Overview

• Full name: Rhonda Lynn Yocom
• Age at disappearance: 19 years old
• Date of birth: July 29, 1965
• Date last seen: February 7, 1985, according to California’s missing-person database; a Butte County Sheriff’s Office case document instead lists February 10, 1985
• Last known communication: February 11, 1985
• Last known location: Oroville, Butte County, California
• Possible destinations: Klamath Falls, Oregon, or Vallejo, California
• Case classification: Missing person; suspected foul play and possible homicide
• Investigating agency: Butte County Sheriff’s Office
• Current status: Unsolved; Rhonda remains publicly listed as missing
• Main circumstances: Rhonda reportedly entered a vehicle with Odis “Buck” Garrett, who was expected to take her toward Oregon. Authorities documented a subsequent telephone call to her boyfriend, John Woolen. No confirmed contact with her has been reported since.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Rhonda Lynn Yocom: The Unsolved 1985 Disappearance in Oroville, California

In February 1985, 19-year-old Rhonda Lynn Yocom disappeared from Northern California under circumstances that investigators would later describe as a possible homicide. She was reportedly last seen entering a vehicle with a man connected to the Hells Angels motorcycle club, and her last known communication occurred shortly afterward.

More than four decades later, Rhonda’s disappearance remains unresolved. Her case involves conflicting records of when she was last seen, an intended journey from California to Oregon, and questions about whether she ever reached her destination.

Although investigators have expressed suspicions that Rhonda was killed, her death has not been publicly established. She remains listed as a missing person in California’s official database.

Case Summary

• Full name: Rhonda Lynn Yocom
• Age at disappearance: 19 years old
• Date of birth: July 29, 1965
• Date last seen: February 7, 1985, according to California’s missing-person database; a Butte County Sheriff’s Office case document instead lists February 10, 1985
• Last known communication: February 11, 1985
• Last known location: Oroville, Butte County, California
• Possible destinations: Klamath Falls, Oregon, or Vallejo, California
• Case classification: Missing person; suspected foul play and possible homicide
• Investigating agency: Butte County Sheriff’s Office
• Current status: Unsolved; Rhonda remains publicly listed as missing
• Main circumstances: Rhonda reportedly entered a vehicle with Odis “Buck” Garrett, who was expected to take her toward Oregon. Authorities documented a subsequent telephone call to her boyfriend, John Woolen. No confirmed contact with her has been reported since.

Rhonda Lynn Yocom’s Background and Life Before Her Disappearance

Rhonda Lynn Yocom was born on July 29, 1965. She was 19 years old when she disappeared in February 1985.

Rhonda was of Filipino descent, although some missing-person records categorized her more broadly as Asian. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office specifically noted that the ethnic description in her original missing-person report was imprecise.

At the time of her disappearance, Rhonda was approximately 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighed about 115 pounds. She had brown hair and brown eyes.

Her distinguishing physical characteristics reportedly included a small tattoo of either a unicorn or a rose on her breast, scars on both legs, and pierced ears. She may also have used the surname Dabis.

The jewelry associated with her disappearance included two turquoise rings and a silver chain with a unicorn pendant. A complete description of the clothing she was wearing has not been established.

Relatively little verified information is publicly available about Rhonda’s childhood, education, employment, or personal aspirations. The available investigative records focus primarily on the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

Her Personal Connections in 1985

At the time she vanished, Rhonda was reportedly in a relationship with John Woolen, a man described in investigative materials as an associate of the Hells Angels motorcycle club.

Authorities also connected Rhonda’s disappearance to Odis “Buck” Garrett, a Hells Angels member who was subsequently imprisoned for serious crimes unrelated to a conviction in Rhonda’s case.

These associations became important to the investigation because of the circumstances surrounding her final reported movements. However, Rhonda’s personal relationships alone do not establish what happened to her or who may have been responsible.

The February 1985 Disappearance in Oroville

The Last Reported Sighting

According to the California Department of Justice and The Charley Project, Rhonda was last seen in Oroville on February 7, 1985, entering a vehicle with Odis “Buck” Garrett.

