OR KAYLEE BIRT: Missing from Fields, OR (while on road trip from Oregon to Iowa) - 4 April 2025 - Age 29

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29-year-old on solo trip across US leaves burger joint and vanishes, OR cops say​

A 29-year-old vanished on a solo trip across the country after she last seen leaving a burger joint in Oregon, deputies said.

Kaylee Birt disappeared April 4, the Harney County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.

Birt left the The Fields Station in her gold 2008 Chevy Malibu with an Oregon license plate of GW21073, deputies said.

The Fields Station is a restaurant, store, motel and gas station in Fields, which is a remote and unincorporated community in southeastern Oregon.

She was headed to Iowa, deputies said, but her vehicle was discovered abandoned April 6 in a remote part of Harney County in Oregon, deputies said.

Deputies said they determined a location where her cell phone last pinged, and they searched the area but couldn’t find her.

Search teams looked for her for seven days by “air, ground, UTV, drone, foot and horseback,” deputies said.

However, authority-led search efforts ended April 10.

“The Sheriff’s Office will post signage near Kaylee’s last known location, informing visitors to the area to be vigilant of any potential evidence,” deputies said.


Media - KAYLEE BIRT: Missing from Fields, OR (while on road trip from Oregon to Iowa) - 4 April 2025 - Age 29
 
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This is an unofficial map that a friend of the family created so people can get a general understanding of the geography.
Okay so I have an idea of the direction each mentioned place is. So as to roads do you know when she could have gotten on more main roads? I'm guessing had she got to Winnemucca she would at least be in a bigger town it looks like.

So Fields is basically out of her way it looks like anyhow...

I'm just beyond taking anything in well today. Sorry about that.
 
I'd like to point out (because I just realized this) she encountered the rancher and also left the Fields gas station the morning after she talked to her friend. She ended up on that road in broad daylight.
So there were two different days here? I maybe should quit until I can take things in better.
 
I'm just always curious when it comes to traveling.

The timeline says she initially was thinking about going back to Klamath Falls (home) on a quarter tank of gas. That could be why she changed to a different city. She was a bit over 200 miles from home with about 100 miles worth of gas left in her car.

2008 Impala has a 16 gallon tank with around 420 miles on a full tank.
I am too and it plays into why I want to see where all was and get a picture in my head. I often do go get mileage in cases as to how far two points are between each other.

I've never I don't think looked up a car's gas tank, etc. Not a bad idea lol.
 
Okay so I have an idea of the direction each mentioned place is. So as to roads do you know when she could have gotten on more main roads? I'm guessing had she got to Winnemucca she would at least be in a bigger town it looks like.

So Fields is basically out of her way it looks like anyhow...

I'm just beyond taking anything in well today. Sorry about that.
Yeah if she would have gone south to Winnemucca as she said, it would have put her on a major east/west Interstate (I-80).
 
This kind of reminds me of the Erin Valenti case. Ended up being a thyroid storm I think.
I believe, from perusing Facebook comments, there were some mental health concerns here. Not depression/suicidal. I've seen "sleep deprived" and "emotional" and "not thinking clearly". Perhaps a manic episode of some kind.

Reminding me a lot of Chelsea Grimm, also missing on an interstate road trip.
 
I believe, from perusing Facebook comments, there were some mental health concerns here. Not depression/suicidal. I've seen "sleep deprived" and "emotional" and "not thinking clearly". Perhaps a manic episode of some kind.

Reminding me a lot of Chelsea Grimm, also missing on an interstate road trip.
That's exactly what this reminds me of. Neither of them were prepared for a long road trip alone and both were not doing well not very far from their origin.
 
I wonder if she had never been anywhere where you can't access your maps and didn't know how to cope without that feature. It sounded like she was terribly lost.
Possibly. But to me it still doesn't explain why...if she was lost or stuck...she wouldn't have just turned around? Or, if you're going to walk away from the car on foot, why leave the road? And why leave everything behind in the car?
 
Possibly. But to me it still doesn't explain why...if she was lost or stuck...she wouldn't have just turned around? Or, if you're going to walk away from the car on foot, why leave the road? And why leave everything behind in the car?
Frustration?? I think she just got in over her head and broke down mentally from it. Then I have no idea what happened. Did she wander off? Stranger danger? Other?
 
