Disappearance of Paige Renkoski

At around 11:30 a.m. on May 24, 1990, Paige Renkoski drove her mother to Detroit Metropolitan Airport and then visited a friend in Canton, Michigan. She was seen between 2:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. at a store that has since closed down,[4] west of Interstate 275 in Canton, where she bought a beer that was later found in her car. The store clerk remembered seeing Renkoski because she was wearing "distinctive multi-colored, loose-fitting, flower-patterned pants and a distinctive necklace".[5]

Renkoski was last seen on the shoulder of Interstate 96 near Fowlerville, talking to a man who was standing next to a maroon-colored minivan.[6][7] Hours later, the 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais she had been driving was found still idling, with her shoes and purse inside.[6][8] Many people claimed to have seen Renkoski driving west on I-96.[9] One was a woman who said she might have seen her at a rest-stop kiosk. Others include two long-haul truck drivers who reported seeing a blonde haired woman matching Renkoski's description and may have passed her when she was driving her vehicle on I-96.[10] Renkoski was last seen wearing a white silk shirt, with a long beaded necklace, and silk patterned slacks.[10]

Investigators found Renkoski's Oldsmobile, but it was not processed as a crime scene because at the time it was considered by the responding officer to be an abandoned vehicle.[4] The car was undamaged and the door was unlocked.[11] The vehicle was later towed. Someone had reported seeing Renkoski near her car at about 3:00pm, and officers had not responded to the scene until after 6:00pm. They then had learned that Renkoski was in fact missing and the car was not abandoned.[5] When examining the vehicle, police found several fingerprints and palm prints, but a match has yet to be identified on any law enforcement databases.[4]

In May 2011, authorities began searching a pond in Handy Township using ground-penetrating radar. A woman reported seeing a pair of cement-covered boots there around the time of Renkoski's disappearance.[12] In November 2011, the FBI, state and local police began a dig operation in Conway Township in search of Renkoski's remains. Cadaver dogs identified the site a week before the dig started. Investigators went to the property after reviewing a 1999 case file, which included a "hand drawn map indicating Renkoski's remains were buried there".[3]

The police have ruled the case a homicide, even though her body has never been located and no one has been charged in her disappearance or death.[3][13] Michigan Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $2,500 for any information about Renkoski.[14]

On June 27, 1990, workers began erecting billboards featuring Renkoski along Interstate 96; a total of 25 billboard ads were planned.[15][16] In May 2013, authorities announced that they would be erecting billboards featuring Renkoski and two other missing women.[13][17]

On February 2, 2018, a dual memorial service was held for Renkoski and her mother, who died in December 2017.[18][19]

Renkoski's disappearance is discussed in a book about the death of Linda Sobek entitled Death of a Model by true crime author Clifford L. Linedecker.[6]

• List of people who disappeared

• Paige Marie Renkoski at The Charley Project.
• Paige Renkoski at The Doe Network