Kendra Leigh Nystrom
Nystrom, circa 2017; Nystrom's tattoo; Nystrom's dog
- Missing Since 05/04/2017
- Missing From Maize, Kansas
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race White
- Age 30 years old
- Height and Weight 5'4, 100 - 120 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A white shirt and black sweatpants.
- Medical Conditions Nystrom is addicted to drugs. She had struggled with her addiction since high school and had tried to get clean several times, without success.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Nystrom's ears are pierced. She has a tattoo of the initials "RJ" on her left ring finger; a photo of the tattoo is posted with this case summary.
Details of Disappearance
Nystrom was last seen in the 12000 block of west 29th Street in Maize, Kansas at 10:30 a.m. on May 4, 2017. She went to her parents' home with a friend and accidentally set off the security alarm, which summoned the police.
When officers arrived, they arrested Nystrom's friend because she had methamphetamine on her. Nystrom watched this from the house, then left via the back door and has never been heard from again. She may have thought she had outstanding warrants; this wasn't true.
She left her car behind at her parents' home, and she also left her wallet and cellular phone. Her dog, Frankie, a black and gray male Chihuahua mix, is missing also; a photo of it is posted with this case summary.
She had spent the night before her disappearance at a motel on west Kellogg in Wichita, Kansas, and may have frequented motels along west Kellogg and south Broadway Streets. In spite of her drug addiction, she's never been gone for more than a few weeks without contacting her family.
Cowskin Creek, which runs near Nystrom's parents' home, was running high at the time of her disappearance due to recent rain. Initial searches turned up no evidence in her case, but in July 2018, two items with Nystrom's DNA were found tangled on some tree limbs at the high-water mark, where the water would have been the day she went missing.
There were possible sightings of Nystrom in Wichita and in Missouri after her disappearance, but none of them were confirmed. Investigators stated they think she did not disappear voluntarily and is probably dead. Based on the new evidence found in Cowskin Creek, they believe she probably drowned. Her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
- Maize Police Department 316-425-3356
Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 31, 2019; four pictures added.