Paige Renkoski

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Livingston County Sheriffs Department (MI)

Missing From:

Fowlerville, Michigan

Summary:

Paige Marie Renkoski, a 30-year-old substitute schoolteacher from Okemos, Michigan, disappeared on May 24, 1990, after being last seen talking to two men on the shoulder of Interstate 96 near Fowlerville. Her abandoned vehicle was found running with her purse and shoes inside. Her disappearance remains one of Michigan's longest-running cold cases, and her body has never been found.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

On May 24, 1990, Paige Renkoski drove her mother Ardis to Detroit Metropolitan Airport at approximately 11:30 a.m. After dropping her mother off, she visited a friend in Canton Township and was seen at a party store between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., where she purchased a beer. The store clerk remembered her distinctive colorful floral pants and ornate necklace. Around 3:30 p.m., a motorist reported seeing Renkoski on the westbound shoulder of Interstate 96, approximately one-half mile from the Fowlerville exit. She was observed speaking with two unidentified men standing next to a maroon or burgundy minivan. Witnesses noted she appeared upset, with one man placing his hand on her shoulder. A third person may have been inside or near the van. Renkoski was seen gesturing with her hands raised in the air. When her vehicle, a silver 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais, was discovered at approximately 6:00 p.m. that same day, it was still running, with the windshield wipers activated due to rain, the doors unlocked, her purse and shoes inside, and the key in the ignition. However, the responding officer did not treat the scene as suspicious and simply had the vehicle towed.

Additional Details:

Paige's fiancé, Steve DeBrabander, became concerned when she failed to appear at his softball game that afternoon. The family's initial attempts to locate her included contacting DeBrabander, who eventually learned from a voicemail that authorities had found an abandoned vehicle. Police initially ruled the case as an abduction and homicide, though her body has never been located. Over the decades, the case has generated more than 1,000 tips. In 1999, investigators received an anonymous letter with a hand-drawn map indicating a wooded area near Conway Township where her remains might be buried; this became known as the 'red herring letter.' Authorities have conducted extensive searches using cadaver dogs, ground-penetrating radar, and excavation equipment, but no remains have been found. In 2025, the Livingston County Sheriff's Office connected the case with investigators in Washtenaw County regarding a suspect arrested in a cold case involving a 1989 abduction and murder with similar circumstances. Composite sketches of suspects have been released over the years. Cold-case investigators believe resolution will require either a deathbed confession, someone coming forward with information, or accidental discovery of remains. Paige's mother, Ardis, passed away in 2017. Her sister Michele Renkoski-Hollis has devoted herself to keeping the case in the public eye and advocating for DNA databases and family participation in missing persons systems. Additional family members including their father passed away in October 2024.

Case Last Updated:

Aug 03, 2026