New clues in Julie Weflen disappearance?

November 23, 2011

Billboards were placed throughout Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon in 1987 detailing Julie Weflen's disappearance.

On Sept. 16, 1987, Julie Weflen disappeared while doing work at a Bonneville Power Administration substation near Seven Mile. The 28-year-old Deer Park woman was never seen again.
Now, Spokane County Sheriff’s detectives hope her long forgotten work storage locker will yield some clues of her whereabouts.
Spokane County Sheriff's detectives are hoping the contents of a long-forgotten locker could provide new clues in the case of a missing woman.
The day of her disappearance, Weflen drove to the substation near Riverside State Park. Sheriff's deputies later found her hard hat, sunglasses and purse at the scene along with a second set of tire tracks.
Spokane County Sheriff's Sergeant Bill Beeman said, "It appeared there had been some sort of fight or altercation and she was just gone and we've been looking for her ever since."
Weflen's disappearance was treated as a likely kidnapping and the sheriff's office launched a full-scale investigation.
In addition, family and friends helped in the search. Her disappearance was profiled on a nationally televised show and billboards with her photo and information concerning her disappearance were placed throughout Washington, Idaho, Montana and northern Oregon.
BPA officials offered a $40,000 reward and Weflen’s family a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever was responsible for Weflen’s disappearance.
Various detectives have worked on the case over the past 24 years with very few results.
It is now hoped the long forgotten storage locker may yield some clues.
Co-workers recently remembered Weflen's locker at the Bell substation had been padlocked and only recently opened.
Workers removed the lock off it and put everything into a storage container and then held it in a secure storage location, Beeman said.
On Nov. 21, detectives retrieved the container and spent the day going through its contents. Detectives said it will be a week or two before they know if anything in the locker is related to Weflen’s disappearance.