Possibly. But to me it still doesn't explain why...if she was lost or stuck...she wouldn't have just turned around? Or, if you're going to walk away from the car on foot, why leave the road? And why leave everything behind in the car?
It truly isn't making sense to me. If you had a cross country road trip, you would fill your car up with gas. Unless she was not coping with reality at all, there is something else going on here. I don't pretend to know what and have no opinion yet in this case because there just isn't enough for me to form one.

One day I may have to get back on Facebook I swear but it just isn't in the cards right now. Barely keeping up as it is. I did see some comments the other day under an article but wasn't sure if they had any real basis of course.

One said something about the lengths someone will go to get a man and another said they believed she went missing on purpose. Are you seeing any hint of those things being the case?

The only thing I've decided is she was not very prepared for this trip and it makes no sense to me you wouldn't fill up with gas when you could. Also it said LE was called with concern for her and how did that ever come up was it ever said?

Yeah, phone and other things were in the car. Did she decide to take a hike? Wouldn't you want at least the phone, even for pictures? It just isn't gel-ing for me.

Nothing has been said that I saw IF I recall about any relationship, breakup, so on or just overall life. Maybe on FB it has.

The comparison to Grimm fits.

Why in the first place are they going anywhere if in a shaky place mentally but then maybe that's actually got something to do with it...

Do you remember the girl I believe in your state? She was missing for some number of days, had stopped at a coffee shop and then near woods I think had went missing. She was eventually found and in her case she "pulled" it on people. Never really heard a whole lot after she was found safe but we have seen a number of cases like that where it related to pressure of family, school or some such. This reminds me of those BUT I really don't know yet, however she was headed home to grandma supposedly... Maybe pressure from family? It seems to be a part of some cases. They are usually younger than 29 though.

Where are her parents, do you know?

I'm also thinking of the one where the young adult was in some western state, can't recall which one and she ended up eventually found in NYC. She worked at Home Depot or something like that, went to work and never came home. Then there was one in FL.

I have no hint this is anything like any of those but it could be, plus it is best case scenario and means they are alive. I'm very undecided on what is going on here.
 
It truly isn't making sense to me. If you had a cross country road trip, you would fill your car up with gas. Unless she was not coping with reality at all, there is something else going on here. I don't pretend to know what and have no opinion yet in this case because there just isn't enough for me to form one.

One day I may have to get back on Facebook I swear but it just isn't in the cards right now. Barely keeping up as it is. I did see some comments the other day under an article but wasn't sure if they had any real basis of course.

One said something about the lengths someone will go to get a man and another said they believed she went missing on purpose. Are you seeing any hint of those things being the case?

The only thing I've decided is she was not very prepared for this trip and it makes no sense to me you wouldn't fill up with gas when you could. Also it said LE was called with concern for her and how did that ever come up was it ever said?

Yeah, phone and other things were in the car. Did she decide to take a hike? Wouldn't you want at least the phone, even for pictures? It just isn't gel-ing for me.

Nothing has been said that I saw IF I recall about any relationship, breakup, so on or just overall life. Maybe on FB it has.

The comparison to Grimm fits.

Why in the first place are they going anywhere if in a shaky place mentally but then maybe that's actually got something to do with it...

Do you remember the girl I believe in your state? She was missing for some number of days, had stopped at a coffee shop and then near woods I think had went missing. She was eventually found and in her case she "pulled" it on people. Never really heard a whole lot after she was found safe but we have seen a number of cases like that where it related to pressure of family, school or some such. This reminds me of those BUT I really don't know yet, however she was headed home to grandma supposedly... Maybe pressure from family? It seems to be a part of some cases. They are usually younger than 29 though.

Where are her parents, do you know?

I'm also thinking of the one where the young adult was in some western state, can't recall which one and she ended up eventually found in NYC. She worked at Home Depot or something like that, went to work and never came home. Then there was one in FL.

