Crime & Safety
'Help Bring Me Home': Misty Copsey Disappearance Gets Boost On Social Media
Puyallup police on Sunday told the story of Misty Copsey's life and disappearance. Here's what they said.
PUYALLUP, WA - On Sept. 25, 1992, Misty Copsey, 14, disappeared after spending the day with friends at the state fair in Puyallup. Except for some of her possessions found along SR 410 near Enumclaw, no one has found a trace of Copsey since that day. No one knows what happened to Copsey that night - if she ran away or something much worse - and no one has ever been criminally charged in the disappearance.
Puyallup police on Sunday used Twitter and Facebook to tell Copsey's story in an attempt to raise awareness about the case, and maybe generate some new leads. The department told Copsey's story beginning at her birth in Spokane in 1978.
Hi. My name is Misty Copsey. I am missing and I need your help. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
I was born in 1978 so I would be 39 this year. #mistycopsey pic.twitter.com/T0UAI958r8
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
Let me tell you a little bit about myself and how I came to be missing, but we’ll talk more about the missing part later. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
Here I am at my grandparent’s place at Loon Lake, just outside of Spokane. #mistycopsey pic.twitter.com/hHWae0drja
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
I have so many good memories from the time at the lake. This is me with my grandpa and Tilly the cat. #mistycopsey pic.twitter.com/xzK8DBa3fX
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
I loved animals. Like a lot of kids, I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
I look like a little county girl in this picture. #mistycopsey pic.twitter.com/SXAftpJOWD
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
Mom and I moved to Spanaway when I got a little older. I was a typical kid and played sports like softball and volleyball. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
By 1988, Copsey was living in the Spanaway area and was, by all accounts, a typical young girl interested in sports, animals, and hanging out with her friends (and was apparently a big Color Me Badd fan). She was known as "Pistol" by her family, but her friends called her "Bean" because of how thin she was.
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This is from 1989 so I was 11 years old in this picture. #mistycopsey pic.twitter.com/35ya1sMcNP
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
As I got older I liked dancing and music and hanging out with my friends. #mistycopsey pic.twitter.com/2nZhrfCM4L
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
Grunge music was big in 1992, but my favorite group was Color Me Badd. #mistycopsey pic.twitter.com/80qcihbiAb
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
I moved in with my dad for a little while before moving back with mom when I was 14. This was just before I disappeared. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
My parents called me ‘Pistol’ when I was little which became shortened to just ‘Pis’ as I got older. LOL, it sounds funny now. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
My best friend’s name was Trina. She lived in the same mobile home park in Spanaway as I did. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
Trina and I used to secretly have people over to my mom’s house when she was at work. I don’t think she ever knew. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
Trina and I were tight. She called me ‘Bean’, maybe because I was so skinny. #mistycopsey pic.twitter.com/p1eVgjtblh
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
Copsey was just a kid when she disappeared. She liked to eat cereal and watch "Scooby Doo" and was a student at Spanaway Lake Junior High. Sept. 25, 1992, was an ordinary Sunday, but for Copsey it seemed special. She put on stylish baggy jeans and even some makeup before heading to the state fair in Puyallup.
Copsey almost didn't go to the far that day because of problems getting a ride home, but her best friend, Trina, was able to convince the parents to let the girls go.
Find out what's happening in Puyallupfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On that morning in September I had borrowed some baggy jeans from my mom. That was the style then – baggy jeans. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
I also put on some make-up which I didn’t normally wear but Trina and I were going to the fair after school. I was so excited. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
Do you go to the Fair? Do you remember if you were you at the Fair in 1992? #mistycopsey pic.twitter.com/tfhrmngoQc
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
If you were at the Fair on Sept 17, 1992 and have pictures, the police department would like to see those pictures. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
Earlier that week mom said Trina and I couldn’t go to the fair because she had to work and couldn’t pick us up. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
Trina and I convinced mom that we could take the bus home instead so she said it was ok…as long as we stayed together. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
It was a normal fall day. The temp was in the 60s and no rain so I was wearing the jeans I borrowed and a blue sweatshirt. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
Mom still remembers how vulnerable and little I looked as she watched me walk off. I was 14 years old. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 17, 2017
I don’t remember what we did at the fair. Probably went on rides and walked around for a few hours. It was a girls night. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 18, 2017
Cospey's disappearance happened as she was leaving the fair to get home to Spanaway. She was stranded with no ride and no idea which Pierce County bus would take her home. She was last seen around 10 p.m. walking along South Meridian.
Later that night at around 8:45 or so I was supposed to catch the bus home…but I missed it. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 18, 2017
Because I missed the bus I had to call my mom and tell her. I knew she’d be mad. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 18, 2017
I told her that I had another ride home and that it’d be ok. It wasn’t ok. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 18, 2017
I was at a bus stop. I asked if his bus could take me home, but unfortunately that bus didn’t go to Spanaway. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 18, 2017
There was also a lady who called the show Northwest Afternoon and said she saw me walking on Meridian at 10:00 PM. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 18, 2017
As you know by now, I never made it home that night. #mistycopsey
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 18, 2017
Here is the flyer that mom posted and passed out after I went missing. #mistycopsey pic.twitter.com/7ipuRKseuI
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) September 18, 2017
The ride that Copsey mentioned was supposed to be with Rheuban Schmidt, and 18-year-old friend. Schmidt has denied that he ever met Copsey that night to give her a ride. Although Schmidt has been a suspect, he has never been formally charged.
Puyallup police are asking the public to come forward with anything that might be relevant to the disappearance. That includes photos of the 1992 state fair, home videos, or any witnesses who have, for whatever reason, never come forward.
If you know anything, contact Puyallup police at 253-770-3343 or email tips@ci.puyallup.wa.us.
Image via Puyallup police
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