Brianna Denison

Denison was at home for winter break from Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara, California where she studied psychology. She and her friends were attending events tied to the Summer Winter Action Tours Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in Reno, that Denison reportedly had attended in the past. 

Brianna was last seen on January 20, 2008 at approximately 4:00 AM PT at a friend's house in MacKay Court, Reno where she was staying after attending a party at the Sands Hotel and Casino on North Arlington Avenue in Reno. 

When her friend, K.T. Hunter, woke up at around 9:00 AMPT, Denison was nowhere to be found. A small blood stain was found on the pillow she used to sleep with that night, which led her friend to alert Brianna's parents and consequentially local authorities. Dension left the house without her shoes, cell phone and purse. Authorities believe she was barefoot, wearing only sweats and a white tank top.

In the following days, the Reno Police Department conducted a forensic investigation on the room where Brianna was sleeping and found DNA belonging to an unidentified male. They also found that the blood on the pillow was that of Denison. Investigators began focusing towards a kidnapping scenario.