April 15, 2026 | Abbi Duhart | News Editor
March 28 at approximately 9 p.m., 28-year-old Maria Linda Jade Kilmer went missing. She was last seen on Highway 22 near milepost 15, where her car ran out of gas and she had to pull over to the side of the road.
According to the passenger in her car, she was traveling from Lyons to Salem, and when she ran out of gas, she left her car to board a motorcycle with an unidentified driver to get help.
Kilmer left behind all of her belongings in her car, including her keys, purse, license and phone. Carmen Bitzer, her mother, mentioned that Kilmer leaving behind her phone and purse was extremely out of character. Additionally, Kilmer left behind her glasses and medications, even though multiple family members explained that she wouldn’t be able to see without her glasses.
Her stepmother, Amber Brecht, said that she was on her way to help Kilmer after receiving a text from her saying she was stuck. Kilmer additionally dropped a pin so Brecht could find her location, but once Brecht got there, Kilmer was gone.
Brecht additionally said that after Kilmer’s disappearance, she received several text messages from unknown numbers claiming to be Kilmer.
Many of Kilmer’s family members emphasized that it doesn’t make sense she would leave her car knowing family was on the way to help her. Kilmer’s sister mentioned, “My sister is not the kind of person to just leave somebody on the side of the road, and I don’t think she would have just gotten into a stranger’s car.”
By Sunday, Kilmer’s sister urged that she knew something must have been very wrong for Kilmer not to return, explaining that they live in the same apartment complex in Independence and would check in with each other daily, always telling each other where they were going.
Both Kilmer’s mother and sister declined to mention the name of the passenger who was in the car with Kilmer because police instructed them to avoid disclosing this information.
Kilmer is a woman of indigenous heritage, and her mother works within a group that helps to raise awareness for missing and murdered indigenous women. In regard to this, her mother said that she never thought she would have to use this to help find her own daughter.
“She always calls,” said Bitzer. “She knows my number by heart, so not having her phone is not going to deter her from calling her mom.”
The morning of April 3, Oregon police released information about the case, saying that Kilmer was found and was unharmed. Ultimately, she was located after reaching out to a family member, confirming her identity. Investigators are still looking into why Kilmer went missing, but, as of now, there is no evidence of any crime. Police have refrained from releasing any other information regarding this case.
Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu
