On the morning of January 24, 2025, 39-year-old Heather Caras disappeared from her home in Linton, North Dakota. When she stepped outside, her two teenage sons were still at home. One of her sons later recalled that Heather said she was going to start her vehicle, but she never came back. This was out of character for Heather, who was known to be a devoted and protective mother, given that both of her boys have special needs. When she didn’t return, one of the boys walked to school to sound the alarm that something was wrong.

The next day, Heather’s truck was found at Beaver Bay, about fifteen miles west of Linton. The scene there was strange: a set of footprints leading away from the vehicle, then abruptly ending, and a pair of shoes neatly placed in the snow.

In the days that followed, few clues emerged. Then came a statement from law enforcement claiming that Heather had “left her family and the area willingly with the assistance of an unknown acquaintance and was not known to be in any danger.” To those who knew Heather best, that theory wasn’t just out of character; it was unthinkable.

As we were preparing to cover Heather’s disappearance, news broke in late May that human remains had been found not far from Beaver Bay. They were later confirmed to be Heather’s remains, but the autopsy results left those who knew and loved her with even more questions than answers.

If you have any information about the disappearance or death of Heather Caras, please contact the Emmons County Sheriff’s Office at 701-254-4411.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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Heather Caras Part 1: Footprints in the Snow

The Vanished Podcast