Veronica Jill Blumhorst
Veronica, circa 1990
Veronica was last seen leaving her place of employment, the Super Value grocery store in Mendota, Illinois, at 1:07 a.m. September 20, 1990. She was supposed to the night shift for the first time in weeks; she'd taken time off work because she was recovering from an illness. She still felt sick and decided to leave work early and go home to sleep. She has never been heard from again.
Veronica's blue Chevrolet Corsica was found parked in her garage at her home four blocks away at 7:30 a.m. The garage door was closed and there was no sign of her at the scene. At the time of her disappearance, she resided with her parents and younger brother in the 1200 block of Monroe Street. She was supposed to give her brother a ride to school that morning, and when he realized he was gone he told their father, Paul, and drove to school in his own car.
Paul was initially not concerned because he assumed Veronica had decided to have breakfast with Jeff Veverka, her boyfriend of five months. At 10:30 a.m., however, Veverka called and Paul realized they weren't together. He checked with his oldest daughter, Carolyn, who lived in a nearby town. Carolyn said her sister wasn't with her either.
That afternoon, Veverka reported her missing. An extensive search of the area turned up no sign of Veronica. Dogs traced her scent from her family's garage to a nearby alley, then lost the trail.
Police interviewed Veverka on September 23. He'd been injured in a prior motorcycle accident and had problems with his memory as a result, and he wasn't sure what had happened on the night of Veronica's disappearance. He said he thought she might have called him at 9:30 p.m. on September 19 and talked about going to a doctor the next day because she was pregnant.
Veverka said it was possible he'd picked up Veronica that night, argued with her and pushed her, and that she got "hurt real bad." Authorities didn't take his statements seriously, however, because of his neurological problems.
Investigators do not believe Veronica left of her own accord, as she left behind all her clothing and her vehicle. She had no credit cards and her bank balance was only $4 when she disappeared. Authorities theorize that, after parking her car at her home, Veronica got into another vehicle with someone she knew.
A year after her disappearance, investigators searched Veverka's father's residence. Vevreka now maintains his innocence in her case and hasn't faced any charges relating to it, and no evidence was located during the search.
Veronica is described as a shy, retiring young woman. She was carrying less than $10 in cash on the night of her disappearance. There are reports that her work smock, purse and driver's license were found in her car, but her boyfriend's class ring and a video she'd rented were never recovered; there are other reports that none of the items she was carrying that night were ever found. Her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Veronica, circa 1990
- Missing Since 09/20/1990
- Missing From Mendota, Illinois
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race White
- Date of Birth 09/04/1969 (52)
- Age 21 years old
- Height and Weight 5'0 - 5'1, 100 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A purple satin jacket, a white tank top under a light mint-green short-sleeved sweater, white pleated corduroy pants, brown shoes, a black watch and a class ring set with a blue sapphire.
- Medical Conditions Veronica may have been pregnant at the time of her disappearance.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, green/hazel eyes. Veronica wears wire-rimmed eyeglasses. She has a scar on her chest, a scar on her elbow and a surgical scar on her knee. Her ears are pierced, and she had braces on her teeth at the time of her disappearance.
Veronica was last seen leaving her place of employment, the Super Value grocery store in Mendota, Illinois, at 1:07 a.m. September 20, 1990. She was supposed to the night shift for the first time in weeks; she'd taken time off work because she was recovering from an illness. She still felt sick and decided to leave work early and go home to sleep. She has never been heard from again.
Veronica's blue Chevrolet Corsica was found parked in her garage at her home four blocks away at 7:30 a.m. The garage door was closed and there was no sign of her at the scene. At the time of her disappearance, she resided with her parents and younger brother in the 1200 block of Monroe Street. She was supposed to give her brother a ride to school that morning, and when he realized he was gone he told their father, Paul, and drove to school in his own car.
Paul was initially not concerned because he assumed Veronica had decided to have breakfast with Jeff Veverka, her boyfriend of five months. At 10:30 a.m., however, Veverka called and Paul realized they weren't together. He checked with his oldest daughter, Carolyn, who lived in a nearby town. Carolyn said her sister wasn't with her either.
That afternoon, Veverka reported her missing. An extensive search of the area turned up no sign of Veronica. Dogs traced her scent from her family's garage to a nearby alley, then lost the trail.
Police interviewed Veverka on September 23. He'd been injured in a prior motorcycle accident and had problems with his memory as a result, and he wasn't sure what had happened on the night of Veronica's disappearance. He said he thought she might have called him at 9:30 p.m. on September 19 and talked about going to a doctor the next day because she was pregnant.
Veverka said it was possible he'd picked up Veronica that night, argued with her and pushed her, and that she got "hurt real bad." Authorities didn't take his statements seriously, however, because of his neurological problems.
Investigators do not believe Veronica left of her own accord, as she left behind all her clothing and her vehicle. She had no credit cards and her bank balance was only $4 when she disappeared. Authorities theorize that, after parking her car at her home, Veronica got into another vehicle with someone she knew.
A year after her disappearance, investigators searched Veverka's father's residence. Vevreka now maintains his innocence in her case and hasn't faced any charges relating to it, and no evidence was located during the search.
Veronica is described as a shy, retiring young woman. She was carrying less than $10 in cash on the night of her disappearance. There are reports that her work smock, purse and driver's license were found in her car, but her boyfriend's class ring and a video she'd rented were never recovered; there are other reports that none of the items she was carrying that night were ever found. Her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
- Mendota Police Department 815-539-9331
- Porchlight International for the Missing & Unidentified
- Illinois Missing Adults
- The Peoria Journal-Star
- The Doe Network
- The News Tribune
- Facebook Page for Veronica Blumhorst
- NamUs
- The Rockford Record
- Remember Veronica Jill Blumhorst
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Veronica Jill Blumhorst – The Charley Project
