Victoria Jane Owczynsky: Missing Since August 26, 1990

There are some stories that begin in the light of a sunny Sunday morning, but end in the deepest shadows—where questions multiply like whispers in the dark. The disappearance of 17-year-old Victoria Jane Owczynsky is one of those stories. What started as a regular day in the late summer of 1990 quickly turned into a nightmare for her family and friends, and more than three decades later, the mystery of what happened to her remains unsolved. 

On August 26, 1990, Vicky—lively, adventurous, and just on the cusp of her senior year at Edison High School—woke up in her friend's bustling home in northeast Minneapolis. She had only moved in about a month earlier, after leaving her mother’s house, but she was still close by, just four blocks from her family. The morning seemed ordinary enough: calls to her mother and friends, plans to meet up at a nearby park around noon. But by 1:00 pm, Vicky was gone—gone without a trace, leaving behind only the lingering questions and suspicions that have haunted everyone who knew her.

The Last Hours: A Day Like Any Other

It was just before 10:00 am when Vicky called her mother, Larene, promising to stop by around noon. Fifteen minutes later, she was on a three-way phone call with her boyfriend, who was in jail, and another friend. She made plans to meet her friend at a park near Garfield Street and 18th Avenue NE—only a short drive from where she was staying.

But then something strange happened. Vicky, in the middle of this phone call, started laughing. She explained to her friend that a man had just walked into the house—someone she knew, someone who looked "funny" with two black eyes. That man was Darrell Rea, her friend Naomie Rondo’s stepfather—a man with a violent past, one who had been ordered out of the house two years earlier by Hennepin County authorities after being accused of sexually abusing Naomie and her sister. Rea wasn’t supposed to be there.

Vicky made another call, this time to her stepfather, asking for a ride to the park. He was busy painting a neighbor’s house, but he heard her ask someone else for a ride. Not long after, neighbors saw Vicky leave in a pickup truck with Rea. Twenty minutes later, Rea returned alone. Vicky never made it to the park. She never showed up at her mother’s house. And she was never seen again.

Theory 1: A Man With a Dark Past

From the moment Vicky was reported missing, suspicion fell squarely on Darrell Rea. And for good reason. Rea’s history of violence stretched back more than a decade. In 1977, he had been convicted of assaulting a woman, though he narrowly escaped more severe charges of sexual assault. Then, in 1988, the full extent of his abuse was revealed when his stepdaughters accused him of years of sexual abuse—a crime for which he should have paid dearly, but instead, he remained free.

It’s not difficult to imagine that Rea, a man with a history of sexual violence and deep-rooted cruelty, could have been responsible for Vicky’s disappearance. The fact that she was last seen leaving with him, combined with his disturbing past, paints a chilling picture. He was the last person to see her alive. He returned alone. And though police searched his truck and apartment, they found no evidence to definitively link him to the crime.

But Rea’s story didn’t end with Vicky’s disappearance. His trail of violence continued. Over the years, more crimes, more victims, would come to light, each one adding weight to the growing suspicion that Vicky was just one more life he had snuffed out in a long and terrible series of assaults.

Theory 2: An Innocent Ride?

Then again, could it have been a coincidence? Could Vicky have gotten into that truck for an innocent ride to the park, only to meet a different fate somewhere else? Rea, for all his vile history, has always denied any involvement in Vicky’s disappearance. He admitted they talked that morning, but he insists she never got in the truck, never rode with him. In his version, she simply vanished after their brief conversation.

Of course, it’s hard to believe. Neighbors saw her get into the truck. Rea’s past paints a damning picture, one of a man who preyed on vulnerable girls and women. Could a man like that have resisted the opportunity to hurt Vicky when it presented itself? His denials fall flat in the face of what we know about him, but still, no physical evidence has ever been found to prove his guilt.

Theory 3: More Than One Monster?

But what if the truth is even darker than we imagine? Vicky lived in a house filled with people—friends, acquaintances, people who may have known her well, or barely at all. What if the threat didn’t only come from Rea? What if there was someone else in that house, or someone she met that day, who had their own dark designs?

In cases like this, the absence of evidence is as loud as the ticking of a clock in a quiet room. Vicky left behind her purse, her money, and even her cigarettes—things a teenager wouldn’t abandon unless she thought she’d be back soon. She didn’t leave of her own free will. But if Rea wasn’t the one who took her, who else might have been lurking in her life? What secrets hid in the shadows of that house, waiting for the right moment to strike?

The Ghosts of Rea’s Past

Years passed after Vicky’s disappearance, and while her case went cold, Rea’s dark legacy continued to unfold. In 2013, DNA evidence linked Rea to the brutal rape and murder of 17-year-old Lorri Mesedahl, a crime committed in 1983. Investigators dug deeper, and soon Rea’s name was connected to other rapes and assaults, each one more horrific than the last.

Rea’s crimes, which had once gone unpunished, were finally catching up to him. In 2017, he was sentenced to 10 years for Lorri’s murder—a punishment so small it feels like a slap on the wrist. But while justice was finally served for one of his victims, for Vicky, the story remains unfinished. Rea has never been charged with her murder, and Vicky’s body has never been found.

A Mother’s Unending Grief

For Vicky’s mother, Larene Johnson, the pain of not knowing has been almost unbearable. As she battles lung disease, her only wish is to find her daughter’s body and give her a proper burial. "I know if she were alive, she would try to contact one of us in her family," she said. After more than 30 years, she has come to accept that Vicky is gone, but the need for closure gnaws at her daily.

The police, too, are not done. Sgt. Gerry Wehr, who reopened the case in 2007, believes that Rea is likely responsible for more deaths than anyone knows. Each year, as DNA technology improves, there is a glimmer of hope that more answers will be uncovered. But for now, the story of Victoria Jane Owczynsky remains a haunting question mark in the annals of unsolved cases.

Conclusion: The Monster in the Shadows

Sometimes, the monsters don’t hide under your bed. Sometimes, they live just a few blocks away, or in the very house you’re staying in. And sometimes, they wear the faces of men like Darrell Rea—men whose evil stretches across decades, whose crimes leave a trail of broken bodies and shattered lives.

Vicky’s story is a reminder that the truth doesn’t always reveal itself, that the woods aren’t the only places where people can disappear. But one thing is certain: for those who loved Vicky, the search for answers will never end. The woods may whisper, the past may hide, but the truth is out there, waiting to be found.

If you have any information about Victoria Jane Owczynsky, please contact Minneapolis police at 612-673-3406 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

There’s always another layer to the darkness. Always another shadow waiting to reveal its secrets. One day, we’ll find out what happened to Vicky—but until then, her story will continue to haunt the quiet corners of our minds, just like the monster who likely took her.