In the summer of 1997, Kemberly Ramer was a 17-year-old honor roll student. She played softball, was a cheerleader, and in August, she was preparing to start her senior year of high school.

But on August 16, 1997, just one day after Kemberly’s senior portraits were taken, she mysteriously vanished from her father’s home.

At the time, Kemberly was staying at her father’s house in Opp, Alabama. Her parents were divorced, and her mother, Sue, lived 30 miles away in Walton County, Florida, with her 19-year-old sister, Kristin.

“She was a great daughter. She was just so happy,” Kemberly’s mother, Sue, said of her daughter.

On August 15, 1997, Kemberly had plans to hang out with some friends after going to a softball game.

Upon telling her father, Kenny, he instructed her to be home by midnight. Then, Kenny went out to see his girlfriend.

By the time Kemberly’s father returned home at 6:00 a.m. on August 16, he noticed his daughter’s car was in the driveway and assumed she was just asleep. So, Kenny started his day as usual.

But, later that night, he realized that his daughter was actually not home. At that point, Kenny began reaching out to Kemberly’s friends and realized that no one had seen or heard from her.

This raised major alarm bells, and Kenny frantically reached out to Kemberly’s mother, Sue. Then, they both reported their daughter missing.

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Upon launching an investigation, it was discovered that Kemberly had been in a relationship with a guy in his early 20s for two weeks.

Her boyfriend, whose identity has never been made public, was reportedly divorced and had a young child.

Kemberly’s friends did know about the relationship, but she apparently kept her boyfriend a secret from Kenny and Sue– knowing that her parents would not approve.

The unidentified man did undergo a polygraph examination and passed, leading authorities to rule him out as having any involvement in Kemberly’s disappearance.

Afterward, investigators began to nail down a timeline. They determined that after seeing her friends, Kemberly traveled to her boyfriend’s house to watch some TV. She then left at about 11:30 p.m. and arrived back at her home before 12:00 a.m.

It was determined that Kemberly had been getting ready for bed prior to her disappearance because she had removed her contacts and placed them inside a case.

Additionally, framed photos that once hung on her bedroom walls were later on the floor, and a pillow had been wedged underneath her mattress.

Yet, there was still no evidence of forced entry.

Soon afterward, authorities then became suspicious of 27-year-old Jeremy, who had been dating Kemberly’s older sister, Kristin.

Jeremy’s father was a retired Walton County detective, and he had been dating Kristin for several months.

Jeremy also reportedly had a key to Kemberly’s father, Kenny’s, home. According to one friend, Kemberly could not stand to be around Jeremy, either, but never revealed why.

At the time Kemberly disappeared, Jeremy had been living in Ponce De Leon, Florida. He was also the only person close to the missing person case who refused to take a polygraph test or speak with police.

Nonetheless, phone records showed that various calls had been placed from Kemberly’s home at 5:00 a.m. on August 16, 1997, to varying numbers in Ponce de Leon that were out of service. This led investigators to conclude that Kemberly had been taken at some point between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.

Authorities also discovered that on August 15, 1997, Jeremy had borrowed his boss’ car– a 1991 Dodge pick-up truck.

Then, at 6:30 a.m., he allegedly went to a friend’s house– appearing panicked– and asked for assistance to get rid of the truck.

The vehicle was later discovered abandoned at a church, and the truck had been very well cleaned.

Jeremy also had an extensive record and was even out on bond. Kristin, Kemberly’s sister, was unaware of her boyfriend’s history. And once Jeremy was named a suspect, he and Kristin broke up.

But today, Jeremy is 52-years-old, married, and regularly attends church. And Kemberly’s case still has never been solved.

In the years following her disappearance, countless people– from community members to the FBI and local law enforcement agencies– searched miles of land stretching from Alabama to Florida.

“There were all kinds of search efforts. You know, with 4-wheelers, on foot. And the searches went on for several years. The FBI even brought the infrared plane, and they had all kinds of dogs,” Sue recalled.

“Every single weekend, we would go out and search.”

While Kemberly’s loved ones have held onto moments of hope, though, each year that passes becomes more difficult to bear.

Still, her family has not given up– creating a Facebook page entitled Help Find Kemberly Ramer in hopes of raising awareness about the case and finally getting closure.

“If I could tell her something today, I would tell her I love her very much. And we wish that this has never happened. We all love her, and we aren’t giving up until she gets justice,” Sue said.

At the time of her disappearance, Kemberly was last seen wearing gray sweatpants, a white “New Orleans” t-shirt, and gold jewelry– including a bracelet, anklet, and necklace.

If you have any information regarding her case, you are urged to contact the Walton County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 892-8111 or the Mobile County FBI at (251) 438-3674.

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