On May 16, 2025, 81-year-old Judith Roberts, a resident of West Linn, Oregon, was reported missing. She was last seen in her neighborhood that Friday, sitting in her white 2017 Volkswagen Jetta. Concerned family members noted that she was experiencing cognitive challenges and was without her cell phone, raising immediate fears for her safety. Her daughter mentioned that the family had been in the process of preparing to move her due to her cognitive decline.
Judith was described as a white female, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing around 100 pounds, with short gray hair and glasses. Her vehicle was distinctive, bearing an Oregon license plate '501JYP' and a rear bumper sticker that read 'I OJAI' decorated with oranges.
The search for Judith began promptly after she was reported missing. Sightings of her vehicle on the day of her disappearance provided a trail for investigators and her family to follow. Her credit card was used at a gas station in Lincoln City at about 2:30 p.m. Later that afternoon, her car was spotted on camera in Florence, and then again around 5:00 p.m. on a traffic camera in Winchester Bay, continuing southbound on Highway 101. These sightings spurred search efforts along the Oregon coast. Judith's son-in-law and other family members traveled the coastline, distributing flyers and coordinating with various law enforcement agencies. Despite these efforts, and an outpouring of community support, no new credible information or sightings emerged for months, deepening the family's distress.
Tragically, five months after she vanished, a significant break in the case occurred. In October 2025, a hunter discovered Judith's Volkswagen Jetta on a remote U.S. Forest Service road outside of Brookings in Curry County. Inside the vehicle, the hunter found a wallet containing her identification. This discovery prompted a search of the surrounding area, which led to the location of human remains believed to be Judith's. In January 2026, the West Linn Police Department confirmed that the remains had been positively identified as those of Judith Roberts. The case, which began as a search for a missing and endangered person, ended with the heartbreaking discovery of her passing. The West Linn Police Department expressed their condolences to the family and thanked the partner agencies and community members who had assisted in the search.Last Seen: May 16, 2025
