When Heather Janelle Lewis disappeared, she was a student at White Pine Middle School. The day of her disappearance wasn't a particularly good day for the 13-year-old Nevada girl. She had been caught at school with a pack of cigarettes in her possession, which led to her suspension. It's questionable as to how school faculty handled the suspension of the 13-year-old middle school student, because she was not removed from the school by a parent or guardian. She left the school campus that day, and never made it home.
When Heather disappeared, she had been having problems at home with her family. She did not get along with her stepmother, and she felt estranged from her biological brother, who had moved away to Oklahoma. Her disappearance was initially investigated as a voluntary disappearance. In other words, authorities (and her loved ones) believed that Heather ran away from home due to the problems she was having in her family life. However, she never got back into contact with her loved ones after she was seen leaving school on that day in 2003.
As of today, her loved ones are still searching for her. It's been 13 years and the missing teen's stepmother still uses Facebook and other social media tools to spread awareness on her disappearance, while pleading with the public for help in locating her. How long will it take before this family has some kind of closure?
At the time of writing this post, authorities with the White Pine County Sheriff's Office haven't been available to comment on the details surrounding this case. Meanwhile, I have a ton of questions. I will keep everyone updated on what's going on in this case as I am able to get more information.