Portland teen Laronda Marie Bronson remains missing more than 43 years after last being seen at bus stop
A decades-old missing-person case still open
More than four decades after 18-year-old Laronda Marie Bronson was last seen in Portland, her disappearance remains unresolved and listed as an active missing-person case in national and nonprofit databases. Bronson was last seen on November 19, 1982, standing at a bus stop in Portland, and has not been confirmed seen or heard from since.
The limited public record in the case underscores a central reality of many long-term missing-person investigations: as time passes, the availability of witnesses, documentation, and physical evidence can diminish, placing greater emphasis on preserved records, renewed tip collection, and advances in forensic methods.
What is publicly known about Bronson
Bronson is described as a Black woman with black hair and brown eyes. At the time of her disappearance, she was approximately 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed roughly 110 to 120 pounds. Public case listings note distinguishing features including double-pierced ears and scars on the chin and the back of the neck.
Multiple case summaries also document that she may have used the nickname “Bird” and that she may have used the name “Michelle Marie Hall” as an alias. Beyond these identifiers, few verified details about her last movements have been made consistently public.
Name: Laronda Marie Bronson
Age when last seen: 18
Date last seen: November 19, 1982
Last known location: Portland, Oregon (at a bus stop)
Identifiers in public listings: double-pierced ears; scars on chin and back of neck
Jurisdiction and why it matters
Although Bronson was last seen in Portland, several widely used case repositories list the King County Sheriff’s Office in Washington as the investigating agency. Such arrangements can occur when an investigation later develops ties to another jurisdiction, when a related case is handled by a different agency, or when case stewardship changes over time. Public-facing entries do not fully explain why the investigation is associated with King County rather than a Portland-area agency, leaving that aspect unclear to the public.
How cold missing-person cases are revisited
In long-term cases, investigators and advocates often focus on confirming identifiers, ensuring records are consolidated across systems, and encouraging new tips. Modern approaches may include re-reviewing original reports, re-interviewing contacts where possible, and comparing DNA profiles and other forensic information with unidentified remains and missing-person records when available.
Bronson’s case illustrates how some disappearances persist for decades with minimal public detail, making accurate identifiers and sustained tip collection central to any future progress.
What the public can do
Anyone with first-hand information about Bronson’s whereabouts or events surrounding November 19, 1982, can help by providing a tip to the listed investigating agency. Even information that may have seemed insignificant at the time can become relevant when evaluated alongside other records.
As of February 10, 2026, Bronson has been missing for more than 43 years, and her disappearance remains unsolved.