Missing Angel Part II
Sheriff Magazine Article
Article in the Summer 2025 issue of Oregon Sheriff, featuring an article by Sheriff Dan Jenkins about the Kaylee Birt Search, and findings well before the Medical Examiners Report was issued for cause of death.
Reason for stopping the search per Sheriff Jenkins’ report. He made that decision on April 10th at about 4 P.M., as he started his three-day weekend.
Exceert from Jenkins report
Oregon Medical Examiners Death Certificate
Medical examiners texted the family to confirm that Ky;ee was alive for at least two weeks before she died
The medical examiner’s report and text message confirm that Kaylee was alive for at least two weeks before she died.
Who was Kaylee Birt:
(Courtesy of Lindsey Nicole Hastings, best friend & roommate) Thursday, April 3, 2025:
Kaylee met Lindsey at lunch and said she wanted to visit her Nana (Grandma Sheri) in Shenandoah, Iowa. Kaylee and Lindsey discussed flight options versus 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, depending on when she arrives.
Facebook: Nicole Hastings April 5, 2025
Update 4/10: The search has been suspended. Kaylee has not yet been located. Please see the Harney County Sheriff’s page for more details.
Update 4/9 930 Pacific time: The search has resumed today. A helicopter from Nevada will assist, and the plane should be there as well. Dogs are not available today. Horses, ATVs, and SAR teams are still being used.
Update 4/8 1848 Pacific time: The search has concluded for today and will resume tomorrow at 9 am. Air support, a drone, ATVs, additional SAR personnel, and a dog will be used again tomorrow.
Update 4/8 1045 Pacific time: The search continues. The same tracking dog from yesterday is still on site today, along with search and rescue teams and community volunteers. The plane can fly today.
Update 4/7 21:10 Pacific time: They stopped searching for the night due to weather. They will resume at 9 am tomorrow. The tracking dog will be back tomorrow, and the drones and plane will return as well, weather permitting. Malheur County to the east will add its search and rescue team tomorrow. The horses and ATVs will remain out.
Update 4/7, 737 Pacific time: They continued searching into the night until about midnight. They will resume searching this morning with a tracking dog, a drone, horseback, and side-by-sides/ATVs.
Update 4/6 1549 Pacific time: Her car has been found; she is not in it. Search and rescue is being assembled on horseback. A tracking dog will arrive; the air search continues.
Missing person: My best friend and roommate, Kaylee Birt, has been missing since April 4, 2025. She was last seen at the General Store around 8:30 am on April 4.
She was traveling from Klamath Falls, Oregon, to Shenandoah, Iowa, in a gold 2008 Chevy Malibu with Oregon whale plate GW21073.
She was last seen wearing a green long-sleeve shirt with Christmas trees. She has green and brown glasses and a mole on her left cheek. She is 29 years old.
If you see her or her car, or if she contacts you, please call 911 or the Harney County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you, everyone, for sharing, praying, and helping however you can!
April 11, 2025:
Kaylee called Lindsey at 19:40 Pacific time and reported she had a quarter tank of gas in Denio Junction, NV. She said the pumps were locked and closed for the night. Lindsey encouraged Kaylee to drive back to Klamath Falls, OR. Kaylee agreed.
At 20:11 Pacific time, Kaylee texted that she was going to try to make it (to Winnemucca). Despite multiple attempts to call/text, Kaylee did not respond to Lindsey again.
Kaylee’s mother speaks to her at midnight. Kaylee is lost and scared.
Friday, April 4, 2025: Kaylee’s Nana received a call from Kaylee, who was using a local rancher’s phone north of Fields, OR, around 8:30 a.m. Pacific time. Kaylee told Nana her phone had reset and wasn’t working, and that she was out of gas. The local rancher gave Kaylee 3 gallons of gas and pointed her toward the Fields General Store. Kaylee left, returned shortly afterward, but did not make it to the Fields General Store. The local rancher then provided her with an additional 3 gallons of gas. They caravaned to the Fields General Store. The local rancher was concerned about Kaylee and contacted local authorities.
Kaylee arrives at the Fields General Store, pays for gas in cash, and fills up. Store cameras show her leaving southbound on Hwy 205.
