meet up with her brother Ryan. The fair was a tradition for the two of them, they used to show their animals there, but recently just enjoyed going and being together. Kortne never showed up, and her phone went unanswered.
Ryan told their mom Wendy, that Kortne never showed up. Wendy said she went over to Kortne’s apartment, where she found her car with all the windows rolled down. She thought it was suspicious, but she didn’t think too much of it. The front door was unlocked, and she was met at the door by Sheba. Sheba had an accident inside the apartment, which didn’t happen because Kortne took such good care of her. The TV and A/C were on, and Kortne’s keys, purse, shoes and cell phone were found. There were 18 missed calls on Kortne’s phone, and this is when Wendy knew something was wrong.
Wendy called Scott, even though they were divorced at the time, they remained friends. The Stouffer family went over to Kortne’s apartment. They called friends and acquaintances, but no one knew what happened to Kortne.
Scott went through Kortne’s phone, and he reached out to Cody, who was the last person to see Kortne. Cody told Scott that Kortne was upset about Bradley being arrested, about the bar fight, and about her neighbors calling the police. Cody said that he took Kortne inside after the police told them to. He said after she calmed down they went to sleep, and when he woke up the next morning, she was gone.
After he left the apartment, Cody said that he went to the a convenience store to call Milton, to try to give him his car back. He said he also tried to call Kortne, but she didn’t answer.
The following day, Kortne’s family filed a missing persons report.
The Investigation
The Palmyra police department requested help from the Lebanon County DA’s office, because they had more resources for cases like this. The police went to Kortne’s apartment, looking for any sign of a struggle. There was nothing found, but they did put tape around the crime scene and put a lock on Kortne’s apartment. The apartment was searched various times, by various departments and cadaver dogs. There was no sign of Kortne or what happened to her.
Kortne’s family reported the 44 year old neighbor to the police. They said his behavior was very strange, and he wouldn’t answer their questions. Scott questioned him many times, but the neighbor said he didn’t see or hear anything.
A week before Kortne disappeared, she told her mom that the neighbor was videotaping her. The neighbor had also called the landlady to report Kortne, and said he would do something about Kortne, if they didn’t kick her out. The neighbor denied it, and he let them search his home and vehicle. They searched his garbage several times, after Scott and Wendy saw him taking several garbage bags out. The garbage bags contained debris from a home improvement project. The police started to believe that the neighbor had nothing to do with Kortne’s disappearance.
There were various searches, Kortne’s family put up missing persons posters, and a $5,000 reward was put out by Scott. The Stouffer’s held a vigil at the police station for Kortne, and made tie-dyed T-shirts that said ‘Kortne, come home.’ The searches didn’t lead to any information or evidence.
Kortne’s missing persons poster
The Suspects
Throughout this case, the police talked to many people who Kortne had talked to or seen on the night she disappeared.
Her boyfriend Bradley was in jail at the time, but the police said he wasn’t cooperative after. Many people believed he didn’t trust the police, but still it’s weird to not be cooperative. He had only been held for a few days for violating his parole.
The police questioned Cody again, his story has always remained the same. The police were able to check his alibi from the gas station, and they did see him on the surveillance cameras. Scott believed that Cody was hiding information.
Scott also called Milton Rodriguez, and said that Milton was very vague with his answers. The police did say they searched Milton and Cody’s homes and vehicles, and didn’t find any evidence that they were involved. They both maintain their innocence.
The local drug dealer was also a suspect. The Stouffer’s did say that Kortne smoked weed from time to time, and never tried to hide that Kortne experimented. The drug dealer said that after they left the bar, he and his girlfriend went to his parent’s house. This alibi was verified. He also denied that he broke into Kortne’s home, or hired someone to do it.
A Tip
In March 2014, a woman named Amanda Ballister contacted Scott. She said she overheard a conversation that Kortne was killed by two acquaintances, who came into her home to steal weed and money. Amanda said that these people rolled Kortne in carpet, and threw her body into Memorial Lake. Memorial Lake is a local lake, just 12 miles from Kortne’s apartment.
A few weeks after the tip, the Pennsylvania State police searched the lake for five hours, with a camera and sonar equipment. There was nothing found.
Later that spring, a volunteer diver searched the lake again, and again nothing was found.
Either this woman wanted her few minutes of fame, or she truly heard something that she believed would be helpful.
Other
In the fall of 2015, the Stouffer family hired a private investigator, who also helped the police.
The reward for any information about Kortne’s case has been growing, and at the end of this episode that aired in 2017, it was at $50,000.
Kortne’s missing persons posters are still up in the area, and her case is still open. The contact info for the Lebanon County Detective Bureau is: 717-228-4408
There is a Facebook page for Kortne, titled Kortne-Stouffer-Remember Me.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I believe that Cody and Milton know more about what happened in those early morning hours. They seem more likely to do something to Kortne than this neighbor. The neighbor is very creepy and suspicious, but I think he just wanted to report every little thing that Kortne did. I do admit, the 911 calls are weird, the police showed up and didn’t do much. Between the time that the police arrived after 4am and the early afternoon, Kortne disappeared. It’s heartbreaking.
I agree with Scott and Wendy, that someone knows something. I truly hope that the Stouffer family get answers and justice for Kortne one day.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/what-happened-to-kortne-stouffer-was-she-found/
https://charleyproject.org/case/kortne-ciera-stouffer
