Overview

Full name: Kimberly Rae Doss

Age at disappearance: 16 years old

Date of birth: September 11, 1962

Date last seen: May 29, 1979

Last known location: Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida

Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Case classification: Endangered missing (The Charley Project); NCMEC lists her as missing

Current status: Unresolved; Kimberly has not been publicly confirmed located

Physical description at disappearance: Approximately 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing approximately 140 pounds, with brown hair and hazel or blue eyes

Distinguishing information: Pierced ears; nicknames Kim and Kimmy; may use the surname McGee

Primary investigating agency: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office

Main circumstances: Kimberly disappeared while visiting a relative in Jacksonville. Her mother subsequently expressed concerns about a possible abduction, but the theory remains unverified.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Kimberly Rae Doss: The Unsolved 1979 Disappearance of a 16-Year-Old Girl in Jacksonville, Florida

On May 29, 1979, 16-year-old Kimberly Rae Doss disappeared while visiting a relative in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally from Tampa, Kimberly was hundreds of miles from her hometown when she vanished. More than four decades later, her whereabouts remain unknown, and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance have never been conclusively established.

Kimberly’s mother believed her daughter may have been abducted in connection with a dispute involving a motorcycle gang. However, that allegation has never been substantiated publicly, and there is no verified evidence establishing what happened to Kimberly.

Her disappearance remains an unresolved missing-person case. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) continues to maintain a missing-child poster for Kimberly, including an age-progressed image intended to help the public recognize her.

Case Summary

Full name: Kimberly Rae Doss

Age at disappearance: 16 years old

Date of birth: September 11, 1962

Date last seen: May 29, 1979

Last known location: Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida

Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Case classification: Endangered missing (The Charley Project); NCMEC lists her as missing

Current status: Unresolved; Kimberly has not been publicly confirmed located

Physical description at disappearance: Approximately 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing approximately 140 pounds, with brown hair and hazel or blue eyes

Distinguishing information: Pierced ears; nicknames Kim and Kimmy; may use the surname McGee

Primary investigating agency: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office

Main circumstances: Kimberly disappeared while visiting a relative in Jacksonville. Her mother subsequently expressed concerns about a possible abduction, but the theory remains unverified.

These details are documented in the Charley Project case profile and the official NCMEC missing-child poster.

Kimberly Doss’s Background and Life Before Her Disappearance

Kimberly Rae Doss was born on September 11, 1962, and grew up in Tampa, Florida. She was known by the nicknames Kim and Kimmy. Records also indicate that she may have used McGee, her stepfather’s surname.

Kimberly was just 16 years old when she disappeared in 1979. Publicly available accounts provide limited information about her childhood, education, friendships, and everyday life. The surviving case profiles primarily document her identifying characteristics and the circumstances of her disappearance.

Her physical description could remain important to identification efforts. The Charley Project lists Kimberly as having brown hair, with her eye color described as hazel or blue. Her ears were pierced.

NCMEC has published an age-progressed image depicting what Kimberly might have looked like at approximately 49 years old. This is an investigative identification aid, not a confirmed image of Kimberly as an adult.

May 29, 1979: Disappearance in Jacksonville

Kimberly was visiting a relative in Jacksonville when she disappeared on May 29, 1979.

The precise circumstances of her last known movements remain unclear in the publicly available case records. There is no verified public account establishing the exact address where she was last seen, the time of her last confirmed sighting, or who last spoke with her.

Likewise, the available records do not establish whether Kimberly left the relative’s residence voluntarily, was persuaded to leave with someone, or was forcibly taken.

What is documented is that Kimberly disappeared during her visit and was never heard from again.

Her case has remained active in public missing-person awareness resources for decades. The absence of a detailed public timeline makes it difficult to reconstruct her final known hours or determine whether anyone witnessed circumstances that could explain her disappearance.

Investigation History and Available Evidence

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Investigation

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is identified as the investigating law enforcement agency in both The Charley Project and NCMEC records.

Although Kimberly’s disappearance has been documented for decades, detailed investigative records are not readily available in the public sources reviewed. These sources do not establish which searches were conducted immediately after her disappearance, how many witnesses investigators interviewed, or what specific leads were pursued.

No verified public documentation was located establishing the recovery of Kimberly’s personal belongings, clothing, or other physical evidence connected to her disappearance.

Similarly, no publicly confirmed forensic results, DNA matches, or investigative findings were located that establish what happened to her.

These gaps in publicly available information should not be interpreted as proof that investigators did not conduct searches, collect evidence, or follow leads. They mean those activities could not be independently documented from the sources reviewed.

The Motorcycle Gang Abduction Allegation

One of the most significant allegations associated with Kimberly’s disappearance originated with her mother.

According to The Charley Project, Kimberly’s mother believed that members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang may have abducted her.

The reported theory involved a possible financial dispute. Kimberly’s uncle was alleged to have taken money from members of the gang, and her mother believed Kimberly may have been kidnapped as a means of pressuring him to repay it.

This allegation has never been publicly verified.

The available case records do not establish that Kimberly’s uncle stole money, that the alleged dispute occurred, or that any Outlaws members participated in Kimberly’s disappearance.

