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Jeffrey Kays Missing Person Case

Last seen in Camano Island, Washington on Jun 16, 1999

Victim Details

Sep 30, 2022

Jan 12, 2024

Jeffrey

Kays

72

45

66 inches

160 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

Jun 16, 1999

Camano Island

Washington

Island County

No

119633

Island County Sheriff's Office

Coupeville

Washington

Island County

98239

Robert Mirabal

Detective

101 Northeast 6th Street, Washington

3606784422

County

Law Enforcement

https://www.islandcountywa.gov/Sheriff/Pages/Home.aspx

99-I8144

Jun 18, 1999

Island County Sheriff's Office

4936

Brown

Brown

Brown

Oct 10, 2026


Area Last Seen:

Case Description

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Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP95958) and 2 other sources
In the summer of 1999, 45-year-old Jeffrey Charles Kays, a resident of Camano Island, Washington, disappeared under perplexing circumstances. On June 16th, he was last seen on a 34-foot sailboat in the waters near the island. At the time of his disappearance, he was reportedly wearing dark gray work coveralls with a name tag, and either white tennis shoes or black sandals. He is described as a white male with brown hair and brown eyes, standing at 5'6' and weighing approximately 160 pounds.

Sometime after he was last seen, the sailboat he had been on was discovered abandoned in the Saratoga Passage, a body of water near Camano Island. A search of the vessel yielded no sign of Jeffrey Kays. The discovery of the empty boat intensified the mystery surrounding his whereabouts, leaving family, friends, and law enforcement with few answers. The circumstances pointed to a sudden and unexpected departure from the vessel, but what transpired remains unclear.

The Island County Sheriff's Office opened an investigation into Jeffrey's disappearance, but the case has been hampered by a lack of evidence and leads. Despite their efforts, the sequence of events that led to him vanishing from the sailboat remains unknown. To this day, Jeffrey Kays has not been heard from again, and his case is classified as a lost or injured missing person. The overview of this case is one of an unsettling maritime mystery, a man gone from his boat without a trace, leaving behind an enduring question of what happened on the waters of the Saratoga Passage.
Last Seen: Jun 16, 1999

Links to Additional Sources (2)

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  • Jeffrey Charles Kays - The Charley Project
  • Missing Person Flyer: Jeffrey Kays | Camano Island, WA | CaseTrace

    • Possible Unidentified Matches (3)

    Unidentified remains cases whose details are consistent with this person, ranked by how closely they compare. Fields that are unknown in either case are left out of the score.

    82%Moderate
    John Doe — Seattle, Washington - unidentified case UP67767
    John Doe — Seattle, Washington
    UP67767 • Found Sep 6, 2001
    View case
    Sex ✓Male
    Age 85%Est. 25–45 vs 45 when missing
    Race 100%White
    Location 92%40 mi away, same state
    TimingFound 2 years after last seen
    Height 100%5'5" vs 5'6"
    Weight 100%175 lb vs 160 lb
    Hair 100%Brown vs Brown
    76%Possible
    John Doe — Seattle, Washington
    UP87994 • Found Jun 14, 2021
    View case
    Sex ✓Male
    Age 85%Est. 21–44 vs 45 when missing
    Race 100%White
    Location 92%41 mi away, same state
    TimingFound 22 years after last seen
    Height 100%5'7" vs 5'6"
    Weight 100%175 lb vs 160 lb
    75%Possible
    John Doe — Concrete, Washington - unidentified case UP10533
    John Doe — Concrete, Washington
    UP10533 • Found Mar 21, 2001
    View case
    Sex ✓Male
    Age 85%Est. 25–50 vs 45 when missing
    Race 60%Hispanic
    Location 91%44 mi away, same state
    TimingFound 21 months after last seen
    Height 100%5'5" vs 5'6"
    Weight 100%150 lb vs 160 lb
    Hair 60%Black vs Brown

    These comparisons are generated automatically from public NamUs case data and are not confirmed identifications. Only DNA, dental or fingerprint comparison by investigators can confirm an identity. If you believe two cases are connected, contact the agency handling the unidentified case.

    Unidentified photos are blurred because many are post-mortem. Tap a photo to reveal it.

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    Forum Posts (3)

    Hey everyone, I've been following the mysterious case of Jeffrey Kays, who vanished from Camano... ...Read More
    09/07/2024
    Hey everyone, I've been following Jeffrey Kays' case for a while now, and something I've always... ...Read More
    12/13/2023
    Hey everyone, just wanted to bring up something that's been bugging me about Jeffrey Kays'... ...Read More
    12/07/2023

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