Cheryl Lynn Carter

Carter, circa 1982

  • Missing Since 09/07/1982
  • Missing From Sonoma County, California
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 07/28/1945 (78)
  • Age 37 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'6, 103 pounds
  • Medical Conditions Carter suffers from severe allergies.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Carter's hair was cut short at the time of her disappearance.

Details of Disappearance

Carter was last seen on September 7, 1982 at her home on Palmer Creek Road southwest of Healdsburg in Sonoma County, California. Her two young children went to school that day, and when they returned home, their mother was gone. She has never been heard from again.

The serial rapist and killer Joseph Naso was investigated for possible involvement in Carter's disappearance. When he was arrested in 2010, authorities learned he kept a handwritten list of ten unnamed women and geographical locations. The first item was "Girl near Healdsburg Mendocino Co." This roughly corresponds with Carter's disappearance.

Some of the items on the list corresponded with some of Naso's known victims, but not all of the women he referred to on the list had been murdered; some of them turned out to be still alive. Naso was ultimately convicted of four murders and sentenced to death, but it's unclear whether he was involved in Carter's case.

Her disappearance remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

  • Sonoma County Sheriff's Department 707-565-2994

Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated January 15, 2022; medical conditions added, distinguishing characteristics and details of disappearance updated.