WY JUSTIN PHILLIP HARRIS: Missing from Casper, WY group home - 15 Feb 2004 - Age 13

New Clues Spark Hope In Cold Case Of Disabled Casper Teen Missing For 21 Years

New evidence has reignited the investigation into Justin Harris, a developmentally disabled Casper teen who vanished from a group home in 2004, giving…

cowboystatedaily.com

Justin lived in a small group home for developmentally disabled boys. He was reported missing when he failed to show for breakfast on the morning of Feb. 15, 2004. The theory of running away was discredited, as police believe that Justin would have had to had help by others in doing so. In 2004, Justin stood 5 ft tall, weighed about 110 pounds, and had blonde hair, green eyes, and wore glasses. When he disappeared, he is believed to have been wearing a gray jacket and black snow boots. According to his younger sister, who is now aged 30, he enjoyed playing the game Battleship. He was/is very creative and also enjoyed doing beadwork. He has been described by family as being developmentally delayed. His family is very close and they are still looking for him.


Media - JUSTIN PHILLIP HARRIS: Missing from Casper, WY group home - 15 Feb 2004 - Age 13

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

NCMEC: Have you seen this child? Justin Phillip Harris

Doe Network: 6203DMWY - Justin Phillip Harris

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

A bit more detail. Charley Project: Justin Phillip Harris – The Charley Project

Justin was last seen at the R.L. Mills Home, the group home for boys where he resided in the 100 block of east H Street in Casper, Wyoming. At 7:00 a.m. on February 15, 2004, workers at the home found his room empty after he failed to show up for breakfast. His bed was found stuffed with clothes to give the appearance that he was sleeping in it.

Justin's mother had willingly turned him and his younger sister over to the custody of the state. He been through several failed foster care placements before he was placed in the R.L. Mills Home in the summer of 2003.

His father, Phillip Harris, a truck driver who had fought for custody of him, initially said he believed his son ran away to be with him. Phillip theorized that Justin was either still in the Casper area, or tried to go to Swink, Oklahoma, where his father lives. He had repeatedly run away from his various foster homes in the past. Later, Phillip said he thought Justin hadn't run away from the group home but had, in fact, become the victim of a crime, and that the group home was trying to cover this up.

Phillip denied that Justin suffered from any kind of disability, but these assertions were contradicted by the staff at the R.L. Mills Home, who said he required constant supervision and could not function without his psychiatric medications. They stated he'd been doing well at the facility, however, and was also succeeding at school.

Justin's case remains unsolved. The R.L. Mills Home, which served adolescent boys with a variety of emotional and behavioral problems, was closed in 2011 due to financial constraints.

 

[Guess Who]

A bit more detail. Charley Project: Justin Phillip Harris – The Charley Project

Justin was last seen at the R.L. Mills Home, the group home for boys where he resided in the 100 block of east H Street in Casper, Wyoming. At 7:00 a.m. on February 15, 2004, workers at the home found his room empty after he failed to show up for breakfast. His bed was found stuffed with clothes to give the appearance that he was sleeping in it.

Justin's mother had willingly turned him and his younger sister over to the custody of the state. He been through several failed foster care placements before he was placed in the R.L. Mills Home in the summer of 2003.

His father, Phillip Harris, a truck driver who had fought for custody of him, initially said he believed his son ran away to be with him. Phillip theorized that Justin was either still in the Casper area, or tried to go to Swink, Oklahoma, where his father lives. He had repeatedly run away from his various foster homes in the past. Later, Phillip said he thought Justin hadn't run away from the group home but had, in fact, become the victim of a crime, and that the group home was trying to cover this up.

Phillip denied that Justin suffered from any kind of disability, but these assertions were contradicted by the staff at the R.L. Mills Home, who said he required constant supervision and could not function without his psychiatric medications. They stated he'd been doing well at the facility, however, and was also succeeding at school.

Justin's case remains unsolved. The R.L. Mills Home, which served adolescent boys with a variety of emotional and behavioral problems, was closed in 2011 due to financial constraints.

