MN MN - Victoria "Vicky" Owczynsky, 17, Minneapolis, 26 Aug 1990

I grew up in Minneapolis and I remember hearing about Vicky. I thought at the time, they thought she had been killed and that they had a suspect, but I can't find any information about her besides what is listed on the Doe Network.

http://doenetwork.org/cases/1434dfmn.htmlhttp://doenetwork.us/cases/1434dfmn.html

Your best and quickest source of information on this case would be to check Minneapolis/St Paul newspaper microfilm files. Most On-line stories only go back a few years, but there might have been a 10th anniversary story that you could find by going to newspaper on-line archives.
If you do some research and write up a case summary, you can send it to the DoeNetwork and they will put it on their website file.

I searched archives- and this is all there is...

Published: November 6, 1991
Section: NEWS
Page#: 01B
Minneapolis case of missing woman frustrates police
By Jill Hodges; Staff Writer

Minneapolis police have grim suspicions about what happened to 17-year-old Vicky Owczynsky when she disappeared more than a year ago, but they can't say for sure.




All that is certain is that she never showed up at a park at Garfield St. and 18th Av. NE. where she had agreed to meet her girlfriend at noon on Aug. 26, 1990.


Since her disappearance, there has been no sign that she's still alive - no sightings, no phone calls to friends or family, no applications bearing her Social Security number. There also has been no evidence to prove she's not. Nonetheless, police are suspicious.


"She left behind her clothing, she left behind the small amount of money she had. She left behind her cigarettes and jewelry. She never said anything about leaving. She agreed to meet her friend at the park. All those things put together - that's not somebody who elected to be gone," said Sgt. John Baade, one of the investigators in the case.


"We treat it as a missing-persons case, but basically what we're talking about is a potential homicide."


They even have a suspect, but without a body, no crime. The uncertainty has prolonged her family's agony.


"I feel like I'm in limbo," said her father, Eugene Owczynsky. "It eats away at me. No matter where I go, I still keep my eyes open, thinking maybe I'll see her."


Vicky had been living with a girlfriend in northeast Minneapolis when she disappeared. She had moved to the house, four blocks from her mother's, about a month earlier.


When she woke up on Aug. 26, other members of the bustling household were filing out to church. At 9:45, Vicky called her mother and said she'd stop by about noon.


About 15 minutes later, she had a three-way phone conversation with her boyfriend, who was in the Ramsey County jail, and a girlfriend, who she agreed to meet at the park at noon. She said she had just stepped out of the bath and needed to dress and fix her hair.


While she was still talking to her girlfriend, Vicky abruptly began laughing. She explained that a man had just walked in with two black eyes and he looked funny. It was the father of the family she was living with, who had been ordered out of the house by Hennepin County two years earlier after being accused of sexually assaulting his daughters.


Vicky then called her stepfather and asked for a ride to the park, but he said he was busy painting a neighbor's house. He heard her ask someone in the house for a ride.


About 10:30 a.m., two neighbors saw Vicky leave in a pickup truck with the man who had appeared at the house during the phone conversation. About 20 minutes later, the man returned to the house, they said, and began unloading scrap metal from the truck. Vicky never arrived at the park or her mother's.


The next day, police took a report from her mother, Larene Larson. Larson and Eugene Owczynsky told police that their daughter would not leave without calling them later. Family members and friends said Vicky, a student at Edison High, seemed relatively happy. Family members peppered the neighborhood with fliers carrying a picture and description of Vicky, a petite, pretty girl with long brown hair. No one called with any clues.


The case was referred to Sgt. Dayton Dunn of the Minneapolis Police Department's juvenile division. He interviewed neighbors, family members and friends. He spoke with the man who neighbors say Vicky left with and ordered a search of his truck and apartment in a building he manages. The man acknowledged that he had seen Vicky and that they had talked outside, but says she never was in his pickup.


After that, the case remained open as an unsolved missing-person report. Every month or so, Dunn would make the rounds, checking for developments. None surfaced.


When Vicky's 18th birthday passed in April, the case was turned over to Baade and Sgt. Ron Ottoson in the Second Precinct's property crimes unit, which handles reports of missing adults. "In talking with Sgt. Dunn we came up with the same conclusion he did: that we've probably got a victim of a homicide and there's one suspect we can't eliminate," Baade said.


The primary suspect, the man who was last seen with Vicky, was convicted of assaulting a 27-year-old woman in the course of a sexual encounter in 1977. But in searching his pickup and apartment, Baade and Ottoson found scant evidence to prove what they believe - only a photograph of Vicky's boyfriend and a necklace. They also took samples of duct tape and nylon tape.


The investigators said the case illustrates perils in the Police Department's system for dealing with missing people. For one thing, they said, with the exception of cases that appear particularly unusual or urgent, a 24-hour wait is required before anyone can file a report.


"If you report your TV is missing, we take the report right away," Baade said. "Why wait on a missing person? Why not take the report right away? Then if something's wrong, at least you've got a start." In cases that involve foul play, the delay can leave investigators with no crime scene and witnesses with fading memories, he said.


