On a cold December day in 1971, 16-year-old Jamie Grissim vanished while walking home from Fort Vancouver High School in Vancouver, Washington. It was Tuesday, December 7th, and Jamie, a student with only two classes that day, was expected home between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m. She was last seen wearing blue hip-hugger jeans, a red and white striped blouse with puffy sleeves, and white tennis shoes that she had personalized with drawings and the words 'peace' and 'love'.
Jamie and her sister were wards of the state, living in a foster home after being removed from their mother's care while their father was in prison. Despite these challenging circumstances, Jamie was known to be a good student, a talented artist and writer, and a member of the 4-H Club. She had a close relationship with her sister and her foster mother.
Initially, law enforcement treated Jamie's disappearance as a runaway case, a theory her loved ones never believed. An official missing person's report wasn't filed until a month after she was last seen. The investigation took a significant turn in May 1972, five months after she vanished, when her purse, identification, and other personal belongings were discovered in a wooded area in the Dole Valley region of northern Clark County. This discovery led authorities to suspect foul play. Tragically, due to the initial belief that she had run away, crucial time in the investigation was lost.
Over the years, the investigation into Jamie's disappearance has pointed to a suspected serial killer, Warren Leslie Forrest. Forrest, who attended the same high school as Jamie years earlier, was convicted in 1978 for the murder of another young woman and is a person of interest in several other disappearances and murders of young women in the area during that time. While he has never been charged in connection with Jamie's case, authorities believe she may have been his first victim. The discovery of other victims' remains near where Jamie's belongings were found further strengthened this theory. A death certificate for Jamie Grissim was issued in March 2009. Her case remains the oldest unsolved missing person case in Clark County, a source of enduring pain for her surviving sister who continues to seek justice.Last Seen: Dec 7, 1971