Kaylee’s Nana contacts Lindsey. Together, they begin contacting law enforcement agencies: Harney County Sheriff (Oregon), Nevada State Police, Utah State Police, Ada County Sheriff (Idaho), Klamath County Sheriff (Oregon), and Oregon State Police.
Sometime between 8:56 and 11:39, Kaylee’s phone stops going straight to voicemail and will ring through to voicemail.
Around 1600 Pacific time, Harney County Sheriff receives authorization to ping Kaylee’s phone. The phone is pinged off the Buckskin cell tower, located on Whitehorse Ranch Road between Fields, OR, and Hwy 95 to the east. The ping was dated the next day, indicating the ping is unreliable. This was the last tower her phone was connected to.
Sheriff's deputies were in the area, driving the main roads that day. Community members were notified and asked to watch for her car on their property.
Saturday, April 5, 2025:
Kaylee was officially listed as missing.
Search and rescue efforts began, with Harney County and community members assisting.
Denio Junction (NV) gas station cameras do not show Kaylee having made it that far south (24 miles from Fields).
Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Search and rescue efforts underway. Air support from an Oregon State Police (OSP) airplane; a K9 search dog from Grant County; Harney County; Lake County; and community members on horseback, on foot, and on ATVs.
Kaylee’s car was found around 1415 Pacific time on Trout Creek Mountain Road. The road had washed out. Kaylee had stopped, and the car was drivable. Items in the car: phone, keys, wallet. The car had half a tank of gas.
K9 was on her scent, with footprints visible around the car and in conjunction with the dog’s path.
Search continued until approximately midnight, when the terrain became unsafe to continue in the dark.
Monday, April 7, 2025:
Search and rescue continued. OSP plane unavailable; plane from Reno, NV, unable to fly due to 60 mph winds. K9 dog from Lake County on her scent.
Drone from Harney County and a second thermal drone from an individual in the area. Harney County, Lake County, and local ranchers on horseback and ATV.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025:
Search and rescue continued. OSP plane available for air support. K9 still in use; however, it did not pick up the same scents as yesterday.
Harney County, Lake County, Malheur County, and local ranchers on horseback and UTVs participated in the search. A drone with thermal was in use. Harney County impounds Kaylee's car.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025:
A helicopter from Washoe County, NV, is assisting today. OSP plane assisting today. Dogs not available. Harney County and Malheur County ranchers assisting with the search.
Thursday, April 10, 2025:
Scaled-back search, 2-3 people on foot. Search suspended.
Facebook entry, April 19, 2025, Kaylee’s Mom:
After several days of reflection, I’ve decided to share this—for those who care about helping us find Kaylee. I believe you should know how the Harney County Sheriff’s Office has treated us. Kaylee’s car was found in Harney County, Oregon, with no trace of her. Since then, I’ve done everything I can to obtain answers and support from local authorities, but I’ve been met with silence, confusion, and minimal communication.
My calls have gone unanswered, updates have been vague or nonexistent, and we’ve been left in the dark during the most devastating time of our lives. While trying to cope with this unimaginable situation, I’ve also been the one requesting reports, organizing searches, and doing everything I can to keep going. It's been overwhelming and heartbreaking. We traveled to Oregon ourselves.
Our friends and family searched the rugged terrain, hoping to find any sign of Kaylee. All they found were footprints—with no direction and no clues about where she might have gone. We returned shattered.
Along the way, we learned that Harney County has limited search-and-rescue experience. Search dogs were reportedly removed from an active scent trail. We were told they would leave food and water in Kaylee’s vehicle, but they moved it the next day. We were informed that signs would be posted to mark the area, but none were posted. These decisions left us confused, frustrated, and searching for answers that never came.
Throughout this ordeal, we’ve received conflicting information from multiple people involved in the investigation. At times, we've been given unfounded theories—none grounded in evidence—that felt dismissive and deeply hurtful.
When we went to the sheriff’s office in person, we expected compassion and cooperation. Instead, we encountered hostility. One comment, in particular, was especially painful: “Then why aren’t you out looking? It’s a public area, 115 miles THAT way!” We were. We still are. Even more disturbing were the cruel and baseless rumors we heard about Kaylee’s disappearance—comments suggesting she went into the mountains to die or that she wandered off for some sort of “sacrifice.”
