Amber Elizabeth Scholz, 21, of Rock Springs, Wyoming, disappeared from her home in the early morning hours of November 8, 1981. Scholz attended a party in Rock Springs on the evening of November 7 with her boyfriend and another friend, leaving at approximately 3:00 a.m. A friend walked her to the door of her apartment at the Plaza Court Apartments on Dewar Drive, where she was last seen entering at approximately 3:30 a.m. She was never seen again. When her apartment was checked later that morning, there were no signs of a struggle; her coat, purse, eyeglasses, wallet with an uncashed paycheck, and watch were found inside, and she appeared to have been interrupted while preparing her monthly household budget. Several days later, Scholz's employer contacted her family after she failed to report for work. Her father reported her missing to authorities on November 20, 1981, twelve days after she was last seen. At the time of her disappearance, Scholz was in a custody dispute over her two-year-old son with the child's father, her former boyfriend.
The case is investigated by the Rock Springs Police Department with assistance from the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. Investigators have said foul play is suspected. Scholz's former boyfriend, the father of her son, has been named a person of interest; he was interviewed by detectives in 2012, when DNA samples were also collected from Scholz's mother and sisters, and he ended the interview after retaining an attorney. He has not been charged. Items recovered from Scholz's apartment were tested for fingerprints without an investigative match, and a separate lead involving a former employer was pursued and ruled out. Scholz remains classified as an endangered missing person. Her case is catalogued with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as NamUs #MP9573 and is listed with the Charley Project. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Rock Springs Police Department at (307) 352-1581 or the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation at (307) 777-7181. Case Number 81-505.
