Catherine Lynne Sjoberg

Catherine, circa 1974; Age-progression to age 55 (circa 2012)

  • Missing Since 06/05/1974
  • Missing From Concord, Wisconsin
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 01/15/1957 (67)
  • Age 16 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'5, 120 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A light blue formal gown with brown and pink trim and white flowers, a corsage, a gold pin, a gold chain and high-heeled shoes.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, green eyes. Catherine's nickname is Cathy. Her ears are pierced and she has previously broken her collarbone. Catherine has a freckled complexion and high cheekbones.

Details of Disappearance

Catherine was last seen leaving her Oconomowoc High School prom during the early morning hours of June 5, 1974. The prom was held at the Concord House dance hall, on an Interstate 94 interchange in Concord, Wisconsin. She got into an argument with her boyfriend at 3:00 a.m. She stepped out for a breath of fresh air and never returned. She has never been heard from again.

Catherine was supposed to spend the night at a friend's house, so her mother didn't realize she was missing until the next day.

Her mother does not believe Catherine ran away. She was scheduled to distribute programs at the Oconomowoc High School commencement the day after her disappearance and was going to serve as the maid of honor at a family wedding, and it would be unlike her to miss these events. She is described as a happy teenager who had no problems and no reason to leave.

Six years after Catherine's disappearance, the bodies of a dating couple, both nineteen years old, were found in a wooded area a month after they vanished from the parking lot of Concord House after a wedding reception. Due to the similarities, there was some speculation that their murders and Catherine's disappearance were connected.

In 2009, DNA evidence led to the arrest of a suspect, Edward "Wayne" Edwards, in the double murder. He near the Concord House in 1980 and worked there as a handyman. He has a substantial criminal record dating back to 1955 and was once on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Ten Most Wanted list.

Authorities don't believe Edwards was involved in Catherine's disappearance, however, as he wasn't even in the state of Wisconsin when she went missing.

Catherine's mother held a memorial service for her in 1995, twenty-one years after her disappearance. Her case remains unsolved.

Updated 7 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated December 17, 2013; picture added.