She Vanished After Dropping Her Sons At Preschool And Daycare In 2001, Then Her Car Was Found Abandoned In A Mobile Home Driveway

At approximately 6:20 p.m. that same day, the daycare called Stefanie’s boyfriend, Roy. At that point, he learned that she never showed up for pick-up at 5:30 p.m.

So, Roy picked up Stefanie’s son himself before contacting the Kearny County Sheriff’s Office and filing a missing person’s report.

Yet, earlier that day, Stefanie’s car was actually found abandoned in a mobile home park’s private driveway located southeast of Lakin. In fact, it was reported to police around 11:00 a.m., just two hours after Stefanie was last seen at her son’s daycare.

Inside, authorities found that the vehicle’s keys were missing. However, Stefanie’s jacket was left on the front seat, as well as $500 in cash.

The car’s wheels were also covered in mud and snow, leading investigators to believe that someone drove the vehicle out of town before it was returned and parked in the mobile home driveway.

Upon speaking with witnesses, authorities then learned that an unidentified male wearing black clothing had been spotted walking away from Stefanie’s vehicle.

Investigators did not think that Stefanie knew anyone in the mobile home park where her car had been left. Additionally, after extensively searching the surrounding area, no clues as to her whereabouts were found.

Stefanie’s boyfriend, Roy, and her estranged husband, Brian, were also interviewed by police. Roy claimed that he and Stefanie were engaged and intended to tie the knot in July 2001. But Brian told a different tale – claiming that he and Stefanie were working on their marriage.

Despite the conflicting statements, neither Roy nor Brian were named suspects in Stefanie’s disappearance. Rather, the unidentified male wearing black was investigators’ main focus.

“The person who got out of that car would be our prime suspect if we knew who that was,” Jones said.

In a 2022 interview with KSN, it was suggested that police believe Stefanie was murdered. Since her car was reported abandoned to police two hours after she was last seen at her son’s daycare, authorities concluded that a killer would have had about two hours to abduct her, commit murder, and get rid of her remains.