The Strange Disappearance Of Samantha Sperry, A 25-Year-Old Who Vanished After Allegedly Going Four-Wheeler Riding With Her Boyfriend’s Father

Facebook - pictured above is Samantha
Facebook - pictured above is Samantha

Facebook – pictured above is Samantha

Born on August 20, 1992, Samantha Rose Sperry grew up in Symsonia, Kentucky, and attended Graves County High School.

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But, by the time she was 25-years-old, she had moved to Murray, Kentucky, and worked at a local McDonald’s.

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Samantha and her husband had recently separated, and they shared custody of their daughter and son.

Facebook – pictured above is Samantha

At the same time, she was in a relationship with 30-year-old Rhen, who was reportedly Samantha’s on-again and off-again boyfriend.

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And on the day before Samantha strangely disappeared, the couple allegedly got into an argument.

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It all began on March 27, 2018, when Samantha and Rhen reportedly visited the property of Paul, Rhen’s uncle– located in Graves County, Kentucky.

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Rhen’s father, Dusty, also lived in an apartment on the same property. And according to Dusty, his son Rhen and Samantha started having a verbal argument.

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This ended with Rhen taking Samantha’s vehicle and driving back to her house to spend the night.

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Afterward, Dusty claimed that he and Samantha opted to go four-wheeling that afternoon in the Kaler Bottoms area. However, before nightfall, Dusty said they got stuck in a swampy area.

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So, Samantha and Dusty did not walk out of the woods until the following morning of March 28, 2018. The pair reportedly spent the night before wet, tired, and out in the cold.

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And when they emerged onto Highway 131, Dusty reportedly suggested that they head to a local Kaler Mart store so he could contact his brother and get a ride back.

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However, Dusty says that Samantha claimed she would be going to her cousin’s house, which was nearby, instead.

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Dusty was the last person to see Samantha as she walked south on Route 131 toward Highway 849. At the same time, Dusty reportedly visited Kaler Mart alone to get food and warm up.

Facebook – pictured above is Samantha

But Samantha never arrived at work for her 9:00 p.m. shift that day, and tragically, no one has ever heard from her again.

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The following day, March 29, 2018, Samantha’s car– a Ford Taurus– was discovered abandoned on Dooms Chapel Road.

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After her mother was unable to get in touch with her, the Graves County Sheriff’s Office was contacted, and a missing person report was filed.

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On March 28, 2018, Samantha’s boyfriend, Rhen, also made a distressed call to his mother. While on the phone, Rhen claimed that he had ingested pills and planned to take his own life in the woods.

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The police were subsequently contacted, but authorities decided to wait until daylight to look for Rhen to ensure officer safety. Rhen was known to have a violent past and was believed to be armed with a weapon.

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Then, on March 29, 2018– the day Samantha was reported missing– investigators discovered Dusty’s four-wheeler as well as Samantha’s car keys while conducting a search in Kaler Bottoms.

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Two cell phones, which belonged to Dusty, were also found in the ashes of a small fire.

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However, investigators realized that there was only one set of footprints around the four-wheeler. Additionally, there was one set of footprints coming out of the woods.

Facebook – pictured above is Samantha

This meant that Dusty’s story did not align with the physical evidence found on the scene. In fact, no evidence was uncovered showing that Samantha was ever there.

Facebook – pictured above is Samantha

So, after interviewing multiple people, authorities believed that Samantha was, in fact, in Graves County on March 27. However, she was not in the same area that Dusty claimed.

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By March 31, investigators also received a tip regarding a possible sighting of Samantha in Calloway County, Kentucky. The tipster alleged that she had been inside a late 1980s to early 1990s white Chevrolet Camaro with a loud exhaust. This tip remains unconfirmed.

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And on April 1, 2018, the mysterious circumstances surrounding Samantha’s disappearance only became more puzzling. That day, her boyfriend, Rhen, showed up unexpectedly at his father’s house. He reportedly appeared hypothermic and dehydrated and was transported to the hospital for injury treatment.

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The following day, Rhen was then brought in for questioning, and he told investigators that he had spent five days inside the woods. Rhen also claimed that he had taken some of Samantha’s belongings into the woods as well but alleged that he later lost them.

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The strange sequence of events pushed authorities to question both Rhen and Dusty multiple times. However, even after the men underwent polygraph tests, they both passed.

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So, the circumstances surrounding Samantha’s disappearance remain unclear, and foul play is suspected.

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Samantha’s sister has since created a Facebook page entitled “Bring Samantha Home” to help raise awareness about the case. A $10,000 reward is also being offered for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for her disappearance.

Facebook – pictured above is Samantha

At the time she vanished, Samantha was five foot six, weighed between 120 and 130 pounds, and had blonde hair and hazel eyes. She also had various tattoos– including a skull with a rose on her right shoulder and a sunflower and a tiger lily on her left thigh.

Facebook – pictured above is Samantha

If you have any information regarding Samantha’s case, you are urged to contact the Graves County Sheriff’s Office at (270) 247-4501.

Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek

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