A 28-year-old Oregon woman has seemingly vanished after a late-night highway breakdown led to her accepting a ride from a stranger along Highway 22, and her family says the circumstances just don’t add up.
According to Oregon State Police, Maria Linda Jade Kilmer was traveling from Lyons to Salem Saturday night with a passenger when their vehicle ran out of gas around 9 p.m. near Milepost 15.
What happened next has left both investigators and her family searching for answers.
“According to the passenger, Kilmer left the vehicle and departed with an unidentified motorist who had stopped at the scene,” state troopers said.
She has not been seen or heard from since.
Kilmer’s mother, Amber Brecht, told KATU News she had been in contact with her daughter shortly before the disappearance and was already on her way to help.
“I was actually the person in the car with her sister coming out to help so that I could drive Maria’s car back,” Brecht said.
Kilmer had dropped a location pin showing she was stranded along Highway 22. When her family arrived, they expected to find her waiting.
Instead, they found only the passenger.
“And when we arrived, it was just the passenger there who said, ‘Oh, she left with someone else,’” Brecht said.
What her family discovered inside the vehicle raised immediate alarm.
Kilmer had left behind nearly everything she relies on daily — including her keys, purse, identification, phone, medication, and even her eyeglasses.
“When we got to her vehicle… everything that she needs to live her life is left in that vehicle,” Brecht said.
For her family, that detail is one of the most troubling parts of the case. Leaving without a phone or wallet, especially when accepting a ride from a stranger, is completely out of character, they say.
“Something Is Not Adding Up”
Brecht said there are still many unanswered questions about what led Kilmer to get into the unknown vehicle.
She believes the passenger who remained at the scene may know more than has been shared.
“There’s something not adding up,” she said.
Family members also said there had been some indication Kilmer may have planned to go to Portland that night, possibly for a rave. But without her wallet or ID, Brecht says that scenario doesn’t make sense.
Since her disappearance, the family has received a few text messages from unknown numbers claiming to be Kilmer. Brecht says the messages do not sound like her daughter and have only deepened their concern.
Description and Where She Was Last Seen
Maria Linda Jade Kilmer is described as 5 feet 8 inches tall and approximately 180 pounds, with dark hair and blue eyes. She has a piercing in the center of her lower lip and is often dressed in black.
She is known to spend time throughout the Willamette Valley, including Salem and Portland.
Her last known location was along Highway 22 near Lyons.
Ongoing Search
At this time, investigators have not released any information about the driver or vehicle Kilmer entered. The case remains an active missing person investigation.
Her family says their focus is simple — they just want to know she is safe.
“We’re not looking to blame anybody,” Brecht said. “We just would like to hear from our daughter and make sure that she’s OK.”
How to Help
Anyone who may have seen Maria Linda Jade Kilmer, or who has any information about the vehicle she entered or her whereabouts, is urged to call 911 or contact *Oregon State Police dispatch at 677, referencing case number SP26-104740.
