Investigators still pursuing leads in 1997 case of missing teen

BRACKEN COUNTY, Ky. (FOX19) - A recent tip in the case of a missing woman led Kentucky State Police investigators and cadaver dogs to a particular stairwell at a local school Wednesday searching for her body.

The investigators couldn’t say where the stairwell or the school were located. What they could say is this: The search came up empty, meaning, for the moment, Erica Fraysure remains missing.

Fraysure was 17 years old when on Oct. 21, 1997 she disappeared in Bracken County.

At the time, Fraysure was described as 5′6″ and 115 lbs. with brown hair and blue eyes.

Authorities say she was last seen wearing a purple sweater dark blue Levis and white Keds. They also say she had a Winnie the Poo watch and other jewelry on.

Officers say Fraysure’s car was found on an isolated road near Brooksville. Authorities found her purse in the car, but the car’s keys were missing.

“There’s just so many different variables,” KSP Trooper Cory Elliot said. “The lack of information is probably the hardest thing in a case like this.”

Elliot says leads bout Fraysure being buried in a stairwell aren’t unfamiliar to authorities; the original investigator in her case received a similar lead years prior.

Neither lead panned out, but Elliot says KSP won’t stop pursuing new tips or information, if only for the sake of Fraysure’s family.

“They deserve peace of mind,” he said. “Everyone always wants answers. They deserve to know what happened to their loved one.”

Elliot added, “We don’t give up on cases, no matter how old they are.”

Flyers used in this story are from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Photos are provided by NaMus.gov.

Anyone with information on Fraysure’s disappearance is urged to contact KSP Post 6 at (859) 428-1212.

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