A Burien family is renewing its search for answers in the disappearance of Benjamin Shane Ridley, a 14-year-old who was last seen in Burien on July 2, 1982.
According to information shared by his sister Rose Marrs, Ridley’s disappearance was not officially reported until decades later. Marrs said she and another sibling were led to believe for years that their brother had left for California to start a new life, only later concluding that he had never voluntarily left.
The case is now being investigated by the King County Sheriff’s Office as a cold case. Marrs identified Detective Aaron Thompson as the current investigator and said the case is assigned # C17030680.
According to missing person flyers provided by Marrs, Ridley was just 14 when he disappeared. He was described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighing about 130 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has produced age progression images depicting what he may look like today.
One flyer states that Ridley may have used the nicknames “Benjie” or “Ben” and may have remained in the local area or traveled to Seattle after his disappearance.
Marrs said she created a Facebook page dedicated to her brother’s case in hopes of generating new leads and preserving awareness of the disappearance.
“I’m hoping someone who might have seen something or someone who knows something about it will see the story and will come forward with what they know,” Marrs told The B-Town Blog.
Marrs also shared her family’s personal beliefs about what may have happened to her brother. However, those allegations have not been substantiated by law enforcement, and no charges related to Ridley’s disappearance have been announced.
According to the flyers, anyone with information about Ridley’s disappearance is encouraged to contact the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the Missing in America tip line at 1-844-MIA-LOST.
