Reward offered for missing woman

RATHDRUM - Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest is offering a $500 cash reward to go with a reward being offered by the family of Rathdrum woman Deborah Dee Sykes, who has been missing since Feb. 13, 2005.

Sykes (aka Gilcrist) was last seen sleeping in her home and was reported missing by her husband after she was gone after her husband returned home from a store.

She was reportedly seen in the Silver Valley, western Montana and in Coeur d'Alene after her disappearance, but there have been no recent new leads in the case, said Rathdrum Police Chief Kevin Fuhr.

Fuhr said the amount of the reward the family is offering for information leading to solving the cold case is not being disclosed.

Fuhr said the case is intriguing because she left a husband and son and all her personal belongings, including her wedding ring, behind.

There were also no obvious signs of why she would leave, including a strained family relationship.

"We have no understanding of why she left," Fuhr said. "That's a mystery."

Sykes was 38 when she went missing; she would be 45 today. She is white, 5-foot-8, 125 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. She has a tattoo of the Canadian Flag on the right side of her buttocks. She has broken and discolored teeth.

Police said she had went off on her own in the past before she was reported missing, but always returned.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 667-2111. Callers are asked to use a code name or number and do not have to give their own name to be eligible for the reward.