She Disappeared After Getting A Ride Home From A Police Officer, And A Man Mysteriously Said She Was In A Well

On September 28, 1996, Stella Evon, a 17-year-old Yup'ik teen from Bethel, Alaska, attended a party with friends and stayed out until the early morning hours of September 29.

But after trying to return home and realizing the door was locked, she sought help from a police officer, who drove her to her sister's apartment.

Then, about one hour later, Stella left with plans of returning home again. Yet, she never arrived and has remained missing for over 29 years.

At the time, Stella lived with her grandmother in Bethel, the biggest Western Alaska community that serves as a hub connecting various smaller villages. She was also known as a fun and kind person who cared for everyone in her life.

On the evening of September 28, 1996, Bethel was facing its typical chilly temperatures, too. Still, Stella and her friends went to a party, and she subsequently left shortly after 3:00 a.m. on September 29 with plans to go back to her grandmother's home.

Upon arrival, though, the teen realized the front door was locked, and despite knocking, she wasn't able to wake up her grandmother, who'd thought Stella was spending the night at a friend's home.

It just so happened that the Evons lived across the street from the Bethel Police Department, which is why Stella decided to walk there and ask an on-duty officer for help.

First, he joined Stella and tried to rouse her grandmother again. And when that didn't work, he offered to drive the teen to her older sister's studio apartment, located about 2.5 miles away.

Stella's sister lived in the Bethel Native Corporation (BNC) apartment complex, and the 17-year-old got dropped off there by the BPD officer at approximately 4:30 a.m.

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children - pictured above is Stella

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Her sister welcomed her inside, and Stella only intended to wait there a short while until her grandmother woke up and could let her into her own home.

So, sometime between 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., Stella told her sister that she was leaving and headed out again on foot. This marked the last time she was ever seen or heard from again.

Stella never returned home, and she remains missing to this day. But the details in her case are still few and far between. It's unclear when she was officially reported missing or what initial search efforts investigators conducted.

Her family did scour the area on their own, yet they never found any clues about the teen's whereabouts.

Nonetheless, Stella was never thought to be a runaway, with her case being classified as endangered and missing under suspicious circumstances.

And after more than 14 years without leads, former BPD officer Anna L. Goemer penned a blog post suggesting that someone in Bethel knew what happened to her.

Anna had worked as a patrol officer from 2008 to 2010 and said one unsolved case that still "haunted her thoughts" was Stella's. And she detailed how, after responding to a domestic violence call during the winter of 2009 to 2010, she received a shocking tip.

Apparently, as she was leaving the call scene, a man randomly told Anna, "She is in the well." Anna asked who the man was talking about, and he replied, "Stella," before claiming the missing teen was in "the one near Fish and Wildlife."

"Then, the man shut the door and said no more. When I returned for more answers, he would not answer the door. Strangely, Stella's last known place was nearby this DV," Anna wrote.

The former officer subsequently reported the tip to the BPD Sergeant of Investigations, questioned locals, researched online, and even personally walked the landscape of Bethel in hopes of finding the well where Stella might've been. Regardless, Anna turned up empty.

"I later wrote to the State Troopers' Cold Case Unit. I recontacted the BPD Sergeant of Investigations. Nothing ever came of this lead," Anna shared.

"Stella's case still haunts my thoughts. She and her family remain in my prayers."

Despite the well tip being a dead end, Stella's loved ones and investigators still believe that someone in Bethel has information about what really happened to her.

The state of Alaska has the highest rate of missing persons per capita in the United States, with many of the victims being Indigenous women and girls. Stella's cold case represents one of them.

At the time of her disappearance, she was 4'11", weighed 100 pounds, and had waist-length black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a dark blue Georgetown University hooded sweatshirt, and a brown leather jacket. If alive today, Stella would be 46 years old.

Anyone with information regarding her case is urged to contact the Bethel Police Department at (907) 543-3781.