Key facts
- Name: Regina “Gina” Bos
- Age at disappearance: 40
- Last seen: October 17, 2000, early morning
- Location: Duggan’s Pub, downtown Lincoln, Nebraska
- Status: Still missing — oldest unsolved missing-persons case, Lincoln Police Department
- Investigating agency: Lincoln Police Department
The guitar by the car
In the early morning hours of October 17, 2000, forty-year-old Regina Bos left an open mic night at Duggan’s Pub in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. She never made it home.
Police later found her guitar and her sheet music next to her car. That is very nearly the entire physical record of what happened to Regina Bos: an instrument set down, pages of music, an empty car, and a woman who never came home.
She is the Lincoln Police Department’s oldest unsolved missing-persons case. For a quarter century, the file has sat open — until the summer of 2026, when something moved.
Who Regina was
Regina “Gina” Bos was 40, a musician — the guitar and sheet music say that much plainly — living her life in Lincoln. The public record of who she was beyond that night is thin, which is its own kind of tragedy: some cases arrive with thick files of biography, and some arrive as a single evening. What is known is that she played open mic nights, that she had people who loved her, and that she walked out of Duggan’s Pub into the early-morning dark of downtown Lincoln and was never seen again.
In October 2025, on the 25th anniversary, her family marked Nebraska Missing Persons Day — still carrying, in the police department’s words, “the weight of uncertainty and hope.”
The investigation
For most of its life, the case was defined by stillness. Then, in August 2026, Lincoln Police announced they had developed a new lead — the first public movement in the case in years. According to LPD Captain Ben Miller, the department received the lead recently and did additional investigative work in July and August 2026.
“While the results of those efforts are not yet known, investigators continue to follow the information and determine where it may lead,” Miller said. Police did not release specifics, citing the integrity of the investigation and respect for Bos’s family.
“LPD recognizes that behind every missing person case, there are loved ones who carry the weight of uncertainty and hope,” Miller added. “Our hearts are with Regina’s family and all loved ones facing this unimaginable reality.”
Miller also noted that investigators are applying new technologies and forensic capabilities to old missing-persons cases — tools that didn’t exist when Regina vanished. “Those advancements can provide new opportunities to examine information and evidence in ways that were not possible when those investigations began,” he said. The department is asking the public to help continue that work.
Regina would be 66 years old today.
Theories: what might have happened
Twenty-six years with almost no physical evidence makes theorizing an exercise in humility. Here is what can be said honestly:
Abduction near her car. The guitar and sheet music beside the car suggest she reached her vehicle — or was stopped just short of it. A woman alone in a downtown parking area in the early-morning hours is vulnerable, and the abandoned instrument reads like an interruption. But there were no witnesses, no signs of a struggle reported, and no vehicle ever identified.
She left voluntarily. There is no evidence for this — no note, no plan, no contact in 26 years, and a musician does not abandon her guitar lightly. Her family has never believed it.
An accident or medical event. Possible in the abstract — a fall, a medical crisis between the pub and the car — but a body in downtown Lincoln would almost certainly have been found. It wasn’t.
The 2026 lead. Whatever Lincoln police received in the summer of 2026, they have not described it. It may be the break the family has waited a quarter century for, or it may be another thread that unravels. The honest status: unknown, and actively being worked.
Have information?
Contact the Lincoln Police Department: 402-441-6000, or Lincoln Crime Stoppers: 402-475-3600. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- ~1960 — Regina Bos is born.
- October 17, 2000, early morning — Regina leaves an open mic night at Duggan’s Pub in downtown Lincoln. Her guitar and sheet music are later found next to her car. She is never seen again.
- 2000–2025 — Case remains open as LPD’s oldest unsolved missing-persons case.
- October 2025 — 25th anniversary; family marks Nebraska Missing Persons Day.
- July–August 2026 — LPD develops a new lead and conducts additional investigative work; Capt. Ben Miller announces it publicly in August.
- Today — Still missing. The new lead is being followed.
FAQ
Is Regina Bos still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Regina Bos has been missing for nearly 26 years. She is the Lincoln Police Department’s oldest unsolved missing-persons case.
What happened to Regina Bos?
In the early morning of October 17, 2000, she left an open mic night at Duggan’s Pub in downtown Lincoln. Her guitar and sheet music were found next to her car. She was never seen again.
What is the new lead in the Regina Bos case?
In August 2026, Lincoln Police announced a new lead that prompted investigative work in July and August. Police have not released details, and the results are not yet known.
Was Regina Bos ever found?
No. No trace of Regina has ever been found.
How old would Regina Bos be today?
She was 40 when she disappeared in October 2000 — she would be 66 in 2026.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information should contact the Lincoln Police Department at 402-441-6000 or Lincoln Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Lincoln Police Department (Capt. Ben Miller statements, Aug 2026).
- News: KOLN/10-11 NOW, “Authorities develop new lead on oldest unsolved missing persons case in Lincoln” (Aug 24, 2026); KOLN, “25 years after she vanished, family of Regina Bos marks Nebraska Missing Persons Day” (2025).
- Reference: The Charley Project, “Regina Bos.”
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.