Brook Lynn Peck: Missing from New Port Richey, Florida Since October 2015

NamUs Case Number	MP34394
Name	Brook Lynn Peck (Nickname: Brooklyn)
Biological Sex	Female
Race/Ethnicity	White / Caucasian
Date of Last Contact	October 26th, 2015 (Monday)
NamUs Case Created	July 14th, 2016 (Thursday)
Location	New Port Richey, Florida (Pasco County); Van Doren Avenue is mentioned in conjunction with her last sighting.
Missing Age	21 Years
Current Age	31 Years
Birthdate Range	October 27th, 1993 – October 26th, 1994 Probably in December 1993.
Height	4'7" – 5'0" (55–60 inches)
Weight	100–110 lbs
BMI	21.5–23.2 (Normal range, indicating a petite, slender build, which helps visualize Brook as having an average, lightweight frame for her height)
Hair Color	Brown (Long, past shoulders)
Eye Color	Hazel
Distinctive Physical Features	Pierced ears; Tattoos: Large clock on right chest, large skull on left chest, tattoos on both wrists, writing from shoulder to shoulder on upper chest, tattoo on left thigh
Clothing and Accessories	Unknown clothing, footwear, or jewelry; no eyewear or accessories
Circumstances of Disappearance	Brook left a friend’s residence (Hillside Drive) at approximately 2:00 AM on October 26th, 2015, to meet an unknown subject and has not been seen since. She was said to be heading to a Sunoco gas station at that time.
Transportation	No information entered

By: Shane Lambert
Original Publication Date: October 9th, 2025

AI dramatization. Theory is speculative.

Brook Lynn Peck - Trucker Theory

On October 26th, 2015, Brook Lynn Peck, a 21-year-old woman, vanished from New Port Richey, Florida, after leaving a friend’s home on Hillside Drive around 2:00 AM to meet an unknown individual at a Sunoco gas station. The nearest Sunoco station to Hillside Drive was at 5736 US Highway 19, New Port Richey, FL 34652. Her phone made its last outgoing call at 6:17 AM, and she hasn’t been heard from since.

With a court date set for October 27th and clothes laid out for her return, her disappearance under suspicious circumstances has puzzled investigators for a decade. Given her struggles with substance use and involvement in prostitution, one compelling theory emerges: could Brook’s case be a truck-stop disappearance tied to a late-night client?

Truckers are a known entity when it comes to prostitution usage. The lingo for women who engage in prostitution is "lot lizard." Furthermore, the truckers are a known entity in relation to missing persons cases. The FBI's Highway Serial Killings Initiative reflects the dangers that are associated with some individuals who are long-distance truckers.

Brook Lynn Peck - The Gas Station Disappearance

The Sunoco station at 5736 US Highway 19, located along a bustling corridor, was a likely 24/7 operation in 2015, though this isn’t explicitly documented. Its position on a major thoroughfare like US 19, a key route in Pasco County’s trucking network, supports this assumption, as gas stations in such areas often cater to late-night travelers and truckers. 

Google Maps imagery confirms the station rebranded to Shell between June and December 2016; the current Shell operates 24/7, reinforcing the site’s round-the-clock accessibility. In 2015, this Sunoco was a plausible rendezvous point at 2:00 AM, especially for transient visitors.

Google Maps also reveals a critical clue from about the time of her disappearance: archival footage of the area on Google Maps shows a rig parked at the station. While not a formal truck stop like a Pilot or Love’s, the location’s proximity to US 19 appears to have made it a convenient pull-off for truckers needing fuel or rest. Informal parking for semis is common along such highways in North America. Brook’s plan to meet someone suggests a prearranged encounter, and her history in sex work points to a possible “John” contacting her, possibly a trucker.

Truckers, often transient and seeking discreet services, are a known demographic in highway sex trade and truck stops emerge in missing persons cases quite often, as seen in cases like Patricia Seelbaugh's. A trucker idling at the Sunoco could have called Brook, luring her to the lot.

