The Disappearance Of Kristen Modafferi

Kristen Modafferi grew up in beautiful Charlotte, North Carolina. She was raised by her parents, Bob and Debbie, alongside her three sisters.

Kristen graduated high school with honors and received a full scholarship to North Carolina State University where she studied engineering. Kristen was hard-working, motivated, and incredibly bright. She finished her freshman year before she even turned 18 and while working at a pizza parlor part-time. Kristen loved photography, art, and anything creative.

When Kristen learned she could spend a summer out of state and still earn credits toward her degree, she jumped at the opportunity. She decided on sunny San Francisco and enrolled in a photography class at the University of California, Berkeley. Kristen went on Craigslist and found a $500 room for rent in nearby Oakland. The Modaferris weren’t exactly thrilled that Kristen would have four male roommates but they trusted her to make the right choices. Tragically, they never saw their beloved daughter again

Kristen Modaferri

Kristen arrived in San Francisco on June 1, 1997 — her 18th birthday. The very next day, she found a job at Spinelli, a coffee shop inside Crocker Galleria Mall in the San Francisco financial district. Kristen spent the next three weeks sightseeing and immersing herself in all the city had to offer. She called her parents and told them she was having the time of her life.

Then, one day, the calls stopped coming.

On June 23, 1997, Kristen worked the morning shift at Spinelli. She told her co-workers it was her last day of freedom before classes started and asked for recommendations, ultimately stating she might visit the Sutro Baths, a tourist attraction. Kristen asked her colleagues for bus directions and left shortly after her 3 pm shift ended. At 3:45, two co-workers saw Kristen on the upper level of the mall with a blonde-haired woman. They later said it was unusual since Kristen never loitered at the mall after work.

Kristen was never seen or heard from again and to this day, the mysterious blonde-haired woman has never been identified or come forward.

The Modaferris tried to call Kristen the next day but there was no answer. On June 27th, they grew concerned and left her a voicemail on her landline asking her to call them back. Kristen’s roommates heard the message and informed Bob and Debbie that they hadn’t seen Kristen in four days. The couple reported their daughter missing that very day and booked a flight.

If Kristen had disappeared just three weeks earlier before she turned 18, the investigation into her disappearance would have been much different and as a minor, an alert would have been sent out immediately. However, since Kristen was legally an adult, the Oakland Police Department refused to file a missing persons report, insisting she would return on her own.

The authorities only started to take Kristen’s case seriously after she missed the first day of her photography class on June 30th — the entire reason she was in San Francisco in the first place. Kristen was very excited about the class and she paid the $1,000 tuition with her own money. She also failed to pick up her last paycheck of $400. Sadly, all signs pointed to foul play.

Bloodhounds tracked Kristen’s scent to a bus stop just outside the Crocker Galleria Mall all the way to Sutro Heights Park where the Sutro Baths are located. From there, the dogs lost her scent, as if she vanished into thin air.

The Modaferris searched Kristen’s room for clues and found a Bay Guardian newspaper stuffed into her trashcan. Circled was a personal ad looking for friends. Investigators believe Kristen placed the ad but Bay Guardian didn’t store any records to confirm whether she placed it or whether someone else placed it and Kristen merely responded to it.