OR OR - Stephanie Anne Warner, 43, Ruch/Ashland Area, Timeline & Maps **NO DISCUSSION**

Let's start with a "brief" case summary to get newcomers up to speed.

Stephanie Warner drove from her home in Ruch (Applegate Valley) about 45 minutes to Ashland, Oregon on July 4, 2013. She was with her on-and-off boyfriend, Lennie Ames, 60, and was seen in a video walking alongside the float for the Jackson County Fuel Committee in the local parade. Before leaving Ashland around 3:30 p.m., she was seen arguing with her boyfriend before they left together.

Later in the afternoon, en route home to Ruch, she was seen at a mini-market at Stewart and Lozier in Medford. Her boyfriend claims that he parted company with her around 5:00 p.m. at the Ruch Market, two miles from Stephanie's home. This has never been verified and he was named a person of interest at the end of August. He has very radical political and religious views (posting as Helias314 on YouTube).

Stephanie was in the habit of phoning her mother in New Orleans once or twice each day, as well as checking in regularly with her close friend, known on Websleuths as Dicentra. Neither one received expected phone calls that evening or the next day. At their request a sheriff did a wellness check and did not find Stephanie at home. On Sunday July 7, Dicentra went to Stephanie's and found the back door unlocked, the car parked in a different place than Stephanie usually parked it, her gate opener missing, her animals untended, car keys and her medications in the kitchen, but her backpack/purse missing. There was no sign of struggle.

Dicentra contacted Lennie Ames at his camp in the woods on Monday July 8, hoping to find Stephanie there. He claimed not to know where she was, but told contradictory stories. He made no immediate effort to search for her, despite his vast knowledge of the woods. He and his son called in local news teams and finally gave an interview July 23, proclaiming that they were "baffled" by Stephanie's disappearance and pointing the finger at her neighbor and former boyfriend.

On July 10 and 11, searches were conducted at Stephanie's property and in the surrounding area using dogs, grid searches and helicopter. There has been no activity on any of her accounts. Jackson County Sheriffs Office (JCSO) has stated that she disappeared "under suspicious circumstances."

Further searches have been conducted at her home and property as well as the campsite of Lennie Ames. Evidence has been seized and is being processed. The detective in charge has followed up on a number of sightings, which did not turn out to be Stephanie. It was reported that JCSO conducted a search on Applegate Lake Wednesday November 6, but this has not been confirmed.

Shortly after Stephanie disappeared in July, her boyfriend Lennie Ames, his son and daughter-in-law and dil's mother all moved into Stephanie's house where they lived until about September 5, after a search warrant was served and apparently they were evicted. They are said to be living in Silverton in northern Oregon. Detective Henderson has said that Ames has been "cooperative."

Websleuthers have been working hard on this case since it was first reported, researching, using Google Earth to map locations, starting a Facebook page, giving information to NamUs, and even traveling to Longview, WA to post fliers after hearing about a sighting there. A few friends of Stephanie's are active on the discussion thread, but the majority have never met her. We have made new friends while we look for Stephanie, and we invite you to join us.

Map showing Route between Ashland where Stephanie attended July 4 parade, and her home in Ruch. She also stopped at the Ruch store enroute.

Distance between Ashland and Ruch approx 25 miles and 45 minutes driving time.

Map showing route from Ruch Store to Stephanie's home.

Distance 2 miles. Driving time under five minutes.

Stephanie's case in video form thanks to Sasquatch and others on WS.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=...top_uri=/watch?v=stDakDoSz9s&feature=youtu.be

Map posted on main thread by Kae, showing significant locations in Stephanie's case. The icon labeled as Magnolia Grill is also the location of the Ruch Market.

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=202998600653912919870.0004eb1901303b47009b8&msa=0

Just for the sake of clarity, it has never been established that Stephanie was ever seen stopping at the Ruch Store. This was what Lennie Ames said, but LE could never substantiate that.

The last proven sighting of Stephanie was at the store at Stewart and Lozier in Medford, sometime around or after 4:15 pm July 4. Before that she was seen arguing with Lennie Ames around 3:30 pm before they left Ashland. We don't know with any certainty whether she ever made it back to Ruch.

Some updates from Detective Henderson in July 2014. See Media Thread.

He has reason to believe that Stephanie did make it home to Ruch.

There is video of Ames with Stephanie at a gas station on Stewart Avenue in Medford en route home July 4.

Ames is now in Belleview, Florida.

There have been some new leads recently, and there will be new searches in various places in Jackson and Josephine counties.

New information that Ames claims he got a ride back from his camp on July 5 and took Stephanie's car to the Williams Store further along Highway 238. He claims he returned it to her home and went back to his camp for several days.
See media thread.

May 7, 2023 update -


[…]

Detectives believe she was the victim of a homicide, but her body has never been found. Due to the recent discovery of the hair and tissue, they’ve reopened her missing persons case. Deputies are actively reviewing police reports, re-listening to recorded interviews and re-examining evidence.

[…]