A Butte County Sheriff’s Office missing-person document gives a different date, February 10, 1985, for the reported vehicle encounter.

The discrepancy is significant because it concerns the final days in which Rhonda’s movements could potentially be reconstructed. Publicly available records reviewed for this article do not establish why the two dates differ.

Both accounts place Garrett at the center of the reported journey.

The Planned Trip to Oregon

Investigative records indicate that Garrett was supposed to transport Rhonda to the Klamath Falls area of Oregon.

The stated reason for the journey was that Rhonda wanted to avoid an upcoming court appearance in connection with a criminal matter.

The publicly available case summaries do not establish whether she reached Oregon.

Authorities also considered another possibility: Garrett owned a residence in the Vallejo area of California and had associates there. Investigators indicated that he might have taken Rhonda to Vallejo instead of Oregon.

This possibility has not been publicly confirmed as her actual route.

February 11, 1985: The Last Known Communication

According to the sheriff’s case document and The Charley Project, Rhonda telephoned John Woolen on February 11, 1985.

That call is described as the last time anyone was known to have heard from her.

The available case summaries do not establish the telephone call’s precise location, duration, or content. They also do not establish whether Rhonda was traveling voluntarily, was under someone’s control, or had already encountered danger.

There are no publicly verified subsequent communications demonstrating that she remained safe.

The distinction between her last reported physical sighting and her last known telephone contact is essential to understanding the case.

Investigation History and Evidence

Butte County Sheriff’s Office Investigation

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office has publicly documented Rhonda’s disappearance as a missing-person case involving a possible homicide.

The agency’s case material identifies Odis “Buck” Garrett, the intended trip to Oregon, the possibility of travel to Vallejo, and Rhonda’s final reported telephone call.

The sheriff’s public case summary states that investigators believe Rhonda may have been the victim of homicide.

However, that assessment does not mean her death has been legally established or that anyone has been convicted of causing it.

The California Department of Justice continues to maintain a missing-person entry for Rhonda.

Odis “Buck” Garrett and the Investigation

Garrett is a significant figure in the publicly documented circumstances because Rhonda was reportedly last seen entering a vehicle with him.

The sheriff’s historical case summary identifies Garrett as a Hells Angels member and states that he was serving multiple life sentences involving other homicides and drug-related offenses.

His criminal history is relevant to understanding why investigators examined his possible role in Rhonda’s disappearance. Nevertheless, convictions in unrelated cases do not prove responsibility for Rhonda’s disappearance.

No publicly verified charge or conviction against Garrett specifically for Rhonda’s disappearance or suspected death was located in the sources reviewed.

John Woolen and the Connection to Another Missing Woman

John Woolen also appears in the investigation because he was reportedly Rhonda’s boyfriend and the recipient of her final known telephone call.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office case document states that Woolen was not suspected of involvement in Rhonda’s disappearance.

The same document discusses investigators’ suspicions concerning Woolen and the separate disappearance of Paget Renee Barr, another woman with whom he was associated.

Barr disappeared in 1986, approximately a year after Rhonda.

The existence of these two cases and their overlapping personal connections raises investigative questions, but it does not establish that the disappearances were committed by the same person or resulted from a common criminal plan.

Each disappearance must be evaluated on its own evidence.

Physical Evidence and Forensic Testing

The publicly available case summaries provide limited information about physical evidence.

They do not establish that investigators recovered Rhonda’s clothing, personal belongings, or biological evidence conclusively connected to a crime.

No publicly confirmed DNA match, genetic-genealogy identification, or forensic breakthrough resolving her disappearance was located in the reviewed sources.

Similarly, no verified public announcement establishes that human remains have been positively identified as Rhonda.

These limitations concern publicly accessible information. They do not necessarily mean investigators possess no additional evidence or have conducted no forensic testing.

The Importance of Her Identifying Features

Rhonda’s missing-person descriptions contain several details that could assist in identification, including her reported tattoo, leg scars, and distinctive jewelry.

Such information can be valuable when authorities compare missing-person reports with unidentified-person records.

However, the presence of similar features on unidentified remains would not, by itself, establish an identification. A determination would require appropriate forensic and investigative confirmation.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

Possibility One: Rhonda Was Taken Somewhere Other Than Oregon

One documented investigative possibility is that Rhonda never reached Klamath Falls.

