Amber Cates Missing Person Case

May 01, 2009

Jan 08, 2024

Amber

Cates

36

16

65 inches

100 lbs

125 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

On a spring day in 2004, 16-year-old Amber Elizabeth Cates vanished from her home in Columbia, Tennessee. It was April 11th when she left her mother's residence on Tracy Lane with a friend, James Gordon. Amber, a young woman with light brown hair and hazel eyes, was planning to spend a couple of days with relatives for spring break but never arrived. She was last seen getting into a gold Mazda with Gordon, and was expected to return in two days, but she was never seen or heard from again. Prior to her disappearance, Amber's life had seen some instability; she had lived in several states before returning to Tennessee and spending time in a foster home. Just days before she went missing, her older half-sister, Brenda James, had become her legal guardian, noting that Amber had started to associate with a concerning crowd. Initially, authorities treated Amber's case as a runaway, a theory influenced by her history. However, as time passed with no contact and no activity on her driver's license or Social Security number, the investigation shifted to suspecting foul play. When questioned, James Gordon told police that he had left Amber with another acquaintance, Ronald "California" Inzurriaga. Gordon claimed their plan was to eat at a Waffle House. Investigators later located Inzurriaga in a federal prison in Alabama. He told them he had dropped Amber off at a garage in Columbia after she bought hair dye and had no knowledge of her whereabouts after that. Inzurriaga has been considered a person of interest in the case. Years have turned into decades, yet the search for answers in Amber Cates's disappearance continues. Her family, particularly her half-sister Brenda James, has remained a steadfast advocate, holding vigils and even hiring private investigators in 2017 to keep Amber's story alive. The Maury County Sheriff's Department and the FBI are actively investigating her case, with the FBI offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that could lead to her location or the prosecution of anyone involved in her disappearance. In March 2024, the Maury County Sheriff's Department announced a significant new lead, with evidence sent for DNA processing, offering a glimmer of hope in a case that has been cold for two decades. The case is an overview of a young girl who vanished, leaving behind a family desperate for resolution and a community still searching for a ghost. Despite the passage of time and the lingering questions, the effort to find Amber has not ceased.

Apr 11, 2004

Columbia

Tennessee

Maury County

38401

No

7308

Maury County Sheriff Department

Columbia

Tennessee

Maury County

38401

Chief Jeter

1300 Lawson White Drive, Tennessee

9313758602

County

Law Enforcement

200702299

Maury County Sheriff Department

Brown

Hazel

Hazel

07/01/2026