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Case Description

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Benjamin Shane Ridley, a 15-year-old from Burien, Washington, was last seen on July 2, 1982. At the time, he had recently been placed in a foster home, but disappeared only a day after arriving there. Prior to his placement, Benjamin had been living with his biological family, but he may have left his foster home with the intention of returning to them. Authorities classified his disappearance as an "endangered runaway" and believe he may have traveled to Seattle or remained in the loc ...Read More
Last Seen: Jul 02, 1982

Victim Details

Oct 27, 2017

Jun 19, 2023

Benjamin

Ridley

57

15

67 inches

130 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On a summer day in July of 1982, a 15-year-old boy named Benjamin Shane Ridley vanished from Burien, Washington. At the time of his disappearance, he was described as being 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing approximately 130 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. Benjamin, who was also known by the nickname "Benjie," had been placed with a foster family just one day before he was last seen. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance are complicated by the fact that he was not officially reported as a missing person until 35 years later, in 2017. The delay in reporting Benjamin's disappearance has presented significant challenges to the investigation. For years, his siblings were under the impression that he had run away to California to begin a new life. It wasn't until the early 2000s that his sisters began to search for him, and after their efforts were unsuccessful, they filed a missing person's report. Authorities initially believed that Benjamin may have left his foster home to return to his biological parents. His sister has since created a Facebook page dedicated to her brother's case in the hope of generating new leads. The King County Sheriff's Office is investigating Benjamin's disappearance as a cold case. In an effort to generate new information, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has released an age-progressed photograph showing what Benjamin might look like in his later years. It is thought that he may have stayed in the Seattle area after he went missing. The case remains a painful and unresolved chapter for Benjamin's family, who continue to seek answers about what happened to him so many years ago. The lack of information and the significant passage of time have made this a particularly difficult case to solve, leaving a family to wonder about the fate of their loved one.

Jul 02, 1982

Burien

Washington

King County

98166

No

35090

King County Sheriff's Office

Seattle

Washington

King County

98104

Christopher Johnson

Detective

516 3rd Avenue Room W-150, Washington

2062964155

County

Law Enforcement

C17030680

2017-08-31

King County Sheriff's Office

Brown

Hazel

Hazel

06/23/2026


Area Last Seen: