Key facts
- Name: Kortne Ciera Stouffer
- Born: 1991, Pennsylvania
- Age at disappearance: 21
- Last seen: July 29, 2012, ~3:30 a.m.
- Location: 810 W. Main Street, Palmyra, Pennsylvania
- Height / build: 5’8″, 115 lbs, green eyes, shoulder-length blonde hair; mole on right cheek; tattoos including “One Love” on right bicep
- Status: Still missing — Lebanon County investigation; FBI ViCAP lists foul play suspected
- Reward: $100,000 (family)
- Investigating agency: West Lebanon County Regional Police Department — Det. Jared Henry, (717) 838-8189, jhenry@wlcrpd.com; FBI ViCAP (800) 634-4097
The night the apartment went quiet
The last time anyone official heard from Kortne Stouffer, it was 3:30 on a Sunday morning and Palmyra police were at her door — the second disturbance call of the night. Then the noise stopped. Then, somehow, Kortne did too.
Her car was still there. Her phone, her purse, her keys — all still there. Her dog, still there. A 21-year-old hairstylist who loved the outdoors and couldn’t sit still had walked out of her own apartment leaving behind everything a person needs to go anywhere, and never came back.
More than 14 years later, that locked-room stillness is what haunts the case. Nothing was taken. Nothing was broken. There was no sign of a struggle. Just a young woman, gone between one police visit and the sunrise — and neighbors who said they’d heard a man’s voice in the night, telling someone to get in the car.
Who Kortne was
Kortne was, in her father’s words, “the epitome of a beautiful rainbow.” Carefree, loud, a modern-day free spirit — 21, working as a hairstylist at Elle Salon in Palmyra, grooming dogs on the side, helping out with her dad Scott’s business, Stouffer Equipment. She had green eyes, a mole on her right cheek, and ink that said “One Love” on her bicep.
Every July, her family and friends — and strangers who’ve adopted her story — gather in Hershey to float the Swatara Creek in her memory. In July 2025, on the 13th anniversary, about 100 people showed up, the biggest turnout yet. “I’m getting goosebumps. I know that she’s with us,” her younger sister Kerstin Jennings said. “She just wants us to have the best day, because this is something that she really, really loves to do.”
The strange final night
Police later built a detailed timeline of July 28, 2012. Around 9 p.m., Palmyra officers responded to an underage drinking party at the apartment Kortne shared with Brad Herr. Herr was taken into custody on a probation violation; seven others were inside, two cited for underage drinking and released. Kortne was the only one left in the apartment when police cleared out.
At 10:07 p.m., two friends — Cody Pruett and Milton Rodriguez — messaged her about joining them at a bar in Hummelstown. Kortne left her car at the Gas Station Bar and rode with them to Harrisburg. Later, Pruett drove her home. He has said he stayed over, that they slept in separate bedrooms, and that he woke up and left the apartment — after which, he says, he texted her. Surveillance video later captured him at a convenience store buying food and texting Kortne after leaving.
Police were called to the apartment twice that night for disturbances between Kortne and a neighbor. The last contact: 3:30 a.m. Then nothing. She was reported missing the next day.
Investigators found no indications of violence or struggle inside the apartment. But the FBI’s ViCAP listing is blunt: “Foul play is suspected regarding Stouffer’s disappearance.”
The investigation
The Palmyra Borough Police Department, the Lebanon County Detective Bureau, and federal and state partners worked the case alongside a private investigator hired by the family. Pruett and Rodriguez were questioned; no arrests have ever been made, and police have said they haven’t ruled anyone out.
The family put up $100,000 for information. Tips have come in waves, especially around anniversaries. In December 2024, human remains were found in York — about an hour from Palmyra — and the resemblance to Kortne in released sketches drew tips. In June 2025, investigators confirmed the remains were not Kortne’s. The unidentified person remains unidentified.
In 2026, WGAL’s “Still Searching” series profiled the case — “nearly 14 years later, her family is still searching for answers and hoping someone will come forward.”