These were not theories offered with care or investigation—they felt like judgmental assumptions about my daughter and our family at a time when we needed support, not suspicion. We’ve had to fight for every scrap of information. During our own search, we found tracks that search and rescue had not documented.
That discovery was both shocking and devastating. To this day, we’ve felt no empathy, urgency, or clear direction from Sheriff Jenkins and his office. We are heartbroken and desperate. No parent should have to fight this hard just to be heard. We need answers.
We need accountability. More than anything, we need help. The helplessness and disappointment we’ve felt at being treated this way by the very people entrusted with protecting the public in times of crisis are beyond words.
A message from Kaylee’s Nana; Facebook April 22, 2025
Wow, it is so hard to believe it's already been a year since our Kaylee left us! These days in April have been very emotional for those who loved her so much and still miss her so fiercely! We are finding it hard to imagine living in this world without her for this long.
Every day begins with the knowledge that it begins without Kaylee, knowing that every holiday, every birthday, every special occasion will always be different without our Kaylee! This fact grieves us terribly! We find ourselves each reliving last year, remembering the tears, the prayers for her safe return to us, and the faith and hope from her loved ones and everyone out there who felt our pain and sorrow and joined us in these prayers! We take this moment to say how grateful we were for these prayers! They gave us assurance to hold onto during this most difficult time!
But God had a plan different from ours, and some days it's hard to understand. When these days come for me, I simply must rely on my faith to get me through, as I know so many of us are doing as well! We have the assurance that she is in heaven today, since she is not here with us. This brings so much comfort!
April is such a beautiful time of year to go to Heaven, I think! To me, April is all about renewal, everything coming back to life. The flowers, the trees, Resurrection Sunday, the Cross, the Savior. The life that Jesus gave for our salvation and the promise of an eternal home in heaven one day in our future!
But last April brought this promise to Kaylee sooner than we would have chosen. We cried out to God, saying, "29 years is much too young to call her home!" Yet as we cried this out to God, we knew he is the one to decide when her birthday would be and when her day to go home to Heaven would be.
We loved Kaylee so deeply that it is understandable we would grieve this deeply. Some days, the pain is so strong that we wonder if the tears will ever stop! I tell myself and others, "I don't think so, because she was so special to us. The tears will always come when we think of her!" I believe these tears are a kind of renewal in themselves, a refreshing for our souls and healing for our hearts.
I believe we all understand this after a good cry! It leaves us changed, exhausted for sure, but cleansed of some of the grief, at least momentarily! I know, as I weep, I am crying out to Jesus with my soul for health and healing for each of our hearts. To remind us that while Kaylee is not with us physically, she will always be with us in our hearts and in our memories forever! And boy, do we have the memories- ones that leave us laughing at her silliness, those that leave us relishing the kind soul she was, the sweet things she has done for others, the love she had for us all, the love she had for her animals, and so many more memories that seem to come to us at just the right moment in our lives to remind us she is always near! And we have the hope of seeing her again when he calls each of us home! And what a reunion that will be, one where there will be no more tears, only happiness forevermore!
You may have heard that Kaylee died, but that is simply not true. She is alive and well in her heavenly home, awaiting us all. Please secure your heavenly home today by inviting Jesus into your heart! Kaylee once said she wished she had a bigger platform to speak about God, and this is what she wished for: securing your home in heaven. Please do so today in honor of Kaylee Birt's life. Thank you again to everyone for every prayer you prayed for Kaylee's family! Nana and Grampie.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla euismod condimentum felis vitae efficitur. Sed vel dictum quam, at blandit leo.
Brothers Facebook entry no date given
I sit here broken, having to make a post I never thought I would.
Early last week, I got a call from my mom that I never expected. “The police found your sister’s body, and she is deceased.” I will never forget that call for the rest of my life.
I will not go into the details of my little sister’s passing; all I can say is that she was taken from us, and we still don’t know what happened.
Kaylee was beautiful inside and out. She would do anything to help someone in need, even if it meant sacrificing her own needs. She was a strong advocate for women in abusive situations. I have read so many comments on her Facebook from people saying how my sister saved their lives and helped them out of shitty situations.
