Overview

Last seen: July 1, 1995, during the evening hours
Location: Girdwood Forest Fair, Girdwood, Alaska
Age: 24
Case status: Endangered missing person; open and active investigation

Main circumstances:

• Erin attended the Forest Fair while on a first date.
• Her date said his vehicle would not start and that he left Erin beside it while seeking help.
• He said Erin was gone when he returned approximately two hours later.
• Searches of the fairgrounds and surrounding wilderness produced no confirmed trace of her.
• No publicly identified crime scene, remains or definitive evidence explaining her disappearance has been found.
• No suspect has been publicly identified or charged.

Detailed Case Breakdown

The Disappearance of Erin Marie Gilbert: An Enduring Alaska Mystery

On July 1, 1995, 24-year-old Erin Marie Gilbert attended the Girdwood Forest Fair in Girdwood, Alaska, while on a first date. By the end of the evening, she had vanished without a confirmed sighting, leaving behind a case that remains open more than three decades later.

Erin had moved to Alaska in 1994 and was living with her older sister, Stephanie, and her brother-in-law in the Anchorage area. She reportedly worked as a nanny and had previously lived in Washington, Maryland and California.

Several days before the Forest Fair, Erin met a man named David Combs at Chilkoot Charlie’s, an Anchorage bar. The two arranged to attend the fair together on Saturday, July 1.

The Trip to Girdwood

Erin and Combs reportedly left Anchorage at approximately 4:00 p.m. and traveled south to Girdwood. Witnesses saw them together at the Forest Fair, including near the beer garden.

At approximately 6:00 p.m., the pair returned to Combs’ vehicle. According to the account he later provided, the car would not start because its headlights had been left on and the battery had died.

Combs said he left Erin beside the vehicle while he walked to the home of a friend who lived nearby. He reportedly searched for the residence for approximately two hours but could not find it.

When he returned to the vehicle, Erin was gone.

Combs said he assumed she had returned to the fair. He was then reportedly able to start the vehicle and drove back to the fairgrounds, where he searched for Erin until approximately 1:00 a.m. She was not located.

Erin Is Reported Missing

The following morning, Combs contacted Erin’s family and asked whether she had returned home. After learning that she had not, Erin’s sister and other relatives traveled to Girdwood and began looking for her.

Alaska State Troopers subsequently organized a larger search of the fairgrounds and surrounding wilderness. Helicopters, search dogs and volunteer search organizations participated, including Alaska Mountain Rescue personnel and the Nordic Ski Patrol.

Despite the scale of the search, investigators found no confirmed trace of Erin, her clothing or her personal belongings. No verified crime scene has ever been identified.

Questions Surrounding the Disappearance

The circumstances reported that evening have generated several unresolved questions.

Erin was left near a disabled vehicle, according to her date’s account, but she was not there when he returned. No confirmed witness has publicly reported seeing her leave the area, return to the fair or accept a ride from another person.

Investigators also have no publicly identified physical evidence establishing whether Erin became lost, suffered an accident, voluntarily left the area or encountered foul play.

Combs has not been charged in connection with Erin’s disappearance. Public reporting has described no officially named suspect. Any discussion of responsibility remains unproven, and the circumstances should not be interpreted as evidence of guilt.

Erin’s Description

At the time she disappeared, Erin was 24 years old, approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed about 145 pounds. She had brown hair and hazel eyes.

She was reportedly wearing:

• A black leather jacket
• A black-and-white striped shirt
• Black jeans
• Brown mountain boots

Her case is classified as an endangered missing-person case.

Renewed Attention and Continuing Investigation

Erin’s family has continued seeking information through interviews, public appeals, social media and long-form podcast coverage. A multiepisode series produced by Alaska Unsolved renewed public attention in 2019, and additional programs have examined the case in subsequent years.

In July 2024, Alaska’s News Source reported that the Alaska State Troopers still considered Erin’s disappearance an open and active investigation. Her sister, Stephanie Juarez, continued to appeal for information and described the disappearance as though Erin had vanished without a trace.

More recent coverage released in October 2025 again examined the case as it passed the 30-year mark. That reporting stated that investigators had not publicly identified a suspect and still wanted additional information concerning what happened during Erin’s final known evening.

As of July 2026, no publicly announced recovery, arrest or resolution has been located. Erin remains listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System under NamUs case MP2938. The official listing records her last contact as July 1, 1995, in Girdwood.

The Search for Answers Continues

Erin Marie Gilbert’s disappearance remains one of Alaska’s enduring missing-person mysteries. A crowded summer festival, a reportedly disabled vehicle and a two-hour period without a confirmed account of Erin’s movements have left investigators and her family with few definitive answers.

Even after more than 30 years, information that once appeared insignificant could help investigators reconstruct the evening. Anyone who attended the 1995 Girdwood Forest Fair, saw Erin or her date, noticed activity near the vehicle, or heard someone discuss the case afterward is encouraged to contact the Alaska State Troopers.

Erin’s family continues to seek the answer to a central question: What happened to Erin after she was last seen at the Girdwood Forest Fair on July 1, 1995?
Last seen: July 1, 1995, during the evening hours
Location: Girdwood Forest Fair, Girdwood, Alaska
Age: 24
Case status: Endangered missing person; open and active investigation

Main circumstances:

No suspect has been publicly identified or charged.

Erin attended the Forest Fair while on a first date.

Her date said his vehicle would not start and that he left Erin beside it while seeking help.

He said Erin was gone when he returned approximately two hours later.

Searches of the fairgrounds and surrounding wilderness produced no confirmed trace of her.

No publicly identified crime scene, remains or definitive evidence explaining her disappearance has been found.