No named suspect, criminal charge, or court finding connected to this theory was identified in the reviewed sources.

It is therefore important to distinguish the mother’s reported belief from an established investigative conclusion. The allegation is part of Kimberly’s documented case history, but it does not prove that an abduction occurred or identify anyone responsible.

Kimberly’s Mother’s Search for Answers

Kimberly’s mother continued to be associated with efforts to keep her daughter’s disappearance from being forgotten.

The Charley Project reports that Kimberly’s mother died in 2008, without a publicly documented resolution to her daughter’s case.

Her belief that Kimberly had been abducted remained part of the publicly recorded account. However, there is no verified evidence showing that the theory was conclusively supported by law enforcement.

The passage of time has made the case particularly difficult to reconstruct. Potential witnesses may have moved away or died, memories may have faded, and surviving records may be difficult to locate.

Nevertheless, the continued publication of Kimberly’s identifying information gives people who may remember events from 1979 an opportunity to come forward.

Age Progression and Missing-Person Records

NCMEC’s missing-child poster identifies Kimberly as missing since May 29, 1979, and includes an age-progression image to approximately 49 years old.

Age progression can assist in long-term missing-person investigations by providing an estimated appearance many years after the original disappearance. Such images are approximations and cannot establish that a missing person survived to the depicted age.

Kimberly’s poster includes two significant reference numbers: NCMEC case number 1033096 and NCIC number M532699481.

These numbers identify her missing-person records and may assist when reporting information to the appropriate authorities.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

Several possibilities remain open because the available evidence does not conclusively explain Kimberly’s disappearance.

Was Kimberly Abducted?

Kimberly’s mother’s reported suspicion of an abduction is the most prominent theory in public case summaries.

However, there is no publicly verified evidence establishing that the alleged motorcycle gang dispute caused Kimberly to disappear. There is also no verified identification of an abductor.

An abduction cannot be ruled out based on the available information, but it cannot be presented as a confirmed fact.

Could Kimberly Have Left Voluntarily?

Because Kimberly was a teenager, voluntary departure is another possibility that could be considered when evaluating the case.

However, the reviewed sources provide no confirmed evidence that she planned to leave Jacksonville, arranged transportation, or intended to sever contact with her family.

There is no basis for describing Kimberly as a confirmed runaway. Her disappearance remains unexplained.

What Happened During Her Visit to Jacksonville?

A critical unanswered question concerns Kimberly’s activities immediately before she vanished.

The public record does not establish her precise last-known address, whether she had plans to meet anyone, or whether anyone witnessed her departure.

These details could be significant to understanding whether her disappearance involved an acquaintance, an unknown individual, an accident, or another circumstance.

Could Modern Forensic Technology Help?

Modern DNA analysis and investigative genetic genealogy have helped resolve some long-standing missing-person cases.

Whether those methods could assist Kimberly’s case would depend on the availability and suitability of biological evidence, reference samples, unidentified remains, or other investigative material.

No publicly confirmed DNA identification, genetic genealogy result, or forensic breakthrough specific to Kimberly was located in the sources reviewed.

Any claim that such testing has produced a lead in her disappearance would therefore be premature.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

As of October 19, 2026, no publicly confirmed recent investigative breakthrough was located in the sources reviewed for Kimberly Rae Doss’s disappearance.

The following information remains publicly documented:

• NCMEC missing-child poster: Kimberly remains represented in NCMEC’s public missing-person resources, with her original disappearance date, age-progression image, and agency contact information.
• The Charley Project: Her case profile continues to describe her disappearance as unresolved. Its recorded last substantive profile update was July 22, 2016, involving identifying information and disappearance details, not a confirmed investigative breakthrough.
• September 23, 2022: The Resource Center for Cold Case Missing Children’s Cases published a profile summarizing Kimberly’s disappearance and the unverified abduction theory. This was an awareness publication rather than a documented new law enforcement development.

No verified public announcement was located identifying a suspect, reporting an arrest, confirming the discovery of Kimberly’s remains, or establishing a resolution.

Likewise, no verified recent law enforcement announcement was found describing new searches, new witness testimony, DNA testing results, or a newly launched cold-case review.

The absence of such announcements does not establish that no investigative work is occurring. It means no corresponding development could be confirmed publicly through the reviewed material.

Conclusion: Kimberly Rae Doss Is Still Missing

Kimberly Rae Doss was 16 years old when she disappeared in Jacksonville on May 29, 1979.

What began as a visit to a relative became a disappearance that has remained unresolved for more than 47 years.

Her mother’s belief that she had been abducted became part of the case’s history, but the allegation was never publicly substantiated. Without verified evidence establishing what happened, Kimberly’s fate remains unknown.

Even after so many years, information from someone who knew Kimberly, encountered her in Jacksonville, or remembers circumstances surrounding her disappearance could potentially assist investigators.

Anyone with credible information should contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500, the number listed on Kimberly’s official NCMEC poster. Information may also be submitted through NCMEC’s official case page.

When reporting a tip, reference Kimberly Rae Doss and her disappearance date of May 29, 1979.

Kimberly deserves to be remembered as more than a missing-person photograph or case number. Her disappearance remains an unanswered question, and any reliable information could help bring her family and those who remember her closer to the truth.