My bets lie here

Phillip said he thought Justin hadn't run away from the group home but had, in fact, become the victim of a crime, and that the group home was trying to cover this up.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Yeah it certainly sounds like it's not a simple "runaway" case as some would have liked everyone to believe.

Casper Police reopen investigation into missing child from 2004

CASPER (WNE) — Casper Police Department has reopened its investigation into the disap- pearance of then-13-year-old Justin Phillip Harris.

www.buffalobulletin.com

CPD spokeswoman Rebekah Ladd also stated that early signs in the investigation indicated Harris ran away, but information first found in 2011 that recently resurfaced led to the case’s revival.

The release states authorities re-interviewed several parties in 2011 and found some new information, but the information’s use was not immediately clear.

“Now, in 2025, the value of that information has become clearer, renewing efforts to uncover the truth behind Justin’s disappearance,”the release states.

“Casper is a close-knit community,” said Casper Police Department Investigations Division Detective Aaron Trujillo in the news release. “We believe there are still people out there who were involved, witnessed something, or heard something – either at the time or in the years since. We need them to come forward. Justin deserves justice, and we remain com- mitted to his case.”

 

[Sunburst]

Anyone else stunned at the physical resemblance between Justin and Kyron Horman, who is still missing from OR?

 

[Sunburst]

My bets lie here

Phillip said he thought Justin hadn't run away from the group home but had, in fact, become the victim of a crime, and that the group home was trying to cover this up.

Agree. Would a developmentally disabled young teen who required constant supervision by group home staff have had the capacity to think of, or arrange clothes stuffed in the bed to give the illusion of someone in the bed?

 

[Regina]

Agree. Would a developmentally disabled young teen who required constant supervision by group home staff have had the capacity to think of, or arrange clothes stuffed in the bed to give the illusion of someone in the bed?

Could, I think; I think it could also be something he saw others do.
You know, it'd be helpful to know about the circumstances surrounding prior instances of running away.

 

[Regina]

My bets lie here

Phillip said he thought Justin hadn't run away from the group home but had, in fact, become the victim of a crime, and that the group home was trying to cover this up.

I'd like to hear the explanation from the staff as to how a child with a history of running away, indeed, a child sent to the group home because of that hx could manage to not only slip out but that it's undiscovered until breakfast.

 

[Tresir]

" He had repeatedly run away from his various foster homes in the past. "

The clothes stuffed in the bed obviously worked.

 

[Regina]

How was it supposed he got out of the building, I mean, obviously, the building should have been secured and believed so, so what's determined re that?

 

[Guess Who]

How was it supposed he got out of the building, I mean, obviously, the building should have been secured and believed so, so what's determined re that?

That's exactly why I suspect somebody else involved.

 

[Tresir]

He could have gone missing any time from the last meal the evening before, and when they discovered the clothes bundle in the morning the next day at breakfast. Was the building locked down 24/7 ?

His previous escapes were all from foster homes so escape would likely have been easier.

This was 21 years ago and there doesn't seem to have been any sightings.

 

[Tresir]

How was it supposed he got out of the building, I mean, obviously, the building should have been secured and believed so, so what's determined re that?

In a recent case where a young teen had escaped a home, she had unscrewed the bedroom window and got out.

 

[Regina]

Needless to say, it's beyond frustrating when there's so very little info currently available and even the links to sources used by The Charlie Project no longer work.

 

[Guess Who]

Needless to say, it's beyond frustrating when there's so very little info currently available and even the links to sources used by The Charlie Project no longer work.

That's why I love that we can post the article on here so that when t the link doesn't work anymore, we can still read the article.

 

[Regina]

That's why I love that we can post the article on here so that when t the link doesn't work anymore, we can still read the article.

Well that's a good reason and now that I know, I won't find it annoying, lol.

 

[Guess Who]

Well that's a good reason and now that I know, I won't find it annoying, lol.

There are already links on here that don't work any more, even from just 5 years ago where media frees up data on their servers.

 

[Guess Who]

Also, there are many links that are not available in all areas and some in those areas can't read the link. This way they can.