5 missing persons cases span 30 years

TV shows like CBS's "Without a Trace" and NBC's "Kidnapped" focus on law enforcement investigative units searching for missing persons. The dramatizations have received a lot of attention from the viewing public and the Journal has decided to take a closer look at several of Placer County's missing person cases. The five cases span nearly 30 years. n Christie Wilson:Christie Wilson, 27, of Sacramento, was last seen around 1:45 a.m. Oct. 5, 2005 leaving the Thunder Valley Casino in the company of Mario F. Garcia, 53, of Auburn.Garcia says that the two parted ways in the parking lot of the casino and Wilson returned to the gambling facility to retrieve her lost cell phone. She hasn't been seen since.Garcia was charged with Wilson's murder Oct. 28, 2005, even though her body has not been located.Law enforcement conducted multiple searches in the Lincoln, Dutch Flat and Auburn area. Wilson's family also searched the areas numerous times with volunteers.Garcia is scheduled to return to a Sacramento courtroom Tuesday for the second week of the murder trial.William "Billy" Cordes:Billy Cordes, who would now be 37 years old, was last seen in Auburn March 30, 1984 - he was 16 years old.Whether Billy ran away, was taken or met with foul play has never been determined. Billy was a resident of El Dorado County at the time he was placed into the Oakridge Group home in Auburn by El Dorado County Probation. The Oakridge Group home is now an adult care facility. Billy's mother Marge Cordes said her son became a ward of the court after stealing "about $8 worth of beer from the Ostrich House in Placerville."Cordes and two or three other boys from the home snuck out of the home, allegedly to go to a party, officials said. Lorrie Lewis of the Placer County Sheriff's Office Missing Persons Department said on the way back from the party the boy's car ran out of gas. The group split up. The other boys returned to Oakridge Home the following day. Billy was not with them. Lewis said the location of the party has never been determined. Cordes has never been found.Eric Gammelgard:Eric "Scott" Gammelgard was last seen by his parents on January 2,1991. He was 21 years old at the time of his disappearance. His family still lives in the area, but did not return phone calls by press time Friday.Gammelgard is described as a white male, 5 foot 9 inches tall, weighing 145 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair.Alma Root:Alma "Violet" Root, of Auburn, was 15 years old in 1980. She was last seen with her boyfriend Scott Petchek Jan. 1, 1980. Petchek allegedly dropped her off at her aunt's home in Sacramento. The aunt told officials that Root never arrived at her home. The young girl hasn't been seen or heard from since.Root is described as 5 foot 4 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She has a tattoo of a heart in blue ink, the size of a quarter, over one breast. Kimberly A. Stewart:In 1977 Kimberly Stewart, then 21, took her two young daughters to a friend's home while she met with her estranged husband, officials said. She did not return to pick up her girls. The husband's family reported seeing a strange car near Stewart's vehicle on an area highway. They suspected that she left with another person. Today Stewart would now be 50 year old. She is described as a white female, 5 foot 9 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds with green eyes and brown hair. At the time of her disappearance she lived in the Sheridan area.Anyone with information on any of these missing person cases is asked to contact the Placer County Sheriff's Department at (530) 889-7800.The Journal's Penne Usher can be reached at penneu@goldcountrymedia.com.