Key facts
- Name: Elizabeth “Beth” Veloz
- Born: Circa 1964, Chicago, Illinois
- Age at disappearance: 28
- Last seen: July 26, 1992
- Location: Jacko’s Bar, East 95th Street and Avenue L, Chicago (southeast side)
- Height / build: 5’6″, 135 lbs, medium build, dark brown hair, brown eyes; last seen in black stone-washed jeans, Georgetown University t-shirt, navy sweater, Coach purse
- Status: Still missing — FBI cold-case reward of up to $20,000
- Investigating agency: FBI Chicago Violent Crimes Task Force; Chicago Police Department Cold Case Unit
Three men, one bar, no answers
On the evening of July 26, 1992, 28-year-old Elizabeth Veloz — Beth to everyone who knew her — went out with friends on Chicago’s southeast side. She ended the night at Jacko’s Bar, at East 95th Street and Avenue L.
She left with three men.
That is the last confirmed fact of her life. What the men said afterward was this: that they drove Beth to a remote area near the Harbor in East Chicago, Indiana, and dropped her off there in the early hours of July 27 — either because she demanded to be let out, or because she was forced out of the vehicle near Washington and Block streets. Their accounts were unclear. Their stories did not line up.
Beth, a mother of three who lived with her family in Chicago, never came home. It was completely unlike her to stay away without contact — not for a night, not for an hour. Days passed. Then weeks, months, years. Neither Beth nor her body has ever been found.
Who Beth was
Elizabeth Veloz was 28, a mother of three, living with her family on Chicago’s East Side. The FBI, announcing its reward years later, called her “this vibrant young mother.” Her family never stopped calling — the police, the FBI, anyone who would listen — and never gave up hope.
By the mid-2000s, an FBI agent picked up her file and reached out to the Chicago Police Department, where the case landed with Detective Bob “Bobby” Rodriguez of the CPD’s Cold Case Homicide Unit. Rodriguez treated it like a new case, working it alongside the family. Even after the FBI agent was transferred to Washington, D.C., Rodriguez kept going — a detective’s promise to a family that their daughter would not be forgotten.
The investigation
In 2009, the FBI and Chicago police made Beth’s case public in a way it never had been: Special Agent-in-Charge Robert D. Grant and CPD Superintendent Jody P. Weis jointly announced a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the solution of her “cold case” disappearance.
“For the sake of those she left behind, we would like to determine what happened to this vibrant young mother, bring those responsible for her disappearance to justice and bring some measure of closure to her family,” Grant said.
The case was investigated jointly by the FBI Chicago Violent Crimes Task Force and the CPD Cold Case Unit. But the three men from that night were never publicly named as suspects, and no one has ever been charged. The remote stretch of East Chicago, Indiana, where they said they left her, gave up nothing.
Theories: what might have happened
Foul play by the men she left with. The central, unavoidable fact: three men took Beth from the bar, their stories about the rest of the night were inconsistent, and she was never seen again. Investigators have said they fear she met with foul play. What supports it: the shifting accounts, the remote drop-off location, and the total absence of any later trace of Beth. What limits it: after 34 years, no physical evidence and no witness has broken the case open.
She was left alive and something else happened. The men’s claim — that Beth got out of the car in an unfamiliar industrial area in the pre-dawn hours — leaves open the possibility that whatever happened next involved someone else entirely. But no evidence has ever pointed to a second scenario, and the men’s own inconsistencies remain the case’s center of gravity.
Have information?
The FBI offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the solution of this case. Contact the FBI Chicago Field Office at (312) 421-6700, or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov. You can also call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- Circa 1964 — Elizabeth Veloz is born in Chicago.
- July 26, 1992 — Beth goes out with friends; leaves Jacko’s Bar with three men late at night.
- July 27, 1992 — The men claim they dropped her near the Harbor area of East Chicago, Indiana; she is never seen again.
- Mid-2000s — FBI agent reopens the file with CPD Cold Case detective Bob Rodriguez.
- March 2009 — FBI and CPD announce a reward of up to $20,000.
- Today — Still missing. No one has ever been charged.
FAQ
Is Elizabeth Veloz still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Beth Veloz has been missing for 34 years. The case remains an open cold case with the FBI and Chicago police.
Was Elizabeth Veloz ever found?
No. Neither Beth nor her remains have ever been located.
How old would Elizabeth Veloz be today?
Beth was 28 in July 1992, which puts her birth around 1964 — she would be about 62 in 2026.
What was the reward in the Elizabeth Veloz case?
In March 2009, the FBI announced a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the solution of her disappearance.
Who were the three men last seen with Beth Veloz?
They have never been publicly identified. They told investigators they dropped Beth off near the Harbor area of East Chicago, Indiana, but their accounts of the night were inconsistent.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information should call the FBI Chicago Field Office at (312) 421-6700.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: FBI Chicago — “Reward Offered in Search for Missing Chicago Woman” (press release, March 17, 2009; archives.fbi.gov).
- News: Detective Story podcast, Episode 14 — “Elizabeth Veloz and a dedicated detective’s promise to a family” (interview with retired CPD detective Bob Rodriguez).
- Reference: FBI archived press release (mar17_09.htm); CPD Cold Case Unit case file.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.