Police Search for Missing 21-Year-Old Woman

The is asking the community for any clues about a local woman who has been missing since last week.

On Sunday, Dec. 26, police received a report from family and friends that Whitney Lee Schaefer, 21, has been missing since Wednesday, Dec. 22. 

The last person to see Schaefer was one of her department store co-workers, who saw her leave work about 8:30 p.m. Police say Schaefer told her supervisor that she couldn't stay to work overtime because she had to catch a bus to Tacoma.

Police describe Schaefer as a white female, 5-feet-9, 160 pounds and has green eyes with her brown hair in dreadlocks. She has a tattoo of a red bow on the inside of her right wrist, a nautical rope on her left forearm, the phrase "Carpe Diem" on her right side of her waist and Japanese symbols in her groin area. 

She was last seen wearing blue/grey jeans (with faded marks on the legs), white and black horizontal striped shirt, dark or black overcoat, black scarf and black gloves. She was also carrying a black backpack.

Police say Schaefer has friends in the Gig Harbor, Tacoma, Seattle and Ruston areas. Since she doesn't own a car, police believe she could have taken a Pierce County Transit Bus to Tacoma from Borgen Boulevard.

If you have any information of Schaefer's whereabouts, please contact Detective Mike Cabacungan at 253-851-2236.