I only wish Kaylee had told us she was struggling with the same problems she helped others with, but she wanted to try to fix it herself to protect her friends and family.
I could go on for hours about how great a daughter, sister, mother, and auntie she was. I feel ripped off that we only had 32 years with her, and I can’t help but feel she was stolen from us.
My sister leaves behind my two beautiful nieces, ages 11 and 6 months. One of my sister’s friends has set up a GoFundMe to support the Search and Rescue efforts. Please donate or share if you can.
I wish I had the chance to say goodbye one more time and to let you know how much I loved you and how much you meant to me. I will keep your memory alive with my kids and your girls, and I'll continue advocating for all the things you believed in. Just know that we will be okay, though it’s going to take time.
I love you so much.
Facebook post May 20, 2026.
The purpose of the last few posts is to expose a pattern of behavior within HCSO and to highlight a few others who could have helped us but did not.
Our intention isn’t to discredit everyone, but to call out those who made things far more difficult than they should’ve been.
We don’t want another family to go through what we’ve been through. We can’t turn away and pretend it’s all fine now that Kaylee’s been found. It’s not fine. Even if nothing changes right away, at least people will see it. At least people will be more aware of how the Harney County Sheriff’s Office and the store owner have handled things—and hopefully, that awareness will lead to better accountability and support for future families in crisis.
We’ve also had several questions about where Kaylee was found, how far she was from the car, and how she died. We understand the curiosity, but as her family, we don’t yet have all the answers. We’re still trying to get answers, understand, and process everything ourselves.
When we have a clearer picture and the time to grieve, we will share what we feel is appropriate.
To the MANY locals who have supported us, rallied for Kaylee, searched and prayed for her, and stood by our family — thank you. These posts are not about you. We couldn’t have gotten through without your support.
Goodbye, Kaylee: "Rest in the arms of Grace"
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla euismod condimentum felis vitae efficitur. Sed vel dictum quam, at blandit leo.
Coordinates where she passed: 42.15345 -118.26715
Letter submitted to Governor Kotec Monday, October 12, 2026
I presented a legislative proposal to Representative Mark Owens, Senator Mike McLane, and Gubernatorial Candidate Christine Drazen at the Central Hotel meet-and-greet on September 25, 2026. The decision makers.
Closing Narrative & Expert Journalist Assessment.
After nearly three decades of examining crime scenes, evaluating physical evidence, and participating in Search and Rescue operations, I view the case of Kaylee Birt not merely as an unfortunate tragedy but as a critical institutional failure.
A missing person investigation is never merely an exercise in paperwork or ledger management; it is the ultimate measure of public conscience and accountability. When an officer pins on a badge, it signifies an implicit pact with the community: that every reasonable, lawful measure will be taken when a human life hangs in the balance.
In my professional assessment, the actions in this case fell dangerously short of standard operating practice. Removing Kaylee’s vehicle—which contained her sole food, water, and shelter in a punishing desert climate—stripped away her only immediate refuge should she have found her way back. Suspending active search efforts after roughly sixteen operational hours over four days, in terrain where survival hinges entirely on swift, sustained grids, departed from the persistent follow-through that search-and-rescue doctrine demands.
Based on the physical record, I cannot reconcile how this disappearance was handled with the oath of office I took decades ago. Dismissing a missing person's circumstances without full forensic confirmation, towing away critical survival supplies, and withdrawing search teams while she lay just two miles from where her car had been parked represent, in my view, a profound failure to uphold the duty to safeguard life.
Kaylee Birt was not an administrative problem to be managed or a line item on a county balance sheet. She was someone’s daughter and an individual fighting to survive beneath an indifferent sky. Her family never demanded miracles from Harney County; they asked only for diligence, sustained effort, and the decency of an ongoing search.
The facts documented in this case speak plainly, yet the unanswered questions demand a response. When the official explanation conflicts with the physical evidence—when personal identification is left behind, when store footage contradicts claims of reckless panic but is not preserved as evidence, when witness statements deny that claim, and when the active search halts far too soon—the public has an undeniable right to scrutinize what went wrong.
