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Walk keeps alive memory of missing teen
Ilene Misheloff disappeared 23 years ago from Dublin street

by Glenn Wohltmann

Twenty-three years after she vanished, Ilene Misheloff is still being remembered. About 100 people turned out Monday night to mark the anniversary of her disappearance for a walk in her memory.

The walk traced the route she would have taken after leaving from a physical education class at Wells Middle School at 6800 Penn Drive in Dublin and ended with a prayer service at St. Raymond Catholic Church at 11555 Shannon Ave.

Among those participating in the walk was Michael Hart, a former Alameda County sheriff's deputy.

"I was on duty the night Ilene disappeared," Hart said as he and his wife, Crystal, walked along the teen's route. "I've been doing it just about every year since."

"It's an awful thing to lose a child," Crystal Hart added.

Misheloff was 13 years old when she disappeared in Dublin, but her family continues to search for their daughter. A website, www.find-ilene.org, offers a $95,000 reward for her return.

On the day she disappeared, Ilene left school early after being excused from a physical education class, according to her family. She walked home alone, and witnesses who saw Ilene at several points along the walk say that she was last seen at the intersection of San Ramon Road and Amador Valley Boulevard.

Mike and Maddi Misheloff, accompanied by the girl's twin brother Brian, led the walk as they have done every year since Ilene went missing.

The Misheloffs continue to hope someone has information and will come forward.

Pictures of what the 13-year-old looked like at the time and an age progression showing what she would look like today can be found on the website, along with information about rewards and tips for preventing child abductions.