'We have no answers': Family still seeks closure 12 years after Kortne Stouffer vanished

Twelve years ago, Kortne Stouffer disappeared from her residence without a trace, and her family is still looking for answers.

On Saturday afternoon, the Stouffer family and others drove to Swatara Creek Park in Hershey and lined the banks of the creek with multiple inner tubes. It's part of a tradition in which the family floats the currents towards Hummelstown in remembrance of one of their own.

Kerstin Jennings, Stouffer's sister, said the annual excursion is "a mix of emotions" for the family. On a peaceful day like July 27, family and friends want to celebrate Stouffer's life by doing something she loved.

"But then you get overwhelmed by the emotions that she's not here," Jennings said. "She's not here to be able to do it with us. We still don't know what happened to her, and we miss her every day."

Kortne Stouffer disappeared from her apartment at 810 W. Main St., Palmyra, between 3:49 and 7:30 a.m. Sunday, July 29, 2012. Since then, family and friends have been searching for answers to her disappearance with no success.

She was 21 at the time of her disappearance.

"It is still an ongoing case," Jennings said. "It's not closed. It's still open, and we're still trying to find out what happened to her."

Characterized as "carefree" and "very loud," many of Kortne Stouffer's friends would say she always seemed happy, a modern-day free spirit. Jennings described her sister as "an energetic, lively, happy-go-lucky person."

"She was always wanting to put a smile on your face," Jennings said. "She was always the life of the party whereever she was at, and she was just a loving, kind human being."

Stouffer was last seen when Palmyra Borough Police responded to her apartment for a disturbance involving a downstairs neighbor at approximately 3:12 a.m. July 29. Police were called out again at 4:11 a.m. after neighbors reported Stouffer screaming through the walls and stomping on the floor, but no one responded when police knocked on the door 20 minutes later.

Stouffer had planned to meet with her family at the Lebanon Area Fair later that day. When she didn't show, Stouffer's family went to check on her and found the front door open and her dog barking.

There was no note left behind — no blood and no sign of a struggle, according to officials. Stouffer's vehicle, keys, cell phone and purse were all found at her home.

On Saturday, Scott Stouffer said that the 12 years the family has not been able to find closure for his daughter's disappearance "just seems wrong."

"Kortne may have been a little misguided, but she had a good spirit," Scott Stouffer said. "She was a beautiful person. There's no reason I didn't get to walk her down the aisle and see her have children, and I'm very frustrated with the pursuit of the case."

Disappearance investigation

Immediately after Stouffer's disappearance, friends and family created search parties, a tip line was set up, and missing posters were placed around Palmyra and neighboring towns.

But for all the efforts made over the last 12 years, Jennings said there has never been any lead solid enough in the investigation to close the case and tell the family what happened to Kortne.

Most of the communication the family has had about the investigation has been retired detectives who worked on Kortne's case for over a decade, Jennings said. But she added that getting in contact with law enforcement currently working on the case can take months at a time.

"That's kind of disheartening, but we still hold onto hope that somebody cares enough to continue to do something," she said.

While Kortne's family members haven't given up hope, they do acknowledge the process of gathering information in both Lebanon and Dauphin counties about the case and those potentially involved has been problematic.

"It's just frustrating," Scott Stouffer said. "Twelve years later these people are still walking around, (while) we have no closure. We have no answers. My family suffers every day."

The Stouffers are offering a $100,000 reward for solid information that leads to Kortne Stouffer's whereabouts. Over the last two years, they have been launching a nonprofit tie-dyed clothing collection called "Kortne Remember Me" and releasing video testimonials to keep her story alive.

"Really I've been pushing so hard the last couple years for my parents, because they just deserve answers." Jennings said. "Kortne deserves to have answers and put everything to rest. I just don't want my mom and dad to struggle anymore with the thought that they won't know what happened to their daughter."

Members of the Stouffer family Saturday said the support from friends and neighbors that come out to the annual float and show their love for Kortne Stouffer is what keeps them going.

"We're not going to forget about her," Scott Stouffer said. "The human conscience is something that has no time table. It doesn't, and I'm sure we will get answers."

Return to View: Kortne Stouffer: How — and why — did she vanish from her apartment in 2012?

More information about events and the Stouffer family's efforts to keep Kortne's memory alive are available on the Kortne Stouffer — Remember Me Facebook page.

Residents with any information regarding Kortne Stouffer's disappearance are asked to contact the Lebanon County detectives at 717-228-4403, The Western Lebanon County Regional Police Department at 717-838-8189, the Stouffer's private investigator Leah Hopewell at 718-348-3205, or Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at crimewatchpa.com/crimestoppers .

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth .

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: 'We have no answers': Family still seeks closure 12 years after Kortne Stouffer vanished