Laynee Westbrook disappeared September 10, 2020, under suspicious circumstances. Her family is offering a reward for information leading to her location.
ANACORTES, Wash. — Five agonizing years have passed since Laynee Westbrook went missing from Anacortes, and her family and friends are still searching for answers as hope continues to fade.
Posters with Westbrook’s picture can still be seen around Anacortes, but the trail to find her or the person responsible for her disappearance has gone cold.
Westbrook, who would be 46 now, was someone who was always there for her friends and family. She was a staple at graduations, weddings and other important moments.
“I mean that was just kind of her presence: Here I am! The party can begin,” said Michelle Hansen, who considered Laynee her best friend since sophomore year in high school.
Now her loved ones are coming to grips with the possibility that she might be gone forever.
“It’s not fair that someone took her from us,” said Hansen. “They felt like they could just take her away. It’s not right.”
Westbrook disappeared Sept. 10, 2020, after going to hang out with a male friend. She left the San Juan Motel in Anacortes around 6:30 p.m. Surveillance video caught her at a gas station near the Swinomish Casino at 7:15 p.m.
Her family believes Westbrook then went to the Thousand Trails Campground in La Conner with the same man, where witnesses reported hearing a fight between a man and woman. Police named that man as a “person of interest” at the time, but no arrests were ever made.
“There’s nothing. We are no closer today than we were five years ago. That’s the most heartbreaking thing about this,” a family member said.
Westbrook’s phone and bank accounts remain untouched. The family is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.
Anyone with information should call Anacortes Police at 360-299-1985.
Westbrook’s mother, Barb Kopp, said her daughter would never intentionally put anyone through an ordeal like this. She says she still has dreams about her daughter, and those may be the closest she comes to ever seeing her again.
“It’s devastating,” said Kopp, fighting back tears. “She was my best friend.”
Westbrook’s family is planning a vigil Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Causland Memorial Park in Anacortes. The public is encouraged to attend.
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