| Age at missing | 21 years old |
| Case ID | stefanie-kelly-stroh |
| City en | Wells |
| City geo ID | 5709967 |
| City slug | wells |
| Classification | Endangered Missing |
| Classification en | Endangered Missing |
| County en | |
| County fips ref | 32007 |
| County slug | elko-county |
| Created at | 2026-01-16T16:23:17.046178+00:00 |
| Date of birth | 1966-09-26 |
| Disappearance details | Stroh was last seen on October 15, 1987 at the Four Way Cafe and Truck Stop in Wells, Nevada. She called her parents and said she had a ride would be home the next day. She was carrying a light gray canvas suitcase, a pink purse and an orange sleeping bag at the time of her disappearance. has never been heard from again. Stroh was a student at Reed College in Portland, Oregon at the time of her disappearance. She had taken the year off to travel and spent nine months in Asia, then began hitchhiking across the United States. She had started in New York and was on her way back to California when she vanished. The convicted murderer Tommy Lynn Sells confessed to Stroh's murder. He said he picked her up while she was hitchhiking across the country and offered her a ride to Reno, Nevada. They took LSD together, then he strangled her, covered her body in concrete, and dumped it in a hot spring. However, Sells was never charged in connection with Stroh's case and police believe his claims about his criminal activities are exaggerated. He was executed in 2014 for the murder of a Texas girl. Stroh's case remains unsolved. She is considered to be missing under suspicious circumstances and foul play is suspected in her case. Investigating Agency Federal Bureau of Investigation Las Vegas, Nevada Office 702-385-1281 Source Information California Attorney General's Office Truth in Justice The Doe Network The San Francisco Chronicle NamUs Updated 4 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 9, 2022, details of disappearance updated. |
| Disappearance details en | Stroh was last seen on October 15, 1987 at the Four Way Cafe and Truck Stop in Wells, Nevada. She called her parents and said she had a ride would be home the next day. She was carrying a light gray canvas suitcase, a pink purse and an orange sleeping bag at the time of her disappearance. has never been heard from again. Stroh was a student at Reed College in Portland, Oregon at the time of her disappearance. She had taken the year off to travel and spent nine months in Asia, then began hitchhiking across the United States. She had started in New York and was on her way back to California when she vanished. The convicted murderer Tommy Lynn Sells confessed to Stroh's murder. He said he picked her up while she was hitchhiking across the country and offered her a ride to Reno, Nevada. They took LSD together, then he strangled her, covered her body in concrete, and dumped it in a hot spring. However, Sells was never charged in connection with Stroh's case and police believe his claims about his criminal activities are exaggerated. He was executed in 2014 for the murder of a Texas girl. Stroh's case remains unsolved. She is considered to be missing under suspicious circumstances and foul play is suspected in her case. Investigating Agency Federal Bureau of Investigation Las Vegas, Nevada Office 702-385-1281 Source Information California Attorney General's Office Truth in Justice The Doe Network The San Francisco Chronicle NamUs Updated 4 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 9, 2022, details of disappearance updated. |
| Disappearance details word count | 266 |
| Distinguishing marks | White female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Stroh has a brown birthmark on the instep of her right foot. Her ears are pierced. |
| Distinguishing marks en | White female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Stroh has a brown birthmark on the instep of her right foot. Her ears are pierced. |
| Full name | Stefanie Kelly Stroh |
| Full name en | Stefanie Kelly Stroh |
| Height | 5'5 |
| ID | 10747 |
| Investigating agency | Federal Bureau of Investigation Las Vegas, Nevada Office 702-385-1281 Source Information California Attorney General's Office Truth in Justice The Doe Network The San Francisco Chronicle NamUs |
| Missing since | 1987-10-15 |
| Official last updated | 2022-03-09 |
| Official update count | 4 |
| Official update history | |
| Path | nevada/elko-county/wells |
| Race | White |
| Race en | White |
| Sex | Female |
| Source info | California Attorney General's Office Truth in Justice The Doe Network The San Francisco Chronicle NamUs |
| State en | Nevada |
| State ref | NV |
| State slug | nevada |
| Status | active |
| Updated at | 2026-01-16T16:23:17.046178+00:00 |
| URL path | nevada/elko-county/wells |
| Weight | 130 pounds |
Stroh was last seen on October 15, 1987 at the Four Way Cafe and Truck Stop in Wells, Nevada. She called her parents and said she had a ride would be home the next day. She was carrying a light gray canvas suitcase, a pink purse and an orange sleeping bag at the time of her disappearance. has never been heard from again. Stroh was a student at Reed College in Portland, Oregon at the time of her disappearance. She had taken the year off to travel and spent nine months in Asia, then began hitchhiking across the United States. She had started in New York and was on her way back to California when she vanished. The convicted murderer Tommy Lynn Sells confessed to Stroh’s murder. He said he picked her up while she was hitchhiking across the country and offered her a ride to Reno, Nevada. They took LSD together, then he strangled her, covered her body in concrete, and dumped it in a hot spring. However, Sells was never charged in connection with Stroh’s case and police believe his claims about his criminal activities are exaggerated. He was executed in 2014 for the murder of a Texas girl. Stroh’s case remains unsolved. She is considered to be missing under suspicious circumstances and foul play is suspected in her case. Investigating Agency Federal Bureau of Investigation Las Vegas, Nevada Office 702-385-1281 Source Information California Attorney General’s Office Truth in Justice The Doe Network The San Francisco Chronicle NamUs Updated 4 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 9, 2022, details of disappearance updated.