Another year has passed since 18-year-old Kayla Croft-Payne was last seen April 28, 2010, leaving a friend’s house in Cowlitz County. The friend reported her missing a few days later.
Three years since she went missing, Croft-Payne’s family has partnered with Vancouver-based nonprofit National Women’s Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation to find explanations for the disappearance.
Recently, they’ve pursued possible leads, including Croft-Payne meeting a photographer for a modeling portfolio through the website Model Mayhem.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office has also had multiple detectives follow possible tips.
“We are no closer today than we were three years ago,” said Michelle Bart, the co-founder of National Women’s Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation.
Bart said her nonprofit is encouraging investigators to pursue the modeling portfolio connection. Croft-Payne messaged a friend on the internet that she was going on a modeling shoot and interview with Model Mayhem prior to her disappearance.
Bart said at least two other women around the country have gone missing after creating a profile on the Model Mayhem website.
“We are not saying the website is too blame,” Bart said. “But there is too big of a coincidence that we have three cases where the common denominator was Model Mayhem.”
Lewis County Detective Sergeant Dusty Breen said the sheriff’s office looked into the modeling portfolio tip and didn’t find anything one way or another.
“We continue to get tips in and we continue to check into the tips,” Breen said.
Croft-Payne’s family extended the search nationwide by listing her with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and sending a photo and information to the U.S. Border Patrol.
The family and investigators have continually checked Croft-Payne’s Facebook and Myspace accounts as well as processed her information through national databases.
Croft-Payne is described as a white woman, 5 feet six inches tall, 105 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair.
The National Women’s Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation along with her family hosted a Vigil for Hope for Croft-Payne on Sunday at Recreation Park in Chehalis.
Bart said she hopes more people get involved to help the family, which is is getting more frustrated each day with not having any answers.
“It’s amazing the community is not demanding accountability when one of their own went missing,” Bart said.
