29-year-old on solo trip across US leaves burger joint and vanishes, OR cops say
UPDATE: Kaylee Birt was found dead May 3, the Harney County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
The original story is below.
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.
Her family and friends aren’t giving up, though.
“She IS out there! The family is regrouping today to come up with a plan. We WILL find her! Please keep the prayers coming!” Jennifer King said in an April 11 Facebook post.
Birt has brown hair and hazel eyes. She weighs 120 pounds and is 5 feet, 2 inches tall.
“She has a tattoo on her right wrist of a lighthouse; and a tattoo on her foot of a Christian fish and cross with Romans 8:31 verse,” deputies said.
Anyone with information about her disappearance can contact the sheriff’s office at 541-573-6156.
This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 1:12 PM with the headline "29-year-old on solo trip across US leaves burger joint and vanishes, OR cops say."
