Colleen Perris was 18 years old, enjoyed singing, and aspired to be an actress. She was Nicholas and Nancy’s only child. However, in the fall of 2000, the Perris family was ripped apart.
Colleen received a call on her cell phone around 3:00 p.m. on September 30, 2000, while visiting her family’s home near Flamingo Boulevard and Sunrise Boulevard in Plantation, Florida.
Perris informed her parents that she was going to Coral Springs for a short time and would return home around 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. She intended to attend a Florida Marlins baseball game with her family that evening.
Colleen disappeared without a trace.
Except for her cellular phone, which she brought with her, she had left all of her personal belongings at her family’s home.
Read: Without A Trace: Kemberly Ramer, Missing From Her Dad’s Home In Alabama 26-Years Ago
On October 6, 2000, Colleen’s white two-door 1994 Mazda MX-6 was discovered abandoned in the parking lot of a Tamarac, Florida shopping center. The car has the Florida license plate number D48-PIE, a sunroof, tinted windows, and dents behind the driver’s side door and rear wheel wells. A family friend discovered Perris’ car and alerted authorities.
There was no sign of her or evidence of foul play at the scene. The car was parked near Pine Island and McNab roads. Her cell phone and purse were missing from the car, which had locked doors and rolled-up windows. The rain had washed away any fingerprints or other clues on the car’s exterior.
Perris’ family stated they had no idea why her car was parked at the shopping center.
Colleen’s family said it was extremely unusual for her to leave without warning and she did not have a history of running away.
Four years after Colleen’s disappearance, her parents, Nick and Nancy, made the heart-wrenching decision to stop paying for her cell phone. Her dad would still call it and leave a message for his daughter.
They also sold her car and depleted her college savings to offer a $20,000 reward for information leading to their daughter’s whereabouts. They’ve accepted that Colleen is most likely not alive.
She was working part-time as a hostess in a restaurant at the time of her disappearance and had saved $1,000. She bought plane tickets to Colorado in December 2000 and planned to take a cruise later. Perris’ travel tickets were never used.
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She is described as a shy but determined, free-spirited, and experimental individual who enjoys singing, playing the piano, bowling, darts, and billiards. She does not like driving. Perris gets her nails done frequently and prefers to date men who are older than her.
Authorities have been unable to trace the call she received on her cell phone before her disappearance, and it is unclear if the call is related to her case.
Before her disappearance, Perris dropped out of Plantation High School despite being an excellent student.
She later re-enrolled and took summer classes and was scheduled to receive her diploma shortly after her disappearance with dreams of becoming an actress.
Her friends claimed Perris used LSD and Ecstasy and that her uncle was her drug supplier.
They claimed the man was also attempting to land Perris a role in a pornographic film. The man denies supplying his niece with illegal drugs or having anything to do with pornography, and there is no evidence to back up the allegations.
Perris allegedly planned to visit her uncle on the day she went missing, but he stated that there was no meeting scheduled.
Read: Without A Trace: Florida Mom, Gina Ferraiolo, Vanishes While Walking Her Dog
“We have not given up hope!” said her mom, Nancy Perris, in a 2013 interview with CBS News. “We, by no means, have given up hope that she may be one of these found and who knows where.”
Investigators have received numerous unconfirmed sightings of Perris since her disappearance, including in California, Alabama, and the Bahamas, but her case remains unsolved. She may work in the restaurant industry or as a lingerie model.
Authorities do not believe she left on her own accord, but they are unsure of the exact circumstances surrounding her case. She was declared legally dead in November 2007.
If you have information on this case please call Broward Crimestoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
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