Most missing-person calls to police result in a cursory round of phone calls and a report for the files. Only those that appear suspicious are investigated extensively at the outset. In the Owczynsky case, Dunn suspected trouble and pursued the case aggressively. Even so, Baade said, he wishes more police resources had been devoted to the case sooner.


Deputy Chief David Dobrotka said it is a question of where to invest officers' time, an increasingly precious resource. Ninety to 95 percent of the 336 reports of missing adults in Minneapolis this year proved unfounded. The juvenile division receives about 275 reports of missing children a month. Only eight of the children reported missing since January 1990 are still considered missing, and none is believed a victim of foul play, officials said.


"Just how much time and energy are you going to expend on things like this?" Dobrotka said, citing the continued rise of violent crimes.


Baade recognizes the pressures, but said he thinks missing-person investigations are worth the time. "What about those one or two times that should have been looked into right away?" he said. "Maybe they'll come home. Maybe they won't. Which way do you want to err?"

Did the article say he was a scrap dealer? Didn't they look for her prints in his truck?

What's wrong with this picture?

(quote) > her boyfriend, who was in the Ramsey County jail...

> the father of the family she was living with, who had been ordered out of the house by Hennepin County two years earlier after being accused of sexually assaulting his daughters.

> About 10:30 a.m., two neighbors saw Vicky leave in a pickup truck with the man who had appeared at the house during the phone conversation. About 20 minutes later, the man returned to the house, they said, and began unloading scrap metal from the truck. Vicky never arrived at the park or her mother's.

>The man acknowledged that he had seen Vicky and that they had talked outside, but says she never was in his pickup.

>The primary suspect, the man who was last seen with Vicky, was convicted of assaulting a 27-year-old woman in the course of a sexual encounter in 1977. But in searching his pickup and apartment, Baade and Ottoson found scant evidence to prove what they believe - only a photograph of Vicky's boyfriend and a necklace. They also took samples of duct tape and nylon tape.

I agree - many things are wrong with this picture.
17 and not living at home.
Boyfriend in jail...
The suspect and his story,previous charges..etc....
It seems to me that someone dropped the ball.. There was SOME evidence of her being in his truck... He was only gone for 20 minutes ?? Doesn't that indicate that she would have been dumped nearby.
It seems that this case could be solved. There is a very good suspect and he is OBVIOUSLY lying... The police need to do some follow up work on this case.

Bump

Vicky has been missing 32 years. Come home soon.

Victoria Jane Owczynsky, 17, Missing August 26, 1990 from Minneapolis, MN

Victoria Jane Owczynsky
Missing since August 26, 1990 from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics


Date Of Birth: April 23, 1973
Age at Time of Disappearance: 17 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'0"; 110 lbs
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; brown eyes. Mole on left cheek.
Dentals: Information/Charting Available

Circumstances of Disappearance


Owczynsky was last seen at approximately 13:00 at her residence in the vicinity of the 1800 block of University Avenue NE in Minneapolis, MN.

Vicky had been living with a girlfriend in northeast Minneapolis when she disappeared. She had moved to the house, four blocks from her mother's, about a month earlier. When she woke up on August 26, other members of the bustling household were filing out to church. At 09:45, Vicky called her mother and said she'd stop by about noon.

About 15 minutes later, she had a three-way phone conversation with her boyfriend, who was in the Ramsey County jail, and a girlfriend, who she agreed to meet at the park at noon. She said she had just stepped out of the bath and needed to dress and fix her hair.

While she was still talking to her girlfriend, Vicky abruptly began laughing. She explained that a man had just walked in with two black eyes and he looked funny. It was the father of the family she was living with, who had been ordered out of the house by Hennepin County two years earlier after being accused of sexually assaulting his daughters.

Vicky then called her stepfather and asked for a ride to the park, but he said he was busy painting a neighbor's house. He heard her ask someone in the house for a ride.

About 10:30, two neighbors saw Vicky leave in a pickup truck with the man who had appeared at the house during the phone conversation. About 20 minutes later, the man returned to the house, and began unloading scrap metal from the truck. Vicky never arrived at the park or her mother's house.

Police spoke with the man who neighbors say Vicky left with and ordered a search of his truck and apartment in a building he manages. The man acknowledged that he had seen Vicky and that they had talked outside, but says she never was in his pickup. Foul play is suspected.

Investigators

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Minneapolis Police Department
612-673-2941

Email police@ci.minneapolis.mn.us

Agency Case Number: 90-250112

NCIC Number: M-531282226


Please refer to these numbers when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:

Namus
Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities 11/6/91
The Doe Network: Case File 1434DFMN

LINK:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1434dfmn.html

http://www.twincities.com/localnews...-police-release-new-photo-1990-missing-person

By Joseph Lindberg
jlindberg@pioneerpress.com
Posted: 12/21/2012 12:01:00 AM CST
Updated: 12/21/2012 07:59:12 AM CST

Short article at link

http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/221548861.html

Posted by: Suzanne Ziegler
Updated: August 28, 2013 - 4:49

Minneapolis police put out a plea to the public Wednesday for help in a 23-year-old cold case.

