Heather Nicole Kullorn was a 12-year-old girl from Missouri. She lived with her mother, 34-year-old Christine, and her brother, 14-year-old Matthew.
Heather was an outgoing pre-teen who was becoming a little too rebellious — she had been caught smoking. The young girl had recently shaven both her eyebrows off in a beauty experiment gone wrong.
Although Heather and her mother had somewhat of a shaky relationship, they had become closer after Heather was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She needed to test her blood levels four times a day and required daily insulin injections. Sugared foods and water could sustain her for short periods of time, but Heather would fall into a diabetic coma without insulin.
In 1999, Heather began working as a babysitter. The 12-year-old had always loved babies and wanted to save money to buy Christmas presents.
In early July, Heather moved in with family friends, Dana Madden (23) and Christopher Herbert (34), at their apartment on Yale Avenue in Richmond Heights. She was being paid to babysit their 2-month-old daughter.
On July 15, Dana left the apartment at 10 PM to work an overnight shift at the local 7-Eleven convenience store. Christopher was not at home, leaving Heather to take care of the infant.
It was after 4 AM when Christopher returned home. When he entered the apartment, his daughter was crying while Heather was nowhere to be found. He called Dana who then called the authorities.
Authorities were at the scene by 5 AM and an extensive search took place in the area with dozens of people being interviewed.
A neighbor had been walking his dog around 2 AM when he saw a man carrying a child out of the apartment. They seemed to have been asleep and their upper body was wrapped in a blanket. Their legs were out and they were barefoot. The man did not have his glasses on, making him legally blind. Nonetheless, a white comforter with a floral design was missing from the apartment.
Traces of blood were found on the couch. DNA testing linked the sample to Heather.
Authorities do not believe Heather left on her own accord. Her abductor(s) likely knew her family or the friends she was staying with.
Evidence of a methamphetamine manufacturing lab was found in the apartment complex’s garage. This garage was used by Christopher and Mike Mason. Mike lived across the street and was in charge of fixing up some apartments that were still in development. He occasionally hired Christopher as a handyman.
It became clear to authorities that Christopher was involved in the local drug scene and the investigation turned its focus on a Missouri methamphetamine ring. At first, Christopher claimed to have been out partying with friends during the time Heather went missing. He ultimately admitted that he had been producing meth along the Mississippi River with a friend. Either way, he has always maintained his innocence in Heather’s disappearance. His car was searched but nothing was found.
The main theory is that Heather witnessed illegal drug activity in the garage. As a result, she was kid*napped and m*urdered. Mike claims that the young girl was very aware of the drug use going on.
Mike was extensively questioned and his apartment was searched. Not long after Heather vanished, Mike realized that his tow chains were missing from his car. His theory is that the perpetrator(s) used them to weigh down Heather’s body in the Mississippi River. A few areas of the river were dragged to no avail.
Both Mike and Christopher were sentenced to several years in prison on federal drug charges in the early 2000s.
Several hours before Heather went missing, a couple from out of town had passed by the apartment to pick up some meth manufacturing equipment. They were investigated and ruled out. The friend Christopher had been making meth with by the river was also questioned.
Authorities have a suspect but have not revealed their name to the public.
In April of 2000, Christine went to Dana’s workplace and the two had a confrontation. It ended with Christine being arrested after she tried to attack Dana with a baseball bat.
Christine, who was never a suspect, was certain Dana and Christopher had more information about what happened to her daughter.
Christine died in 2017 without knowing where her daughter is. Her obituary states that she is survived by both of her children, Matthew and Heather.
Heather Kullorn has been missing for 25 years. If alive, she would be 37-years-old.
