For Paul Porter, a night out with his wife Kristy on November 11, 2016, has turned into a haunting mystery. Because that was the night Kristy disappeared.
The couple, parents of two young children, attended a fundraiser that evening at the Peppermill Casino in Reno, Nevada. The company Paul works for, Southern Glazer Wine and Spirits, sponsors an event titled the ‘Barrels and Bites Benefit’ to raise money for the local Boys and Girls Club.
The couple attends the party every year. Usually, Kristy heads home while Paul stays behind with his work friends. This year was no different, he said.
“I asked her if she was going to stay and she said that she was going to go home,” Paul told Dateline. “I asked her if she wanted me to go with her and she said she didn't mind and to stay with my friends.”
The event has a service to help attendees get home in cabs, so Paul said he filled out the paperwork for his wife before she headed back to the family’s home in Sparks. All she had was the black and white outfit she was wearing and roughly $10 in cash. She rarely used cell phones, according to family members.
“The cab by all means should have taken her home. Her uncle was watching the kids that night, and when I got home he hadn't seen her,” Paul told Dateline. “It’s been 24 days and still nobody has seen or heard from her since she got in that cab.”
Family members are working with the Missing Pieces Network, a non-profit that aids families of the missing in posting on social media, handling media coverage and organizing search efforts. Hundreds of fliers have been distributed with Kristy’s information, and a flier on the Missing Pieces Network Facebook page has been shared nearly 3,000 times.
Kim McKay, who co-founded and helps run the organization, told Dateline they are doing everything they can to spread awareness about Kristy’s case. “The main issue here is she’s been missing for some time and no one really knows about it,” Kim said. “I don’t believe she would just leave her kids. I believe something is wrong, and she needs to be found.”
Information regarding whether Kristy got into the cab, and where it might have taken her, is only being released to authorities. Kim says that family members believe that the bill for the carfare charged was roughly what it would have cost for Kristy to travel home.
It’s unclear the exact date Kristy was reported missing. According to officials with the Sparks Police Department, a report was filed last week, but family members say they reported Kristy missing within a couple of days of her disappearance. Very little information is available regarding the investigation.
“The case is ongoing and our detectives are actively working it,” Officer Ken Gallop, Public Information Officer for the Sparks Police Department, told Dateline. “As it’s open, we cannot release too much information in regards to the sequence of events and what avenues are being looked at. But we are working hard to find her safely as soon as possible.”
Several rumors have popped up online regarding Kristy and the case, but those close to her are focusing on bringing her home safely. Described as a “Pinterest mom,” her loved ones can’t imagine Kristy simply leaving her young children and husband behind. She is also extremely close with her sister, and speaks with her and her mother almost daily.
“There is basically nothing to go on at this point. Nothing,” Kim McKay told Dateline. “Let’s do whatever we need to in order to get her home to her family.”
Kristy Porter is described as 5’3” tall, weighing 120 lbs. with brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a black and white print top and a lightweight black unbuttoned sweater with black pants.
Anyone with information regarding Kristy’s case is urged to call either the Sparks Police Department dispatch at (775) 353-2231, the detective division at (775) 353-2225, or Silent Witness of Reno at (775) 322-4900.
You can also visit the Facebook page 'Missing in Reno: Help Locate Kristy Porter' for more information.