The next day an illegally parked car was discovered at the airport. The registered owner was Star Palumbo. It was loaded with her personal possessions, including her cell phone and purse which contained $600 in cash. Star had left behind other items that caused even more concern. Copies of three e-mails sent to the White House indicated that Star felt the government was trying to murder her. A morbid drawing depicted a woman who looked like Star bound and gagged. There were also two books on how to change one's identity.

Star never returned to claim her car. She has now been missing for over a year. There are two likely possibilities. The first is that Star is suffering from some type of organically-caused or drug-induced psychosis and doesn't know where she is. The second possibility is that she's been the victim of a serious crime.

The mystery of what happened to Star Palumbo began long before the 25-year-old woman vanished. Star was once a vivacious brunette full of hope and promise. One year prior to her disappearance, Star left her home in Tucson, Arizona and moved to Reno, Nevada. She lived there with her grandmother. It was in Reno, investigators believe, that Star's life began to careen off course. According to her friends, in the weeks leading up to her disappearance, Star developed a drug habit that soon cost more than she could make as a cashier at a pawnshop. Police believe it is possible that the increasingly distraught woman began to look for other ways to make money, including the high-risk occupation of prostitution.

While in Reno, Star continued to call her mother, Gail Palumbo, on a weekly basis and seemed in good spirits. But on the day she disappeared, Star phoned her mother and told her she believed she was being followed and that her phone was tapped. She also believed her life was in danger. According to her mother, Star expressed a desire to turn her life around and talked about flying home to Tucson. Gail Palumbo has not heard from her since.

Following her disappearance, Star's parents mounted a massive effort to locate Star. Thousands of flyers were distributed throughout Nevada. Linda Fields, owner of the Silver Dollar Casino in Elko Nevada, claims to have seen Star there a full eight months after her disappearance. Linda Fields says that Star became extremely agitated when a man peered through the bar's window. A short time later Star left the bar with a young woman. If it really was Star, where did she go after leaving the bar? Could she have used the books found in her car to change her identity and escape?

Characteristics: Star Michelle Palumbo is now 26 years old. She is 5'4" and weighs approximately 125 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She has pierced ears with three piercings in each ear.

If you have any information about Star Palumbo, please contact the Reno, Nevada Police Depertment or call the Unsolved Mysteries hotline, 1-800-876-5353.