Click to expand...

Bumping

Charley Project link: http://charleyproject.org/case/victoria-jane-owczynsky

Victoria Jane Owczynsky

• Missing Since 08/26/1990
• Missing From Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 04/23/1973 (46)
• Age 17 years old
• Height and Weight 5'0, 110 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Victoria's nickname is Vicky. Her hair was highlighted at the time of her disappearance. She has a birthmark under her left eye.

Details of Disappearance

Victoria was last seen on August 26, 1990, at her residence in the vicinity of the 1800 block of University Avenue northeast in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was living with a girlfriend in the northeast part of the city at the time, four blocks from her own mother's home; she had moved in a month before her disappearance. She was about to enter her senior year at Minneapolis Edison High School.

Victoria was supposed to meet a girlfriend at a Minneapolis park at noon on the day of her disappearance, and was also supposed to stop by her mother's home. She never arrived at either place. She was last seen in the company of the father of the family she was living with.

Witnesses say they saw Victoria leave her home with him in his pickup truck; she may have asked him for a ride to the park to see her friend. Victoria's mother believes this man was involved in her daughter's disappearance. Two years before, he'd been accused of sexually abusing his daughters. No charges were filed, but he was ordered to move out of the house.

The individual admitted to having spoken to Victoria on the day of her disappearance but denied that she had ever been in his truck. He has never been charged in connection with her case, which remains unsolved. Victoria left behind her cigarettes, jewelry, clothing and all her money when she went missing.

Authorities don't believe she left of her own accord; foul play is suspected in her disappearance. Victoria's mother is still alive, but in very poor health, and continues to hope for closure in her daughter's disappearance.

Adding new link - Victoria Jane Owczynsky – The Charley Project

(This article is about the arrest this summer of the man Vicky was last seen with in a car. Step father of her two friends she was living with at the time)

Published June 25, 2019

A Minnesota Killer and Serial Rapist Will Serve Less Than Six Years for the Murder of Lorri Mesedahl



A Minneapolis murderer and serial rapist, Darrell Rea, slipped through the fingers of local law enforcement for decades after killing 17-year-old Lorri Mesedahl in 1983—sexually abusing his stepdaughters and raping two more women in the years that followed. On Tuesday, in Hennepin County District Court, Rea was sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison for the second-degree murder of Mesedahl with intent, under Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines from the early 1980s. He will likely serve just over five years before being released under supervision. He is 64 years old.

Minnesota killer and serial rapist Darrell Rea was just sentenced to 10 years and a month in prison. He'll serve less than six.

Very lengthy but very well written article just came out - about Darren Rea and his multiple victims. Quest to arrest him over the 30 years just for him to receive only 10 years for the murder and nothing for the multiple brutal rapes. Vicky O is mentioned in the article too.
===
When Your Rape Doesn’t Count
DNA identified a serial predator. The law let him off the hook.


(photo of two stepdaughters and missing Vicky - click on photo to enlarge)

The chilling story of three women haunted by the same rapist—and how the law failed them

Is anyone laboring under the delusion that 6 years in prison is enough time for this guy to be reformed?

Page updated 5/18/2022, still missing

Missing 33 years today. The charley project says her mother is alive but in poor health, that seems to be outdated, as I found her mother's obituary. She died in 2013 and Victoria was listed as preceding her in death.

Victoria Jane Owczynsky, age 17​

• Missing Since 08/26/1990
• Missing From Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 04/23/1973 (50)
• Age 17 years old
• Height and Weight 5'0, 110 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Victoria's nickname is Vicky. Her hair was highlighted at the time of her disappearance. She has a birthmark under her left eye.

Details of Disappearance​

Victoria was last seen on August 26, 1990, at her residence in the vicinity of the 1800 block of University Avenue northeast in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was living with a girlfriend in the northeast part of the city at the time, four blocks from her own mother's home; she had moved in a month before her disappearance. She was about to enter her senior year at Minneapolis Edison High School.

Victoria was supposed to meet a girlfriend at a Minneapolis park at noon on the day of her disappearance, and was also supposed to stop by her mother's home. She never arrived at either place. She was last seen in the company of Darrell Rea, the father of the family she was living with.

Witnesses say they saw Victoria leave her home with him in his pickup truck; she may have asked him for a ride to the park to see her friend. Victoria's mother believes this man was involved in her daughter's disappearance. Two years before, he'd been accused of sexually abusing his daughters. No charges were filed, but he was ordered to move out of the house.

The individual admitted to having spoken to Victoria on the day of her disappearance but denied that she had ever been in his truck. He has never been charged in connection with her case, which remains unsolved. Victoria left behind her cigarettes, jewelry, clothing and all her money when she went missing.

Authorities don't believe she left of her own accord; foul play is suspected in her disappearance...

Investigating Agency​

• Minneapolis Police Department 612-673-2941

Source Information​

• NamUs
• The Doe Network
• The Minneapolis Star Tribune
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• Victoria Jane Owczynsky – The Charley Project