Key facts
- Name: Bonnie Lee Schultz
- Born: July 25, 1951
- Age at disappearance: 45
- Last seen: July 3, 1997 — leaving the Time Out Lounge in Indianapolis, around 4:00 a.m. on July 4
- Vehicle: Blue 1990 Mercury Sable station wagon, Indiana plate 99G9645 — never located
- Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Status: Still missing — IMPD case open
- Investigating agency: Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (case line 317-327-6539; tip line 317-327-6160)
The last night
Three weeks before her 46th birthday, Bonnie Lee Schultz was rebuilding her life. A stay-at-home mother of two for most of her adult years, she had recently gone back to work part-time — as an inventory clerk at RGIS Inventory Specialists in Carmel, and at the Pike County Trustee’s Office.
That evening, Bonnie told her husband, Rick, that she wanted a divorce. Around 8:30 p.m. she kissed her daughter, Gretchen, goodbye and left to meet coworkers at Houlihan’s restaurant. From there the group went to a house party and then to the Time Out Lounge near 62nd Street and Allisonville Road.
Bonnie arrived upset — she had been having an affair with a male coworker, John, who was with her that night alongside her best friend Anita, and had told the pair she had had a bad fight with Rick and that he was refusing to consent to a divorce. She calmed as the night wore on. Anita departed between 2:00 and 2:30 a.m.; around 3:30 a.m. Bonnie and John talked in the bar’s parking lot. At about 4:45 a.m., John last saw Bonnie as they drove off — he turned left at Broad Ripple Avenue and Compton Street; she continued straight on 62nd Street. She never made it home. Neither did her car.
The investigation
When Bonnie didn’t come home, Rick assumed she had stayed over at a coworker’s house. He reported her missing to the Marion County Sheriff’s Department at about 5:00 p.m. on July 4; a detective was assigned on July 7.
The early weeks brought no sightings, no tips, and no activity on her bank accounts or cell phone. “There have been no sightings, tips or activity on her bank account or credit cards,” Lt. Dennis May told The Indianapolis Star in August 1997. “There’s no physical evidence of foul play, but we’re not going to completely rule that out. It’s amazing that a car would just disappear. A body is relatively easy to hide, but a car is difficult to stash.”
One detail from Rick’s police interviews stood out. According to a transcript later obtained by Crime Junkie, Rick appeared to stutter after stating that his wife had been at the Time Out Lounge that night — yet Anita was adamant she had never mentioned the lounge to him.
Polygraphs followed: Bonnie’s boyfriend passed, while Rick’s polygraph indicated deception. Rick Schultz has never been charged, and investigators have never publicly named him a suspect — but for nearly 30 years, as Crime Junkie put it, “Indianapolis investigators suspected her husband’s involvement in her disappearance.”
The case never fully went still. In 2026, the Crime Junkie team partnered with Chaos Divers to investigate a possible vehicle visible in the White River on a Google Earth image. Bonnie and her Sable are still missing.
Theories: what might have happened
Foul play by someone close to her. What supports it: the divorce discussion and the fight on July 3; Rick’s polygraph indicating deception; and his unexplained knowledge of the Time Out Lounge. What undercuts it as a finding: nearly three decades of investigation have produced no charges, no body, and no named suspect. Rick Schultz has never been charged and is presumed innocent.
Foul play by a stranger. What supports it: a woman driving home alone between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. is vulnerable, and neither she nor her car has ever surfaced. What undercuts it: nothing in the public record points outward.
Accident — a car in the water. What supports it: when a person and a vehicle vanish together, an unwitnessed crash into water is a real possibility, and the 2026 White River search shows the theory is still taken seriously. What undercuts it as an answer: her car has never been found.
Voluntary departure. Investigators considered this early — she had talked about divorce and was unhappy. What undercuts it: 29 years without touching her bank accounts or phone, and no contact with her children, siblings, or friends.
Have information?
Contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department: case line (317) 327-6539, tip line (317) 327-6160. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- July 25, 1951 — Bonnie Lee Schultz is born.
- July 3, 1997 — Tells Rick she wants a divorce; Houlihan’s, house party, then the Time Out Lounge.
- July 4, 1997 (~4:45 a.m.) — John last sees Bonnie driving away. She never arrives home.
- July 4, 1997 (~5:00 p.m.) — Rick reports her missing to the Marion County Sheriff’s Department.
- August 1997 — Lt. Dennis May tells The Indianapolis Star: “A body is relatively easy to hide, but a car is difficult to stash.”
- January 12, 2026 — Crime Junkie begins its two-part episode; the show’s team later partners with Chaos Divers to search the White River.
- July 2027 (upcoming) — The 30th anniversary of her disappearance.
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is she still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, she has been missing for 29 years; her case remains open with IMPD.
Was she ever found?
No. Neither Bonnie nor her blue 1990 Mercury Sable wagon has ever been located.
When was she last seen?
In the early-morning hours of July 4, 1997, leaving the Time Out Lounge in Indianapolis — John last saw her driving away at about 4:45 a.m.
Did she have children?
Yes — two children, Josh and Gretchen.
Why do investigators focus on her husband?
Rick Schultz has never been charged and is presumed innocent. But investigators have long regarded him with suspicion: his polygraph indicated deception while Bonnie’s boyfriend passed, and he couldn’t explain how he knew she had been at the Time Out Lounge that night.
Was she featured on Crime Junkie?
Yes. In January 2026, Crime Junkie aired a two-part episode on her disappearance, and the show’s team later partnered with Chaos Divers to search the White River.
Who is investigating?
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department — case line (317) 327-6539, tip line (317) 327-6160.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (case open; 317-327-6539; tip line 317-327-6160); Marion County Sheriff’s Department (initial report, July 4, 1997); Lt. Dennis May statement to The Indianapolis Star (Aug 1997), quoted in A&E.
- News: A&E True Crime, “What Happened to Bonnie Lee Schultz, Who Vanished in 1997?” (2026); The Indianapolis Star (Aug 3 and Nov 2, 1997); The Noblesville Ledger (Jul 30, 1997); WTHR (2007, updated 2016).
- Reference: The Charley Project (retrieved Oct 2026); Crime Junkie episode page (Jan 2026).
- Media: Crime Junkie, two-part episode “MISSING: Bonnie Lee Schultz” (from Jan 12, 2026); Chaos Divers White River search special (2026).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Corrected October 2026: an earlier version of this file misstated the date and circumstances of this disappearance; the body has been rewritten to match the official record (July 1997). Last verified October 2026.