Investigators working on the disappearance of Kayla Stone have confirmed that her final selfie, recovered from her phone’s encrypted backup, was taken in a place they still can’t identify — and what’s seen in the reflection behind her has stunned forensic analysts.
The image, timestamped just 47 minutes before Kayla’s phone went offline, shows her sitting in front of a mirror surrounded by dim, yellow light. But experts say the background doesn’t match any known location connected to her home, workplace, or social circles.
“We’ve run geolocation checks, light pattern analysis, even surface reflections — and still nothing,” said a digital forensic investigator. “It’s like the photo was taken in a space that doesn’t exist.”
Even more unsettling, detectives say that in the mirror’s edge, a partial reflection of another person can be seen standing behind her — though only a shoulder and a blurred outline are visible.
“We’ve enhanced the image multiple times,” said lead investigator Captain Elise Warren. “It’s not a trick of the light. Someone was in that room with her.”
The selfie has now become a central piece of evidence, with experts hoping to extract micro-details from the image — including possible fingerprints on the mirror and environmental cues from the wallpaper’s faint texture.
Friends describe Kayla as “relaxed but distant” in the photo, her smile tight and her eyes fixed on something just outside the frame.
“It’s eerie,” said one close friend. “She looks like she knew that picture would matter.”
Detectives say a public appeal for information about the unidentified location will be issued later this week.
