In the autumn of 2003, a trip to settle a financial matter took a turn that would leave a family with unanswered questions for years to come. Bernadette Rodko, a 44-year-old woman from Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, embarked on a journey to Mooresville, North Carolina, to meet with her foster brother. She was last seen in the very early morning hours of October 13, 2003. The purpose of her trip was to resolve a financial transaction with him. Known to her friends and family as 'Bernie,' Bernadette was a woman with brown hair and brown eyes, standing at about five feet six inches tall. Her trip, meant to be a straightforward resolution of affairs, instead marked the beginning of a long and painful mystery.
The last known sighting of Bernadette occurred under unsettling circumstances. While starting her journey back to Pennsylvania, she experienced car trouble in the form of a flat tire on Interstate 77, near mile marker 43, at approximately 3:00 a.m.
A lieutenant with the Mooresville Police Department stopped to assist her, staying with her until her foster brother, Chris Kamionnka, arrived at the scene to change the tire. After the tire was changed, Bernadette Rodko was never seen or heard from again. Her vehicle, a distinctive silver and black 1986 Pontiac Fiero with the Pennsylvania vanity license plate 'WNARUN,' was later discovered abandoned at a storage unit in Mooresville. The car is now held in a secure lot by the Mooresville Police Department, a silent testament to its owner's unexplained disappearance.
Years have passed since Bernadette Rodko vanished, but the investigation into her disappearance has continued, eventually shifting from a missing person case to a homicide investigation. In 2017, law enforcement conducted searches of two properties in Mooresville in connection with her case; one of these locations was a former residence of her foster brother. These searches, which utilized cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar, unfortunately did not lead to any discoveries. The details surrounding why authorities believe she was a victim of homicide have not been publicly released. The overview of this case is a distressing account of a woman who traveled out of state to handle a financial issue with a family member, only to disappear after a late-night car problem. The last person known to have seen her was her foster brother, who had come to her aid. Her car was later found, but all traces of Bernadette herself had vanished, leaving behind a cold case that continues to trouble investigators and her loved ones.Last Seen: Oct 13, 2003
