Where is Kemberly Ramer?? 20 years after happy teenager vanishes from bed, authorities still baffled

Although it’s been 20 years since she vanished, Kemberly Ramer’s family hasn’t given up looking, and they haven’t given up hope.

“We aren’t giving up until she gets justice,” Kemberly’s mother Sue Infinger told Dateline last year.

Kemberly was 17 and just days away from starting her senior year of high school when she vanished in the middle of the night on August 15, 1997. She was staying at her father’s house in Opp, Alabama, and had gone to a softball game with friends before going back to her boyfriend’s house, about a five minute car ride from her father’s place.

According to NBC, Kemberly is believed to have come back to the house sometime between 11:00 and 11:45 p.m. on August 15. The next morning, her father went into her room to find her gone. Her bed was left messy, and her car, purse, money, jewelry, and contacts — which she relied on to see — were gone.

Police suspected foul play early on, and ruled out both Kemberly’s parents and her boyfriend. Authorities and her family believe she may have been kidnapped, but those who know her can’t imagine who would have wanted to harm the happy, active teen, who was on her high school’s softball team and cheerleading squad.

“I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt her,” her mother told Dateline. “I believe it was someone she knew.”

Over the years, police have followed up on a number of tips suggesting Kemberly was murdered, leading to searches of a pond, a well, and a sinkhole, as far away as Florida and Texas. Those searches turned up nothing.

Even two decades later, the FBI continues to investigate.

“Our role continues to be investigative — following up on leads,” Douglas Astralaga, Chief Division Counsel of the Mobile, Alabama FBI told Dateline. “Our agents work very closely with every one of the departments and follow up on any leads that come to light. We will bring whatever resources are necessary to this investigation.”

Kemberly would be 37 years old today. Her father has since passed away, but her mother Sue is still consumed by the unexplained disappearance.

“If I could tell her something today, I would tell her I love her very much,” she said.

“And we wish that this has never happened.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Walton County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 892-8111, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office at (334) 894-5535, the Mobile County FBI at (251) 438-3674, or the FBI at 202-324-3000.

 

Feature photo: The Charley Project