OLYMPIA, Wash. — On June 26, 2009, Lindsey Baum, 10, left her friend’s house on Maple Street in McCleary, WA, to walk the short distance to her home on E. Mommsen Road.
Lindsey had often walked this route, and it should have only taken about 10 minutes. When her 10 p.m. curfew came and went, and the girl still wasn’t home, her mother, Melissa Baum, became nervous.
Baum called Lindsey’s cell phone, only to find that her daughter had left it plugged into the charger. She then set out on foot to find Lindsey.
Eventually, Lindsey’s friend’s parents joined the search by car. Around 10:45 p.m., Melissa called the police, who searched extensively for the missing girl, but never found any trace of her.
Despite an extensive search, police did not find Lindsey.
Melissa said she last saw her daughter when Lindsey and Lindsey’s brother, Josh, 12, headed to the friend’s home together. Lindsey hoped her friend could spend the night at the Baum’s house.
On the way there, Josh and Lindsey argued over Josh’s bike use. A family friend stopped them and sent Josh home to end the argument. Lindsey continued to her friend’s house. When Lindsey’s friend found out she could not stay the night, Lindsey headed home around 9:15 p.m.
The last known person to see her was a neighbor who drove past her on Maple Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets.
In February 2012, police announced they had a person of interest.
Timothy Hartman, the owner of Hartman’s Jewelry and Repair, told authorities he was out of town when Lindsey disappeared. However, he was seen on surveillance video at Mike’s Market purchasing an item at 9:19 p.m. when Lindsey left her friend’s house. Hartman denies the allegations, admitting that he unintentionally gave false information about his whereabouts that night. However, he claimed he was in a class until 9:00 p.m. and could not have been near Lindsey’s last location by 9:15 p.m. Police later discovered that the course let out at 8:15 p.m. Hartman maintains his innocence.
Police searched Hartman’s car, home, and shop in October 2011.
The jewelry store is on the route Lindsey would have taken to return home on the night she disappeared.
Detectives followed up on hundreds of leads and conducted dozens of interviews in the case but made no arrests.
UPDATE: Skeletal remains found in 2017 were later identified as belonging to Lindsey Baum.