Randy Sellers

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Kenton County Police Department (KY)

Missing From:

Visalia, Kentucky

Summary:

Randy Sellers disappeared at the age of 17 in Visalia, Kentucky on August 16, 1980. The last individuals known to have contact with him were two police officers who had taken him into custody for intoxication. The officers stated that they dropped Sellers a mile from his home, marking the last time he was seen. The investigation into the disappearance has explored various leads over the decades, but Sellers's whereabouts remain unknown.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Randy was picked up by Kenton County Police Department officers on August 15, 1980, the night prior to his disappearance. He had gone to the Kenton County Fair in Independence, Kentucky and consumed whiskey, marijuana and Quaaludes. He got into a fistfight with another individual, and eventually became so inebriated he couldn't stand. Security at the fair was provided by officers from the Kenton County Police Reserve, and they took him into custody for disorderly conduct and public intoxication. Two police officers decided to take Sellers to his house after determining that he was a minor. The officers stated that Sellers attacked one of them during the drive and that he refused to identify his home. They dropped him from the patrol car near a railway overpass close to his home, which was the last time Sellers was known to have been seen. An eyewitness later came forward and said they saw Randy staggering in the road with two police cars parked nearby. Randy never arrived home and was never seen or heard from again.

Additional Details:

The search for Sellers began on August 17, 1980, after he did not return home. The initial search involved dragging the Licking River for his body, a waterway close to the site of the disappearance. Authorities initially believed that the teen had simply walked into the Licking River and drowned by accident. Authorities found footprints near the river which would've matched a pair owned by Randy's family. Authorities now believe that the boot prints were from people who helped search for Randy. Around ten years later, in the early 1990s, an incarcerated serial killer, Donald Leroy Evans, stated that he had killed Sellers. The confession was one of several murders to which Evans confessed. While many of these confessions were dismissed as false, the one regarding Sellers was considered potentially credible. Evans alleged that he encountered Sellers hitchhiking on Decoursey Pike near the Sellers family home, picked him up, and drove to Kincaid Lake State Park. According to Evans, after sharing beers, he shot Sellers in the back of the head and buried him in a shallow grave. Authorities searched Kincaid Lake State Park using a map drawn by Evans but found no results. A renewed search in 2019, prompted by concerns that Evans's map might have been misread, also failed to find any evidence. Evans was never charged in connection with either case. He was murdered on death row in prison in 1999. His only sibling, a brother who was thirteen when Randy disappeared, died by suicide in 1990, jumping from a bridge into the Ohio River. His body was not recovered for four months. Wanda Cotton, Randy's mother, became an advocate for missing children, joining the voices of John Walsh and other parents of missing children. She has stood with parents during their darkest hours, testified in front of a congressional subcommittee, and met with presidents, all to advocate for resources for missing children. John Cotton, Randy's stepfather, died in February of 2023 after many years of battling cancer. His mother is still alive and still hopes for answers in his case. His story inspired national action that resulted in the creation of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Case Last Updated:

Sep 06, 2026