Circumstances of Disappearance
Orsborn was last seen at her family's Daytona Beach, Florida home on March 19, 1984.
The day she vanished, Colleen missed the school bus and her mother left change so she could take a public bus. Her mom then left for work, but Colleen never got on the bus. It is believed she ditched school to go to the beach.
The only clothes missing from her Butler Avenue home was a pink two-piece bathing suit and flip-flops.
Orsborn was initially thought to be a runaway who was headed towards Titusville, Florida. Police now suspect that she was abducted by serial-killer Christopher Wilder. He was seen in Daytona that day, propositioning "models." Wilder was killed in Colebrook on April 13, 1984, in a struggle with a New Hampshire state trooper.
In February 2001, Orsborn's brother got an anonymous letter postmarked in Manchester, NH from someone who said he had killed the girl, giving some directions to where he supposedly left the body and begging forgiveness. The author said he is dying from cirrhosis of the liver. The author describes an area along the Tomaka River in Daytona Beach where he claims to have dumped the girl’s body and clothes.
Investigators say the author may not be Orsborn’s killer, and instead could have learned of the disappearance by talking to Wilder when Wilder passed through New Hampshire. Still, they are investigating the possibility the letter is for real.