Justin Phillip Harris, born August 20, 1990, was 13 years old and residing at the R.L. Mills Home, a group home for boys in the 100 block of East H Street in Casper, Wyoming, at the time of his disappearance. Harris was last seen by staff at the facility during a bed check around midnight on February 14, 2004. When he failed to appear for breakfast the following morning, February 15, 2004, at approximately 7:00 a.m., staff discovered his room empty and his bed stuffed with clothing to appear as though he were sleeping. Harris is described as a white male, 5 feet tall and 110 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes, who wore glasses. He was reported to be wearing a gray jacket and black snow boots and did not have with him medication he required for a psychiatric condition. Harris was developmentally disabled and was assessed to function at the level of a six- or seven-year-old.
The Casper Police Department is the lead investigating agency. In the days following Harris's disappearance, multiple agencies conducted a large-scale ground and air search of the area, including empty structures and the North Platte River, without locating him. Investigators collected Harris's DNA, which has been compared against unidentified remains found nationwide. One week after the disappearance, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) joined the investigation to assist local law enforcement. Investigators have questioned numerous individuals over the years and conducted multiple polygraph examinations; no person has been charged in connection with the case. In 2011, detectives reviewed the original case file and re-interviewed several individuals; that effort did not resolve the case at the time but produced information that investigators say gained new significance in 2025, prompting a renewed public appeal in November 2025. Case identifiers: NCMEC #982182, NCIC #M863862207, NamUs #MP5506. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Casper Police Department at 307-235-8278 or Detective Aaron Trujillo at atrujillo@casperwy.gov, or to submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers of Central Wyoming at 307-577-8477 or crimestopperscasper.org. Case Number 04-11304.