This theory, although speculative, aligns with the case’s suspicious nature. Furthermore, it aligns with known missing persons patterns. Truck stops, broadly construed to include gas stations where truckers are allowed to park long term, aren't safe places to be in the wee hours of the morning. In my speculation, I lean toward disappearance by a John who was employed as a trucker and who used the gas station's parking areas for rest.

Disappearance of Patricia Jane Seelbaugh: A 1973 Cold Case

The Mysterious Disappearance of Patricia Jane Seelbaugh: A 1973 Cold Case from Grove City, PA

Unraveling the 1973 Disappearance of Patricia Seelbaugh at Barkeyville Truck Stop

Photo from NamUs

1973 Yearbook for Grove City Area High School. 

1971 Yearbook for Grove City Area High School

Case Summary: Patricia Jane Seelbaugh

Field	Details
Name	Patricia Jane Seelbaugh (used Patti as a nickname)
NamUs Case Number	MP7040
Probable Parents	Betty Jane Seelbaugh (confirmed in obit.)  September 8, 1932 - August 24, 2020 Domer R. Seelbaugh (Betty's husband, d. 2002)
Date of Last Contact	October 26, 1973 (Friday) Said to be missing since February 1973 in obituary for mother (will defer to NamUs).
Location Last Seen	Barkeyville Truck Stop, near Grove City, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, or at residence near Hallville (NamUs description on October 1st, 2025 is unclear)
Age at Disappearance	17 Years (Born Between: October 27, 1955, to October 26, 1956)
Current Age	69 Years (as of October 1st, 2025)
Biological Sex	Female
Race/Ethnicity	White / Caucasian
Height	5'0" (60 inches)
Weight	98 lbs
Hair Color	Black, long and straight
Eye Color	Hazel
Clothing	Blue jeans
Eyewear	Wore glasses for reading but did not have them at the time of disappearance
Circumstances of Disappearance	Last seen on October 26, 1973, at Barkeyville Truck Stop off Interstate 80, east of Interstate 79, in the company of friends. Dropped off with a known male at a residence in Hallville, near Grove City, PA, after midnight. Never seen again.
BMI	19.14 (would appear lean or slim)

Source: NamUs.gov, Case #MP7040

Patricia Seelbaugh’s 1973 Vanishing: A Truck Stop Riddle with a Mysterious MaleBy: Shane Lambert
Original time of publication: October 1st, 2025On Friday, October 26, 1973, 17-year-old Patricia Jane Seelbaugh vanished from Grove City, Pennsylvania. This is a case without much information online or in newspaper archives. On the latter matter, I did not find any original journalism regarding her case, which will make details scant to online researchers these days. Furthermore, some of the details that are available with this case are vague and even contradictory.

Where Was She Actually Last Seen?

According to the NamUs report (MP7040), Patricia was last seen at the Barkeyville Truck Stop off Interstate 80. This would be a rough hub for truckers and hitchhitters in the 1970s, where a teenager’s presence late on a Friday night feels strikingly odd. Truck stops were and remain well known for danger, with actions tied to prostitution and violent crimes like abductions and murders during that era. Taken alone, her last location at a truck stop would be a clue as to what happened for her.Yet, the report adds confusion. As it reads, it suggests the truck stop was not her last-known location after all. It says Patricia was dropped off with a “known male” at a residence in Hallville, near Grove City, after midnight, and that she was never seen again. The after-midnight qualification might make her disappearance date October 27th, 1973, adding another debatable fact pertaining to the case.But what I really don't like is this double last-location detail. Was she last seen at the truck stop or this male's residence?

Vague Reference to Known Male

Furthermore, the “known male” is a cryptic figure. Who was he—a friend, local, or predator? NamUs provides no clarity on his identity or why he’s noted, making the vague mention frustrating. The focus on Barkeyville suggests it may hold clues. Perhaps this is where she met the man but the residence marks her final sighting, shifting suspicion to that encounter.

Barkeyville Truck Stop: In the News

I decided to focus on the truck stop and how it appeared in the news over the years.
In one article for April 1987, the truck stop is mentioned in conjunction with a spate of missing women, who were prostitutes that served truckers at various truck stops in the greater region. The article appeared in the April 5th, 1987 Pittsburgh Press.

