Mystery of missing Ferris High School student remains unsolved 50 years later

SPOKANE, Wash. — It’s been 50 years since a Ferris High School student started walking home and was never seen again.

Laurie Lynn Partridge went missing on Dec. 4, 1974, when she was only 17 years old. Some of her belongings were found near 37th and Havana Street shortly after her disappearance.

According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Laurie and her family had moved to Spokane from California just a few months before she disappeared.

While authorities originally believed she left of her own free will, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said foul play is suspected to play a part in Partridge’s disappearance.

Authorities said a witness saw Laurie around 4:15 p.m. on the day she went missing. A white man who looked to be in his forties or fifties was nearby as well as a white truck with a dark-colored door.

At least four different SCSO detectives have taken the lead on Laurie’s case over the last five decades.

“She’s never been located, so DNA is not going to work for us. There is no witness to her abduction, so that isn’t going to help us. So those are some of the unique challenges to missing persons cases,” said SCSO Homicide Detective, Mike Drapeau.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said Laurie had tickets to a Beach Boys concert in her purse when she disappeared.

Police went to that Beach Boys show to look for her, and believe her tickets were used, but they did not see her at the concert.

Detective Drapeau said he believes Laurie was most likely murdered, but doesn’t have any evidence.

“Somebody knows who took her and who killed her, if only the murderer. I think we can all agree she didn’t run away at this point. I think that’s standard knowledge,” he said.

Laurie’s sister, Taryn Chambers, said her family just wants closure.

“It’s worse not knowing. That’s the big thing. It’s worse not knowing. We really need to solve this one way or another,” she said.

As of now, there are no suspects currently being investigated in the case.

Laurie, who would now be 67 years old, is described as a white, 5-foot-tall woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. She has a distinct mole on her right cheek.

If you have any information that could help investigators in this case, call the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office at 509-477-4760.