I have no hint this is anything like any of those but it could be, plus it is best case scenario and means they are alive. I'm very undecided on what is going on here.
Her phone wasnt working anymore so she probably had lost any map feature she was using. Her car still had fuel when found - half a tank. The road she was on had washed out so did she leave her car to camp the night or go to the loo, get lost, give up or what? I bet she had no other map so when her phone failed she couldn't navigate. The rancher called authorities as he was worried about her and called her grandma apparently. He gave her 3 gallons but she couldnt find the gas station even and went back to the rancher who gave her 3 gallons more and then led her in his car to the gas station. Unprepared for the long trip and has got lost in a wilderness by the sound of it. Probably not helped by the floods everywhere too.
 
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Yep 1600 miles. This doesn't seem to make sense when you compare it to the distance above. Lunchtime to 19.40 pm is 7 hours max. She couldnt have travelled 1600 miles in 7 hours. So that had to be the next day the 4th that she got to Denio Junction.

Thursday, April 3, 2025:
• Kaylee met Lindsey at lunch, saying that she wanted to go visit her nana (grandma Sheri) in Shenandoah, Iowa. Kaylee and Lindsey discussed different flight options vs driving to Iowa. Kaylee left, saying she would talk with Nana about the options.
• At 16:35 pacific time, Kaylee texted Lindsey saying she would be back in a few days, depends on when she gets there.
• Kaylee called Lindsey at 19:40 pacific time, saying she was at a quarter tank of gas in Denio Junction, NV. She said the pumps were locked/closed for the night. Lindsey encouraged Kaylee to drive back to Klamath Falls, OR. Kaylee agreed. At 20:11 pacific time, Kaylee texted to say she was going to try to make it (to Winnemucca). Despite multiple attempts at calling/texting, Kaylee did not respond to Lindsey again.
• Kaylees mother speaks to at midnight. Kaylee is lost and scared.
 
Something's not right here. So she had only travelled 200 miles when she called her friend in the evening?

How the heck had she run out of gas as well as needing 6 gallons from the rancher. Upthread it says the tank on her car does over 400 miles on a tankful.

I wonder if she ran the engine overnight to keep warm and used up her fuel. But that doesn't make sense she cannot make a 200 mile journey without panicking or having a map, or a couple of cans of fuel. Plus there was a half a tank left when the car was found.
 
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Possibly. But to me it still doesn't explain why...if she was lost or stuck...she wouldn't have just turned around? Or, if you're going to walk away from the car on foot, why leave the road? And why leave everything behind in the car?
Maybe she didn't leave the car there.
 
It truly isn't making sense to me. If you had a cross country road trip, you would fill your car up with gas. Unless she was not coping with reality at all, there is something else going on here. I don't pretend to know what and have no opinion yet in this case because there just isn't enough for me to form one.

One day I may have to get back on Facebook I swear but it just isn't in the cards right now. Barely keeping up as it is. I did see some comments the other day under an article but wasn't sure if they had any real basis of course.

One said something about the lengths someone will go to get a man and another said they believed she went missing on purpose. Are you seeing any hint of those things being the case?

The only thing I've decided is she was not very prepared for this trip and it makes no sense to me you wouldn't fill up with gas when you could. Also it said LE was called with concern for her and how did that ever come up was it ever said?

Yeah, phone and other things were in the car. Did she decide to take a hike? Wouldn't you want at least the phone, even for pictures? It just isn't gel-ing for me.

Nothing has been said that I saw IF I recall about any relationship, breakup, so on or just overall life. Maybe on FB it has.

The comparison to Grimm fits.

Why in the first place are they going anywhere if in a shaky place mentally but then maybe that's actually got something to do with it...

Do you remember the girl I believe in your state? She was missing for some number of days, had stopped at a coffee shop and then near woods I think had went missing. She was eventually found and in her case she "pulled" it on people. Never really heard a whole lot after she was found safe but we have seen a number of cases like that where it related to pressure of family, school or some such. This reminds me of those BUT I really don't know yet, however she was headed home to grandma supposedly... Maybe pressure from family? It seems to be a part of some cases. They are usually younger than 29 though.

Where are her parents, do you know?

I'm also thinking of the one where the young adult was in some western state, can't recall which one and she ended up eventually found in NYC. She worked at Home Depot or something like that, went to work and never came home. Then there was one in FL.

I have no hint this is anything like any of those but it could be, plus it is best case scenario and means they are alive. I'm very undecided on what is going on here.
I know what you mean. The headline 29 year old drives 200 miles and gets lost wouldnt grab any attention.
 

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