Ilene Misheloff

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Alameda Police Department (CA)

Missing From:

Dublin, California

Summary:

Ilene Beth Misheloff was last seen on January 30, 1989, walking home from school in Dublin, California, at approximately 3pm when she disappeared. She was a 13-year-old Dublin teenager who was abducted while walking home from Wells Middle School. Ilene remains missing and her case is unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

On the afternoon of January 30, 1989, Ilene was excused from gym class and allowed to leave school early. At 2:30pm, she began her two-mile walk home. She was walking home from school in Dublin, California, at approximately 3pm when she disappeared. Witnesses recall seeing her walking alone on Amador Valley Boulevard near Village Parkway that afternoon, but she was not seen again after that time. She was taking a shortcut home, going through a wide alley behind a shopping center, a furniture store called the Sawmill, and Gallagher's Pub, then across the boulevard and through John Mape Park along a dry creek bed. The backpack was later found abandoned in the creek bed in John Mape Park near where she was last seen. Her key fob was later found near the entrance to John Mape Park, along the route she normally took to her home.

Additional Details:

Ilene Misheloff is the daughter of Mike and Maddi Misheloff. Her family describes her as a good student and promising figure skater who never varied from her routine without letting Mike and Maddi know. She had dreams of becoming a pediatrician. In the wake of Ilene's disappearance, her photo was printed on milk cartons that were distributed around the country. Timothy Bindner, James Daveggio, Curtis Anderson, and Philip Garrido have been considered possible suspects in Ilene's abduction. Nobody has been charged, however, and Ilene's abductor(s) remain unknown. After missing child Jaycee Dugard was found alive in 2009, investigators looked into the possibility that her abductors, Phillip and Nancy Garrido, may have been involved in Ilene's disappearance. His car matched the description of one seen speeding in the area where she was last seen. Their house was searched, but nothing was found to link them to her. Dublin police recently probed any possible connection between Misheloff's case and the 1988 cold-case kidnapping and homicide of 9-year-old Hayward girl Michaela Garecht, which investigators believe was solved with charges being brought against previously convicted murderer David Emery Misch. At this time, authorities do not have any evidence linking David Misch to the disappearance of Ilene Misheloff. For over 30 years, on the anniversary of her disappearance, a community candlelight vigil and walk was held in Dublin to keep Ilene's memory alive in the hope that someone could remember something that will help provide information as to her kidnapping and possible whereabouts. The tradition came to an end following the death of Ilene's mother, Maddi Misheloff, who died of cancer in 2020. The 2021 anniversary was the family's first since the passing of Maddi Misheloff, mother of Ilene, her twin brother Brian and their older brother Rob. Maddi, a well-known member of the Dublin community and an elected director for DSRSD, died last April after battling bladder cancer. The girl was of Jewish faith and had recently celebrated her Bat Mitzvah with her twin brother, Brian. In February 1989, police received a call from someone who reported seeing Ilene on the center median strip of San Ramon Boulevard between 2:50 pm and 3:10 pm. This was close to where she was seen walking by a classmate some twenty minutes earlier. There were also two unconfirmed witness accounts that indicated a girl matching Ilene's description was seen getting into an unidentified vehicle.

Case Last Updated:

Nov 09, 2026