Starr, circa 2005
- Missing Since 05/18/2005
- Missing From Middletown, California
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race White
- Date of Birth 01/28/1959 (64)
- Age 46 years old
- Height and Weight 5'3 - 5'4, 140 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A green sweater, a black leather jacket and blue jeans.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Dark brown hair, hazel eyes.
Details of Disappearance
Starr was last seen leaving her home on Western Mine Road in Middletown, California in the early afternoon hours of May 18, 2005, after getting into an argument with her husband, Curtis Hill.
Curtis stated Starr left the house angrily and walked down their half-mile-long driveway, headed towards town. It was raining heavily in the area on the day she vanished. Starr has not been heard from since, although one of her friends reported seeing her on the day she went missing, upset, and walking on the road near the Twin Pine Casino.
Starr was reported missing by her daughter on May 21. Curtis is considered a person of interest in her case, but he has not been charged or named as a suspect. Starr did not take any personal belongings when she left.
Curtis says he went to work the next day and when he returned, he found an angry note from Starr saying she was leaving him. She took her purse, some duffel bags and her makeup bag, but no clothing.
Curtis and Starr had a troubled marriage and often argued, but their relationship was no worse than usual prior to her disappearance. Investigators searched the couple's property, but turned up no evidence. Curtis stopped cooperating early in the investigation and has refused to be interviewed by police.
There was a possible sighting of Starr in the Trackside bar in Colfax, California in August 2005. Witnesses stated a woman resembling Starr sat at the bar with a Hispanic male companion and later sang karaoke. The sighting has not been confirmed.
In October 2005, five months after Starr's disappearance, a vineyard worker in Lower Lake, California found her cellular phone in the in brush alongside Highway 29. Authorities do not know who left the phone there or how long it had lain there before it was discovered. They subjected the phone to forensic testing, but uncovered no clues.
Starr has not used her phone or her credit cards since before her disappearance. Her daughter last spoke to her on May 16, two days before her disappearance, and stated nothing seemed to be amiss at the time.
Starr normally called her daughter several times a day, but none of her family members have heard from her since her disappearance. She has also missing her two grandchildren's birthday celebrations, which is uncharacteristic of her.
Her loved ones stated Starr had left her home for weeks at a time following domestic disputes, but she always stayed in touch with her family and usually returned home within days. Starr was reportedly happy with her life at the time she went missing, and had quit smoking so she could become a certified scuba diver.
Although there is no evidence of foul play in her case and Curtis stated he believed she had simply left him, her disappearance is considered suspicious and her loved ones are concerned for her safety. Her mother died in 2009 without knowing what had happened to her. Starr's case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
- Lake County Sheriff's Office 707-263-2331
Source Information
Updated 5 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated May 20, 2010; two pictures added, details of disappearance updated.
