Overview

Missing Since: June 25, 2017

Last Seen: Dover/Kansasville area, Racine County, Wisconsin

Age When Missing: 59

Date of Birth: December 8, 1957

Physical Description: Approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall and 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She has a linear scar on her lower abdomen.

Circumstances: Lynn reportedly left her home through a window during the night or early morning. Authorities reported that she was apparently unclothed and was later seen walking west through a field approximately one-half mile from her residence. Footprints attributed to her were reportedly followed into a marshy area before the trail disappeared.

Major Medical Concern: Lynn depended on supplemental oxygen but is believed to have left her oxygen equipment at home.

Case Status: Missing and unsolved. The Wisconsin Department of Justice continues to list Lynn as a missing adult.

Detailed Case Breakdown

The Disappearance of Lynn M. Rickard: Wisconsin Woman Missing Since 2017

Lynn M. Rickard was 59 years old when she disappeared from her home in Racine County, Wisconsin, on June 25, 2017. Nearly a decade later, her disappearance remains unsolved, and she continues to be listed as a missing adult by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

Rickard’s case generated an enormous search involving law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency personnel, search dogs, mounted officers and drones. Despite those efforts and later searches, investigators have not publicly announced that Lynn or her remains have been found.

Very Brief Case Summary

Missing Since: June 25, 2017

Last Seen: Dover/Kansasville area, Racine County, Wisconsin

Age When Missing: 59

Date of Birth: December 8, 1957

Physical Description: Approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall and 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She has a linear scar on her lower abdomen.

Circumstances: Lynn reportedly left her home through a window during the night or early morning. Authorities reported that she was apparently unclothed and was later seen walking west through a field approximately one-half mile from her residence. Footprints attributed to her were reportedly followed into a marshy area before the trail disappeared.

Major Medical Concern: Lynn depended on supplemental oxygen but is believed to have left her oxygen equipment at home.

Case Status: Missing and unsolved. The Wisconsin Department of Justice continues to list Lynn as a missing adult.

What Happened to Lynn M. Rickard?

During the early hours of June 25, 2017, Lynn disappeared from the home she shared with her husband in the Dover/Kansasville area of Racine County.

According to accounts from her husband, John Rickard, Lynn apparently got out of the home through a window. He later told WISN that doors leading outside had been secured and equipped with alarms.

Lynn was believed to have been unclothed when she left. Authorities subsequently reported that she was last seen walking west through a field roughly half a mile from her residence.

Investigators reportedly tracked footprints into a marshy area, but the trail eventually disappeared.

Medical Concerns Made Lynn’s Disappearance an Emergency

From the beginning, there were serious concerns about Lynn’s physical well-being.

Lynn depended on supplemental oxygen to help her breathe, yet authorities believed she left home without her oxygen equipment. Her family and investigators therefore faced the possibility that she was outside without medical equipment she regularly needed.

There were also concerns about Lynn’s state of mind at the time.

Her husband told news outlets that she had recently undergone medical treatment and that changes involving medication used for anxiety and panic had preceded changes in her behavior. He described her as frightened and paranoid during the period before she disappeared.

These accounts are important to the circumstances of the disappearance, but they should not be used to diagnose Lynn or establish precisely what she was thinking when she left home.

Massive Search for Lynn Rickard

Lynn’s disappearance prompted an unusually large search effort in Racine County.

Approximately 130 law enforcement, fire and emergency personnel participated during the intensive early search. Numerous agencies provided assistance, and investigators used resources including search teams, dogs, mounted officers and drones.

Searchers faced difficult terrain. The area surrounding Lynn’s home included fields, vegetation, wooded areas and marshland.

The Milwaukee Police Department’s Mounted Unit later joined Racine County authorities to search fields around the Hickory Haven Mobile Home Park area.

Despite the scale of the operation, search teams found no confirmed trace that explained what happened to Lynn.

Reward for Information Grew to $50,000

As Lynn remained missing, her family tried to generate additional attention by offering a reward.

