Key facts
- Name: Joan Leigh Hall (“Joanie”)
- Born: February 24, 1966
- Age at disappearance: 17
- Last seen: September 30, 1983, ~2:00 p.m.
- Location: Warrenton Mini Mart, Main Street, Warrenton, Oregon
- Height / build: 5’6″, 120 lbs, brown hair (cut short), blue eyes; green hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, blue jacket, maroon-and-white sneakers
- Status: Still missing — Clatsop County cold case; foul play suspected; NCMEC 1044727
- Investigating agency: Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office
The half-mile walk
On the afternoon of Friday, September 30, 1983, 17-year-old Joan Hall — Joanie — had her day planned out. After classes at Warrenton High School, where she was a senior, she was going to walk the half-mile to Warrenton Grade School to help her Aunt Ruth, a third-grade teacher, grade papers and tutor students.
A friend, fellow student Mike Moore, drove her to the Warrenton Mini Mart on Main Street around 2 p.m. She told him she was going to buy a soft drink and then walk to the grade school.
She never showed up. She was carrying a blue-and-white backpack and a brown purse, wearing a green hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, a blue jacket, and maroon-and-white sneakers.
Police from several agencies searched exhaustively and interviewed widely — even following up hunches from psychics. They found no sign of her. Authorities suspected foul play from the start.
The night before she vanished, Joanie had been elected president of the Explorer post sponsored by the Sheriff’s Office.
Who Joanie was
Joan Leigh Hall was the youngest of six children. Her niece Amanda Gilman, who runs the “Finding Joanie Hall” Facebook page and held a candlelight vigil for the 40th anniversary, said the disappearance “completely changed my upbringing. I wasn’t allowed to go out and do things or walk places by myself.”
Her older brother Chuck Hall remembers her plainly: “She was a really good kid, straight and everything else. I never believed she was going to run away or nothing, so I knew instantly something was very wrong. Yeah, she was a great kid.”
Both of Joanie’s parents have since passed, as have two of her siblings. Gilman said of her grandparents: “They were completely devastated. She was their youngest, so all of their other kids were basically grown; you know, I don’t think they ever recovered — I mean how can you?”
The investigation
Joanie’s case is officially listed among the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office cold cases. The fellow student who drove her to the Mini Mart has remained a person of interest in the case, according to true-crime coverage — he has never been charged with any crime, and the presumption of innocence applies.
One account, posted years later by a local advocate, holds that Joanie was purportedly seen entering a dark-colored truck with two young men — and notes that as a Sheriff’s Office Explorer, she would be highly unlikely to get into a stranger’s vehicle, suggesting she knew whoever took her. That account is unverified, but it captures the shape of the community’s belief: that whatever happened on Main Street that afternoon involved someone she trusted, and that she was likely killed within hours.
In May 2024, the Seaside Signal reported on unsealed records in the case — four decades on, still generating news. The NCMEC poster (1044727) carries her photo age-progressed to 52. The Daily Astorian has revisited the case repeatedly, including 2013 and 2019.
Theories: what might have happened
Abduction and murder by someone she knew. The theory authorities and the community have held for 43 years: a 17-year-old Sheriff’s Office Explorer doesn’t get into a stranger’s car on Main Street at 2 p.m. Whoever took her, she likely knew. No suspect has been charged, no remains found.
A crime of opportunity. Broad daylight, a half-mile walk along Main Street — an opportunistic abduction is possible in any era. But Joanie’s training and temperament argue against her going quietly with a stranger, and no witness ever described a struggle.
Voluntary disappearance. Her brother rejected it instantly, and nothing supports it: a planned afternoon helping her aunt, an Explorer presidency won the night before, no money taken, no note, no contact in 43 years.
Have information?
Contact the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office at 503-325-8635 or sheriff@clatsopcounty.gov, or NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- February 24, 1966 — Joan Leigh Hall is born, the youngest of six.
- September 29, 1983 — Elected president of the Sheriff’s Office Explorer post.
- September 30, 1983, ~2:00 p.m. — Driven to the Warrenton Mini Mart by a fellow student; plans to buy a soft drink and walk to Warrenton Grade School. Never arrives.
- Fall 1983 — Multi-agency search; psychics’ hunches followed; no trace. Foul play suspected.
- 2010 — KATU revisits the case.
- 2013 / 2019 — Daily Astorian retrospectives.
- 2023 — 40th anniversary; family candlelight vigil; “Finding Joanie Hall” campaign.
- May 2024 — Seaside Signal reports on unsealed case records.
- September 2026 — 43rd anniversary.
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is Joanie Hall still missing?
Yes. Joan Leigh “Joanie” Hall has been missing since September 30, 1983 — 43 years. The Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office still lists her as a cold case, and foul play is suspected.
What happened to Joanie Hall?
Nobody knows. She was last seen at the Warrenton Mini Mart around 2 p.m., planning to walk a half-mile to help her aunt at the grade school. She never arrived. Authorities have long suspected she was abducted and murdered.
Who was the boy who drove Joanie Hall to the Mini Mart?
A fellow Warrenton High School student, Mike Moore, who gave her a ride from school. He was the last person known to see her and has remained a person of interest in true-crime coverage of the case. He has never been charged with any crime.
Was Joanie Hall ever found?
No. Despite exhaustive searches in 1983 and decades of advocacy since, no trace of Joanie has ever been found.
How old would Joanie Hall be today?
Joanie was born February 24, 1966 — she turned 60 in February 2026.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information should contact the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office at 503-325-8635 or sheriff@clatsopcounty.gov.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office — Cold Cases (503-325-8635; sheriff@clatsopcounty.gov); NCMEC poster 1044727 (1-800-843-5678).
- News: The Daily Astorian (Sept 2013; Oct 2019); Seaside Signal (May 2024, unsealed records); KATU (Sept 2010); That Oregon Life — “14 Cold Cases in Oregon” (2021).
- Reference: The Charley Project — “Joan Leigh Hall”; Crimewatchers case thread.
- Media: True Cold Case Files (JPF Productions) — “Joanie Hall: The Oregon Coast’s Great Mystery”; “Finding Joanie Hall” (Facebook, family campaign).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.