Authorities indicated that Garrett might have taken her to Vallejo, where he reportedly owned property and had associates.

The public record does not confirm whether she visited Vallejo, reached Oregon, or traveled elsewhere.

The actual route remains an unresolved question.

Possibility Two: Rhonda Was the Victim of Homicide

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office explicitly categorized her case as a missing-person investigation involving a possible homicide.

The suspicious circumstances, absence of subsequent confirmed contact, and reported connections surrounding her final movements contributed to concern about foul play.

Nevertheless, a suspected homicide remains an investigative assessment rather than proof of death or proof of any individual’s responsibility.

No publicly verified finding establishes where, when, or how Rhonda died.

Possibility Three: Rhonda Initially Left Voluntarily

Investigative records describe an intended trip to avoid a court appearance. This suggests that Rhonda may initially have intended to leave California voluntarily.

But an intended voluntary departure does not establish that she remained safe afterward.

It is possible for someone to begin a journey voluntarily and subsequently become the victim of a crime. Conversely, the absence of contact does not alone prove a homicide occurred.

The available evidence does not establish which circumstances ultimately explain Rhonda’s disappearance.

Questions That Remain Unanswered

Several questions are central to understanding what happened:

• Why do official and secondary case records give different dates for Rhonda’s last reported sighting?
• Where was Rhonda when she placed the February 11 telephone call?
• Did she ever arrive in Klamath Falls, Vallejo, or another destination?
• Who last independently confirmed her whereabouts?
• Did anyone observe the vehicle or the journey after she left Oroville?
• Is there surviving physical, documentary, or biological evidence that could help reconstruct her movements?

These are unresolved investigative questions, not assertions that particular evidence or witnesses exist.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

California’s Official Missing-Person Listing

California’s Department of Justice continues to publish Rhonda’s missing-person profile, including her physical description, February 7, 1985 last-seen date, and Butte County Sheriff’s Department contact information.

The state entry identifies the agency case number as C8512681.

A separate sheriff’s case document identifies her case using C85-15780. Both identifiers appear in sources specifically associated with Rhonda, but the reviewed materials do not explain their relationship. They should not be treated as interchangeable without agency confirmation.

Public Case Documentation and Awareness

The Charley Project maintains a detailed profile describing Rhonda’s disappearance and the circumstances involving Garrett and Woolen.

The Doe Network also includes her case in its missing-person records. Its published 2024 update archive lists an information update for Rhonda under identifier 1522DFCA.

That archive entry documents a case-information update, not a confirmed investigative breakthrough.

Online missing-person discussions have also continued to draw attention to Rhonda’s disappearance. Such discussions can help preserve awareness, but unsupported claims in public forums should not be treated as established evidence.

Status as of October 28, 2026

As of October 28, 2026, the reviewed public sources continue to describe Rhonda as missing.

No publicly confirmed recent arrest, charge, recovery of identified remains, DNA identification, genetic-genealogy breakthrough, or resolution of her case was located.

No publicly confirmed recent investigative developments were located that materially change the known circumstances of her disappearance.

This does not rule out ongoing investigative activity that has not been publicly disclosed.

Conclusion: More Than Four Decades Without Answers

Rhonda Lynn Yocom was only 19 years old when she disappeared from Northern California in February 1985.

Her final known movements involved a reported vehicle journey from Oroville, a proposed destination in Oregon, the possibility of a different route through Vallejo, and a telephone call on February 11 that remains her last documented communication.

Investigators have expressed concern that she was the victim of homicide, but her fate has not been established publicly.

The passage of time makes accurate records, surviving witnesses, and previously unreported information especially important.

Anyone with firsthand information about Rhonda’s whereabouts in February 1985, the reported journey involving Odis Garrett, or circumstances surrounding her final telephone call is encouraged to contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.

Even information that initially appeared insignificant may help investigators clarify the chronology of her disappearance.

Rhonda’s case remains unresolved, and her family and those seeking answers deserve a careful, evidence-based investigation into what happened to her.