Linda Peterson’s family installs memorial as five-year mark since disappearance nears
By Joe Hathaway on Wednesday, February 28th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — It’s been nearly five years since Baker City woman Linda Peterson vanished.
She was last seen in Baker on March 15, 2019, and in the time since, her family has been holding out hope that they will find out what happened to her.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever get closure,” said Alesia Lawrence, Linda’s daughter.
“We haven’t forgotten about her,” said Stephanie Shelley-Mailman, Linda’s daughter-in-law. “Our efforts are still to recover her remains and a huge thank you to the community for all their efforts and relaying the information to myself and the police.”
Baker City Police Chief Ty Duby says that Linda’s case is still open and is being treated as a homicide investigation. Stephanie says the family has been in regular contact with the Baker County District Attorney’s Office about the investigation.
To honor her memory, the family recently installed a memorial bench along the Leo Adler Memorial Parkway in Baker City.
“We don’t have a gravesite or anything, so we wanted to take the route of building a memorial where myself, my family and the community can visit and feel a bit closer to her,” said Alesia.
The family says the bench was purchased through donations by the community.
“I can’t thank the community enough for all the help and support,” said Alesia.
“It’s bittersweet. It’s nice to have a place for her, but it hurts because she has still not been recovered,” says Stephanie.
The family says they will be holding a candlelight vigil that the community is invited to on March 16 at the bench. The bench and the vigil is located off at the end of Kirkway Road, off of Hughes Lane on the Leo Adler Parkway.
“She had her issues and problems with addiction, but she loved life, loved people and had a huge impact on them,” said Stephanie. “It’s been pretty cool to hear people’s stories about their interactions with her and how much support we’ve had from the community.”
At the time of her disappearance, Peterson was 51-years-old, 5’01 tall with brown hair and brown eyes. She has a scar on her right wrist.
Anyone who may have any information on the disappearance of Linda Peterson is asked to contact the Baker City Police Department.