A $10,000 reward was announced within days of her disappearance. By August 2017, reports indicated that it had increased to $25,000.

In September 2017, the family increased the announced reward to $50,000 for information leading to Lynn’s return.

The increased reward brought renewed attention to the disappearance as searches continued around Kansasville, Dover, Union Grove and surrounding communities.

Investigators Returned to Search in November 2017

Authorities did not end their efforts with the initial summer searches.

On November 6, 2017, investigators and specially trained dogs conducted another search. The change of seasons was significant because reduced vegetation gave searchers improved visibility in areas that had been much more difficult to examine during summer.

By that point, Sheriff Christopher Schmaling told WISN that authorities were searching for Lynn’s remains.

The sheriff also indicated that additional searches would depend upon new information.

No discovery from that November search was publicly reported as resolving Lynn’s disappearance.

No Evidence of Foul Play Publicly Announced

One of the important distinctions in Lynn Rickard’s case is that authorities have not publicly established that she was the victim of a homicide.

In 2018, CBS 58 reported that the Racine County sheriff said there was no evidence of foul play.

That does not explain what happened to Lynn. It means only that investigators had not publicly identified evidence establishing criminal involvement.

There have been theories and speculation surrounding the case over the years, particularly because Lynn disappeared without her oxygen and apparently without ordinary clothing. Those theories should remain separate from verified information unless supported by investigators or evidence.

Family Continued Searching for Answers

Lynn’s family continued trying to keep her disappearance before the public.

In 2018, a Facebook page and Instagram account were established to raise awareness about the effort to find her.

Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy later reported that Lynn’s daughter had hired a private investigator. Her daughter described having been in frequent contact with her mother before the disappearance and continued searching for answers.

The family’s efforts helped prevent Lynn’s case from disappearing from public attention even as the years passed without a resolution.

Latest Information on the Lynn Rickard Investigation

As of the latest records reviewed, Lynn Rickard has not been publicly reported found and her case remains unresolved.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults continues to maintain an active public missing-person listing for Lynn. The state currently lists her as missing since June 25, 2017, from Dover in Racine County and gives her current age as 68.

The state listing says authorities believe Lynn remained in the local area and reiterates the critical fact that she depended on an oxygen tank but apparently did not take it with her.

A WISN article originally published in 2017 contains a later editorial note stating that the station contacted the Racine County Sheriff’s Office in September 2024 seeking an update but had not received a response.

Public awareness has continued beyond that point. Racine-area community posts in 2024 and 2025 continued circulating Lynn’s name and information, including references to the $50,000 reward. Those posts demonstrate continuing public interest but should not be mistaken for official investigative updates.

No reliable public source reviewed for this article establishes that Lynn has been located, that human remains have been identified as hers, that anyone has been charged in connection with her disappearance, or that investigators have determined she was the victim of homicide.

The strongest current official indicator of the case’s status is therefore the Wisconsin Department of Justice listing: Lynn M. Rickard remains missing.

What Investigators Know

The established circumstances leave investigators with a remarkably small geographical trail.

Lynn apparently left her residence without the oxygen equipment she depended upon. She was reportedly seen moving west through a field about half a mile from home, and footprints were reportedly tracked into marshland before disappearing.

Extensive searches of the surrounding area did not locate her.

Authorities have historically believed Lynn was likely still somewhere in the local area, but years of searching have failed to produce a publicly announced answer.

What happened after Lynn entered that area on June 25, 2017 remains the central unanswered question in her disappearance.

Lynn Rickard Remains Missing

Years after one of the largest searches associated with a missing person in the Racine County area, Lynn’s disappearance remains unresolved.

Her case is particularly difficult because investigators had an apparent direction of travel and a footprint trail but still could not determine where she went afterward.

For Lynn’s family, the unanswered question has persisted since that June morning in 2017.

Anyone with credible information about Lynn M. Rickard’s disappearance should contact the Racine County Sheriff’s Office rather than attempting to conduct an independent search on private property.