Brenda Lambert: A Missing Case that Shattered a Family

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Late on July 26, 1992, a birthday party was held for Brenda Gail Lambert’s son, who was celebrating his first birthday. A celebratory day with family and friends in the small home that sat on Windmill Hill Road in the town of Bluewell, West Virginia. After the party ended that night, guests last saw Lambert popping balloons and cleaning up dishes. Her children went with her ex-husband, their father, Raymond Lambert, to stay with him for the night at his parents’ home. Lambert was last seen at 9:00 PM as the last guest left the home. When Raymond returned the following morning, he found the house empty. Not only was Brenda not found in her home, but her car was also still parked in the driveway in the same place it had been last seen yesterday. Brenda’s personal items, such as her keys and purse, were also found at the scene. For the last 33 years, Brenda has been missing, leaving the state of West Virginia and her family confused as to what could have happened to Brenda.

Brenda was born on December 26, 1969, in West Virginia, growing up with six siblings. She was described as adventurous in her youth, climbing trees and not afraid to get dirty. She had difficulty paying attention in class, even though she was known for getting good grades before high school. She dropped out of high school at 15 at her principal's behest. At 16, she met her brother’s coworker, Raymond Lambert. Raymond and her brother worked together at a chicken factory and carpooled. When Raymond went to pick up her brother Tim at the house, he met Brenda. They began dating, which the family was happy to hear. Eventually, Brenda was pregnant with their first daughter, Krista. Brenda and Raymond married in 1986, and Brenda was described as a devoted mother and wife. In 1991, they had their son.

As their marriage continued in the years before 1992, Brenda’s siblings began noticing clear signs that Brenda was in a domestic abuse situation. Her siblings saw her with black eyes and red rings around her neck, evident signs of being beaten and strangled. Her siblings tried to convince Brenda to leave Raymond, but she wanted to leave through the court system and make it official on paper. Brenda was not only a victim of abuse but also of adultery. When her cousin Tammy moved into town, she had gained Raymond’s attention and quickly became his mistress. Tammy claimed never to have known they were married. Raymond and Brenda officially separated in 1992, with Raymond moving to live with his parents on their 200-acre plot of land in the mountains, and Brenda staying at the family house on Windmill Hill Road. Brenda planned to see a lawyer to finalize the divorce after her son’s birthday. A meeting she was never able to attend.

On the morning of July 26, 1992, Brenda was preparing the house to host her son’s first birthday. Her family was going to be there to share in the joy of celebrating a child’s first birthday, though she knew it meant Raymond’s family was also going to be there. It was later discovered that Brenda had filed a domestic report alleging that Raymond had abused her. She said that during an argument, Raymond had choked her, so she filed the report out of desperation for the abuse to end. It was discovered that days before the party, she dropped the charges and claimed she and Raymond had talked it out and made peace over the ordeal. Thus, allowing Raymond to be part of the birthday party.

Once the party began and family and friends arrived, they noticed that Brenda seemed disconnected, though when they asked her, she said she was fine. Eventually, Tammy came through the front door, which made Brenda feel visually uncomfortable. Brenda confronted Raymond about bringing his mistress, though he claimed he had not invited her to the party. Before Tammy was with Raymond, Brenda and Tammy were close friends and cousins. After the affair, however, Brenda avoided Tammy. The party eventually came to an end, and Raymond insisted that the children come to his parents’ house and stay with him for some time. There was a disagreement that Raymond eventually overruled. While Brenda cleaned up, her sister invited her to stay with her instead of being home alone, to which Brenda told her she enjoyed being in the house and wanted to stay there alone. The last guests saw her cleaning up as they left around 9 PM.

At around 11 PM, Raymond showed up at Brenda’s sister Kay’s home, frantic and distraught. He claimed that Brenda was not at her home when he showed up. Raymond demanded to know where Brenda had gone, but Kay and the rest of the family did not see any urgency at that moment. The family went to check on Brenda at her house the following morning. They found the front door locked, with Brenda's car parked in front. Once they finally got into the house, they found no signs of Brenda, though the decorations still looked like they had not been entirely removed. The family found her purse with her car keys and, when they could not figure out where she had gone, decided to call the police to start an investigation.

Based on our interview with Christy Kennedy, Brenda’s sister, she discussed the investigation's early stages in detail. One thing she mentioned was how Raymond did not disclose to officers that he went back to Brenda’s home the same night she went missing, instead telling them that he went the next day. Christy said during the interview that Brenda did not just leave; she would not have abandoned her children or her mother. She also said that if there was any foul play, it may not have come from Raymond but could have possibly been his father. Supposedly, even Raymond claimed that if it were anyone, it would have been his father. When they first believed Brenda had gone missing, they had to wait 48 hours before filing a missing person report. Christy speculates that if Brenda’s remains could be somewhere, they may be buried on Raymond’s property. Without a body or any concrete evidence to support the foul play, the police cannot get a search warrant for Raymond’s property. During the search for Brenda, her mother came out to search for her, not taking any time to really rest or eat, and eventually died from a combination of grief and exhaustion, her husband following. Christy was 18 when she lost both her mother and father to this search.

The Mercer County Sheriff's Department was the first on the scene and began investigating Brenda’s mysterious disappearance. Raymond told the police Brenda might have run away with another man, as months after Brenda, another man named Mark Anthony had gone missing after being last seen at a bar. This was the same bar Brenda also went to occasionally, and friends and family did claim they were friends to some degree. During the investigation, the Sheriff department received countless tips, one in 2003 being a supposed body spotted at a pond off Route 52. The police department attempted to drain the pond, and pumps were deployed to remove the water. When this attempt failed, the police brought in Detective Mike Combs, a diver, but he was unable to dive into the pond from the vegetation. Chief Deputy Darrel Bailey stated in Bluefield Daily Telegraph on September 18, 2006, “This is one of the cases that haunted me, it’s a cold case but not a closed one. The case never left my office.” Over the years, Chief Bailey has thought of Brenda and even Mark whenever a tip comes in for a body possibly found by the countless hunters and hikers who have uncovered remains in the deep woods of West Virginia.

In 2006, Christy believed there was a chance of finding Brenda and tried to draw more attention to the case. She joined the Doe Network, an organization that helps police investigate cold cases and missing-person reports. She and the organization searched for Brenda, and she even created a website to raise awareness of Brenda’s case. In 2023, the AWARE foundation raised awareness of Brenda’s case and other missing persons cases through events and flyer distribution. Kenny Jarels, Founder and President of the AWARE foundation, told the public, "Do the right thing." Let this family know where Brenda is. That’s what we want.” They held an event on July 26, 2025, to speak out in Brenda's honor. A billboard was put up in Brushfork off Route 52 with her information and contact details for anyone who has information that could lead to her discovery. Christy told WVVA during an interview, “Pretty much my goal is to bring Brenda home, and I want to bury her beside our parents. That is what we want. We are not asking for jail time or prison time. I am not asking for anything but to bring her home.” The billboard serves not only to bring awareness to Brenda’s case but also to the other missing people and their families who share the same pain.

In 2019, West Virginia passed the Missing Persons Act, which required that any missing person information be logged into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System Database. The database allows investigators access across multiple states. The act also advocates a stronger relationship between the victim's family and law enforcement, with more transparent communication and a stronger working relationship to help solve the case. Brenda’s family has never given up searching for answers. Brenda was last seen with curly shoulder-length hair and blue eyes. She stands at 5’2” and weighs approximately 110 pounds. If there is any information that could help solve the case, please get in touch with the Mercer County Sheriff's Office at (304) 487 -8365.

Written by Podcast Blogger:

Joseph Gil 

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