Katheryn Scott Eggleston

Eggleston, circa 1993; Joel Patrick Courtney

  • Missing Since 08/02/1993
  • Missing From Portland, Oregon
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 05/04/1971 (52)
  • Age 22 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'4, 125 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A purple blazer, a white blouse, a black skirt, stockings and black pumps.
  • Associated Vehicle(s) Silver/gray Volkswagen Golf (accounted for)
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Eggleston's nickname is Katie (sometimes spelled "Katy") and many accounts refer to her by that name. Her ears are pierced.

Details of Disappearance

Eggleston was last seen in Portland, Oregon, on August 2, 1993. She left her job selling long-distance services for Allnet Communication Services Inc. in Lake Oswego, Oregon. It was her first day on the job alone. That morning, she attended an Allnet meeting and made sales calls at businesses on northeast Whitaker Way, and stopped at a bank, a gasoline station and a Burger King restaurant near Lloyd Center.

That afternoon, Eggleston made calls in the then-Port of Portland building in the 700 block of northeast Multnomah Street. Five witnesses at the building stated she looked "worried and preoccupied."

At 2:15 p.m., a man to whom Eggleston had just made a sale saw her get off the building's elevator in the company of a man wearing a blue blazer. He is described as having dark hair and a dark complexion. Eggleston has never been heard from again and the man she was last seen has never been identified.

Shortly before 5:00 p.m., a witness noticed a silver/gray Volkswagen Golf similar to Eggleston's parked in the Port of Portland parking lot. Eggleston's supervisor was scheduled to meet her at 5:00 p.m. in Lake Oswego, but she never arrived for the meeting.

Eggleston's car was found by a security guard about 12:30 a.m. the day after she was last seen. The vehicle was in the parking lot of an industrial complex in the 12000 block of northeast Airport Way. The site is nine miles from the Port of Oregon building.

The vehicle was unlocked, its windows were rolled down, and the keys were in the ignition. Eggleston's purse and its contents were in the front seat and her workout clothes were in the back seat, but her Allnet binder was missing. There were no indications that a struggle had taken place.

Joel Patrick Courtney is considered a possible suspect in Eggleston's case. A photograph of him is posted with this case summary. He has a long history of criminal offenses, substance abuse and possible mental illness. In September 2009, he pleaded guilty to the kidnapping, rape and murder of Brooke Wilberger, who had been missing from Corvallis, Oregon since 2004, and led authorities to her body.

Courtney has traveled extensively throughout his life; he is known to have been in Alaska, Florida, Arizona and Mexico in addition to Oregon and New Mexico. Authorities believe he has harmed other women besides Wilberger, and Eggleston is considered a possible victim.

Eggleston had just graduated from college, and Wilberger was a college sophomore. Both women had blonde hair and blue eyes, and they were close to the same age; Wilberger was nineteen years old, just three years younger than Eggleston. It should be emphasized that as of yet there is no solid evidence to tie Courtney to Eggleston.

Eggleston is not believed to have left of her own accord. She has no history of mental illness or runaway behavior and she was close to her family, which included her parents, three sisters and four nieces and nephews. Her passport has never been located, however. She had recently graduated from Oregon State University, where she had been in a sorority.

Foul play is suspected in Eggleston's case, which remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

  • Portland Police Bureau 503-823-0446

Updated 5 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated October 30, 2019; two pictures added.