Her father, Scott, has never softened his frustration: “Twelve years later these people are still walking around, [while] we have no closure. We have no answers. My family suffers every day.”
Theories: what might have happened
Foul play by someone present that night. The disturbance calls, the male voice neighbors reported, the 3:30 a.m. cutoff — the circumstantial shape of the night points at a confrontation that turned fatal, with a body moved before dawn. Two men who were with her that night were questioned; no one has been charged, and both are presumed innocent.
Abduction by a stranger. Possible, but the apartment showed no forced entry or struggle, and her belongings were untouched — a stranger would more likely have taken the phone, the purse, or the car.
Voluntary disappearance. Nothing supports it. She left her dog, her livelihood’s tools, and every possession behind, and she has never used a phone, a bank account, or a name anyone could find.
Have information?
Contact Det. Jared Henry, West Lebanon County Regional Police Department: (717) 838-8189 or jhenry@wlcrpd.com. You can also reach the Lebanon County Detective Bureau at (717) 228-4408, or FBI ViCAP at (800) 634-4097. The family is offering $100,000 for information. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- 1991 — Kortne Ciera Stouffer is born.
- July 28, 2012, ~9 p.m. — Police respond to a party at her Palmyra apartment; boyfriend Brad Herr is taken into custody.
- July 28, 2012, evening — Kortne goes out with friends Cody Pruett and Milton Rodriguez in Hummelstown and Harrisburg.
- July 29, 2012, ~3:30 a.m. — Last known contact: Palmyra police respond to a disturbance at her apartment. Foul play is suspected.
- July 29, 2012 — Reported missing. Car, phone, purse, keys, and dog all left behind.
- 2022 — Lebanon County Detective Bureau publicly renews the appeal for the Stouffer family’s $100,000 reward (raised after the 2017 “Disappeared” episode; news release by Chief County Detective Jonathan Hess).
- December 2024 — Human remains found in York, PA, draw tips; June 2025 — confirmed not Kortne.
- July 2025 — 13th anniversary; ~100 people float Swatara Creek in her memory.
- 2026 — WGAL “Still Searching” series profiles the case.
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is Kortne Stouffer still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Kortne Stouffer has been missing for more than 14 years. The investigation remains active with local, state, and federal agencies.
Was Kortne Stouffer ever found?
No. Human remains found in York, Pennsylvania, in December 2024 were tested and confirmed in June 2025 not to be hers.
Who was the last person to see Kortne Stouffer?
Her friend Cody Pruett, who says he stayed over at her apartment that night and left in the early morning hours. Police responded to a disturbance at the apartment at 3:30 a.m. — the last official contact. Pruett has been questioned; no arrests have been made.
What was left behind in Kortne’s apartment?
Her car, cell phone, purse, keys, and her dog — everything she would have needed to leave on her own. Investigators found no signs of violence or struggle.
Is there a reward in the Kortne Stouffer case?
Yes — her family is offering $100,000 for information.
How can I help?
Share this case file, and contact Det. Jared Henry at (717) 838-8189 or jhenry@wlcrpd.com with any information, no matter how small.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: FBI ViCAP missing-persons listing for Kortne Ciera Stouffer; Lebanon County Detective Bureau releases.
- News: CBS 21 News, 13th-anniversary coverage (Jul 2025); WGAL “Still Searching” (2026); WHP 580, “$100,000 Offered for Info.” (2022); Lebanon Daily News (Jul 2024).
- Reference: The Charley Project (retrieved Oct 2026).
- Media: Weeknight Mysteries Podcast, Ep. 53 (Jan 2026); True Crime Society (Jul 2025).
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Verification corrections (October 2026):
– BEFORE: “2022 — Lebanon County announces a $100,000 reward” → AFTER: clarified that the $100,000 reward is offered by the Stouffer family (raised after the 2017 “Disappeared” episode) and was publicly renewed via a Lebanon County Detective Bureau news release by Chief County Detective Jonathan Hess in July 2022 (WHP 580; Lebanon Daily News). Key facts already listed the reward as the family’s.
– Slug and URL unchanged.
Last verified October 2026.