The Harney County Sheriff’s Office owes this family and the public far more than guarded silence or brief, boilerplate statements claiming it met protocol. They owe full transparency: the unredacted release of the Medical Examiner’s findings, an unvarnished review of the search logs and dispatch records, and an honest explanation of why active operations ceased.
We cannot turn back the clock to April 2025, but we can refuse to look away. Until every record is opened and every standard reviewed, Kaylee Birt’s story must remain a demand for truth and a reminder of what must never be repeated.
In the end, none of the forensic distractions matter. It does not matter which turn Kaylee took, what happened in the dark at Fields, how much fuel was left in her tank, or why she stepped away from her vehicle. Those questions only muddy what is plain: someone treated a human life as an inconvenient case file and quietly wrote it off.
In my opinion, the responsibility for how this ended rests squarely with Sheriff Jenkins. Rather than doing the hard work of finding her, Sheriff Jenkins hid behind the baseless claim that Kaylee had driven into Harney County simply to take her own life—an excuse manufactured to justify shutting down the search after only four days. He decided she was dead before she ever was, while Judge Hart kept the county purse strings tight instead of funding the extended search that could have saved her. To compound the negligence, they towed away her car—her only barrier against the punishing elements—stripping her of her sole source of shelter.
Even basic common sense dictates that a human being can endure for weeks with access to water, and there was water. Kaylee held on out there in the desert for at least two weeks, fighting to survive, while county leadership wrote her off as a resolved suicide. She was not unfindable; she was abandoned.
Every resident of Harney County must ask themselves: what happens when it is my neighbor, my friend, or my child out there? Will they become the next missing angel while county leadership concocts excuses to save the budget? Rest assured, Harney County won’t rush to save them—the Sheriff will just write off their survival, then send cadaver dogs a month later to clean up the remains.
Oregon Search and Rescue Standard:
The Motto: “That Others May Live.”
Search and Rescue Code of Ethics:
“I have a moral obligation to the missing or injured, and to the agencies, volunteer organizations, and other members with whom I work... to maintain personal proficiency, conduct myself with honor and integrity, and preserve the sanctity of human life.”
This is the standard by which search operations in Oregon are measured. It demands urgency, integrity, and relentless persistence so long as life can be sustained.
In Kaylee Birt’s case, the top abandoned that standard. Sheriff Jenkins declared her dead, on pure supposition after just ninety-six hours, towed away her sole source of shelter, and allowed county leadership to shut down the search. While the creed demanded that everything be done to ensure she might live, county leadership waited for her to die—choosing to send cadaver dogs a month later rather than honor the most basic moral obligation owed to a missing person.
Requiem for a missing angel
Five feet two, full of life, laughter, and grace, A beautiful young soul, such a familiar face. Once vibrant and bright, she was left there alone, dissolving so slowly into night, ice, and stone.
Those tender hazel eyes, frozen wide in the dark, as the wolves of indifference snuffed out her spark. They hunted with hollow words, half-hearted breath, four fleeting days—then signed her to death.
They packed up their trucks, turned around, and drove on, while her spirit still cried, unheeded and gone. For the crime of indifference, for the woman she loved, they left her to the earth while the Ravens watched above.
Heavy, the spade pressed under May’s frozen breath, unveiling dust and stone—the quiet scene of death. An angel carved of light, broken for the desert waste to keep, while monsters clothed in rank turned fast and left her sleep.
The mountains remember, the shadows grow long; A cold justice wakes to rewrite this dark wrong. The judge and the sheriff—their clock ticks away; the blood debt is coming to harvest its pay. They buried the youth and locked up the files, but truth cannot sleep under secrets and smiles.
Now a home sits in ruins, bleeding from inside out, choking on answers they keep screaming about.
Deep in the ridge, where the pines weave and cross, A lonely ghost shivers, consumed by frost: "The cold ate my fingers, the dark stole my breath— You knew I was out there; you chose my death. Why did you leave me to freeze in the wild? You watched me stop breathing and look how you smiled."
In that suffocating mountain air... I was sick. I was lost. Why did you leave me to die in that frost?
Kaylee Denae Birt. Born October 22, 1995, died alone. April 2025, Fields, Oregon.
Missing Angel
Story by Mark Creighton,
Investigative Journalist, theforgottenfiles.net