The 1987 article describes murders and disappearances associated with the greater area, including the Barkeyville Truck Stop. It's possible that there was more than one truck stop associated with the town but one can see the dangers. However, 1987 is a long time after Patricia's disappearance and thus the killings around 1987 are presumably not directly involved.
In a 1972 article regarding the truck stop, an article on June 30th referenced the arrest of five people at the truck stop who had drug charges dropped.

A March 13th, 1973 article references armed robbery at the truck stop. This further highlights the dangerous scene for the area where Patricia was potentially last seen. I found other instances of theft at the truck stop as well.

Oil City Derrick.

It remains unclear if her last-known location was the truck stop or the male's residence. I hesitate to fill in the blanks. However, that a missing 17-year old girl's final itinerary included such a clandestine place can't be ignored. 
This case is 52 years old and it probably won't be that long until it just slides into history. It's a shame that more details are not available and it would be nice if someone who remembers the night of her disappearance, if still alive, offered some insights into the comments (ie. her friends that were with her that night).

Patricia Seelbaugh Had Gone Missing Previously

I did find a newspaper report describing Patty as one of a quartet of missing youngsters in the area. It seems she went missing at the age of 15, if only for a short time. She must have been found as she appeared in her yearbooks and disappeared permanently in 1973. But it could be that the previous short-term missing episode, which drew media attention, made her 1973 disappearance a little less urgent. This is not a same-name match as the age matches and so does the address of RD 3.

Nov1. 1971 The Record-Argus

I also found some hospital admissions (ie. Jan 24, 1972 The News-Herald), but no clear relevance.

Looking Back at the Non-existent Missing Person Case of Carolyn Eaton

Author: Shane Lambert

On February 14th, 1982 a Department of Public Safety officer found a dead body roadside off of Interstate 40 in Arizona. It was Carolyn Eaton, a minor who had run away from home in December of 1981. It would take 39 years before she would be identified. Below is a snippet of the original journalism from the time.

UID-AZ - #UP9864 - Valentine Sally Jane Doe - Williams, AZ - 14 Feb 1982 16 Feb 1982, Tue Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona) Newspapers.com

The Jane Doe had numerous profiles online and she was dubbed Valentine Sally. She was talked about extensively at her Websleuths.com forum. Honest attempts at naming her were made but they all failed until the individualization process known as DNA profiling zoomed in on her. There are probably hundreds if not thousands of Does that are waiting to be identified in the same way but the highly skilled labor that's required to perform the work only inches forward case by case.

The lengthy process of identification through familial DNA requires that a Doe's DNA be compared to a relative's. The problem is, finding a relative to compare to isn't easy: one has to have their DNA in an accessible databank to begin with. If a relative is found, that still doesn't end the task of matching the Jane Doe to someone who is missing. If the relative was a distant one, then the branches of the family tree have to be explored to find a worthwhile candidate for comparison. This process can be difficult.

What might be easier is good old-fashioned online Websleuthing. The catch is that in order for the Websleuths to do their thing, there has to be a report online of the missing person. For Carolyn Eaton, I found no missing person reports associated with her name prior to her identification as Valentine Sally.

The Jane Doe mystery was popular enough among Websleuths that if Carolyn Eaton simply had a missing person's profile online at one of the websites that offer such publishing that the case of Valentine Sally might have been solved a long time ago. Timely solving would do a lot: it would help apprehend any murderer, for starters. Why should we let those guys grow old in the comforts of their homes? 

Adding profiles to databases would streamline the process of identifying Does. The familial DNA process is too slow and too expensive. Websleuths aren't necessarily fast -- but they are cheap because they are volunteers and they are hobbyists. They are effective too but there's that 'catch' to think about: where the DNA people need DNA profiles to compare, if Websleuths are going to identify a Jane doe then they need a Missing Person's report to compare to.

If you have filed a police report for a missing person, then that's a good first step in trying to find the person. However, you should also make an effort to get the case profiled at Canada's Missing or NamUs, the latter being for the USA. If you can't get something up through those avenues in a timely manner, there's always DoeNetwork, CharleyProject, or this blog that you're looking at right now.