In 1989, This 13-Year-Old Girl Vanished During Her Walk Home From School, And It’s Believed She Was Kidnapped
In 1989, Ilene Misheloff was just 13-years-old. She lived in Dublin, California– a small town called home by just 22,000 residents.
The suburb was generally regarded as a safe place to live and raise kids, too. But, following Ilene’s strange disappearance, public perception began to shift.
Illene was known as a driven and committed young teen who was particularly passionate about figure skating. In fact, every day after school, she would head to the rink– training a total of 30 hours each week and never missing a session.
In addition to excelling on the ice, Ilene also dreamed of becoming a pediatrician when she grew up.
But, on January 30, 1989, everything changed after she never arrived home after school.
That day, Ilene actually left school a bit early so she could head home, grab her skating equipment, and make it to her figure skating practice on time.
The walk from school to Ilene’s home was about two miles. And since she often walked, she knew of and used a shortcut that went through John Mape Park.
What exactly happened during Ilene’s routine walk that day, though, remains unknown.
At 4:00 p.m., her skating coach actually showed up at the Misheloff residence to pick up Ilene for practice– likely assuming she did not have a ride. But Ilene was not there, and the skating coach left.
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Still, no one realized she was missing until later that evening when Ilene’s mother traveled to Dublin Iceland to pick up her daughter from practice. It was at that point that Ilene’s mom learned she had never shown up.
Afterward, Ilene’s loved ones immediately plunged into action. Once authorities were notified and nearly the entire police force began working on the case, her father started searching throughout the town.
Other community members pitched in, too– helping hand out flyers. At the same time, Ilene’s mother stayed and waited at home just in case her daughter returned.
During the search efforts, Ilene’s key fob was discovered at the John Mape Park entrance. However, no other evidence linked to Ilene or her disappearance was ever uncovered. That’s why it is believed that the young teen was kidnapped.
Authorities did investigate other kidnapping perpetrators in the area to determine whether they were involved in Ilene’s disappearance. But no one was ever charged in connection with her case, and she has remained missing for over 35 years now.
Ilene’s loved ones have continued working to raise awareness, though, and the investigation remains open. There is also currently a $100,000 reward being offered for any information that leads to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for her disappearance.
At the time Ilene vanished, she was five foot three, weighed 115 pounds, and had brown hair and braces. She was last seen wearing a striped charcoal gray and pink skirt, a gray “Esprit” pullover, a polo sweater, and black Keds low-top sneakers.
If you have any information regarding Ilene’s disappearance or whereabouts, you are urged to contact the Dublin Police Department at (925) 833-6670.
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