Regina Bos: Unsolved Lincoln Disappearance and the GINA Foundation

Regina “Gina” Bos was a 40-year-old musician and mother of three who vanished from downtown Lincoln, Nebraska, in the early morning hours of October 17, 2000, after performing at an open mic night. Her car was found parked near the bar with her guitar still inside and her purse missing. She has never been seen again. The Lincoln Police Department has treated the case as a homicide from the start, and 25 years later it remains the department’s oldest unsolved missing persons case.¹

The Night She Disappeared

On the evening of October 16, 2000, Bos went to Duggan’s Pub, a dive bar at 11th and K streets in downtown Lincoln, for its weekly open mic night. Her boyfriend, Michael Johnson, had planned to go with her but changed his mind and asked her to drop him at home first.²

She performed and then spent the night socializing. Her second ex-husband, Dave Bos, was also at the pub and later told investigators she was in a “real good mood.” He left alone between 10:00 and 10:30 p.m. Multiple witnesses saw Regina leave Duggan’s around 1:00 a.m. closing time on October 17.²

Johnson woke to find she had not come home. He paged her repeatedly, then called the Lincoln Police Department at 6:38 a.m. to report her missing. Later that day, he and friends found her car across the street from the pub, trunk slightly ajar. Her guitar and sheet music were inside. Her purse was gone and has never been recovered.²

What Investigators Have Said

Police searched the area with cadaver dogs in the days after Bos vanished and have since interviewed what Detective Greg Sorensen called “everyone involved in Gina’s life.” No suspect or person of interest has ever been publicly named.²

Sorensen told NBC’s Dateline that he believes Bos knew her attacker. “There is no way she would be forcibly taken off the street — in front of all those people that night — by a stranger. I think she knew her assailant,” he said. Asked whether he thinks he knows who killed her, Sorensen answered, “Yes,” but said investigators do not have enough probable cause to make an arrest.²

Who Gina Bos Was

Those who knew Bos described her as deeply devoted to music. She wrote her own songs and performed regularly around Lincoln. “She was so involved in music. She loved it. She wrote music and sang,” Johnson said.² She had recently been hired as a manager at a FedEx Kinko’s in Lincoln and was raising three young children.³ Her family and boyfriend have consistently said she would never have walked away from them voluntarily.

At the time she disappeared, she stood 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed about 105 pounds, and had auburn hair and brown eyes.²

The GINA Foundation

Gina’s sister, Jannel Rap, has led the effort to keep the case visible. She traveled to Lincoln soon after the disappearance and distributed fliers widely, including to long-haul truckers.²

In October 2001, Rap founded the GINA for Missing Persons FOUNDation, a nonprofit that uses music and live events to draw media attention to missing persons cases. Its Squeaky Wheel Tour pairs musicians with the stories of missing individuals during concerts in local communities. The foundation reports that it has featured missing persons in 14 countries and that more than 3,000 individuals highlighted through its programs have been found. In 2024, Rap launched a YouTube podcast called “America Lost and FOUND.”⁴

Nebraska Missing Persons Day

Working with Lincoln Senator Danielle Conrad, the Bos family championed LB 1102, which designated October 17 as Nebraska Missing Persons Day. The date marks the anniversary of Gina’s disappearance. The bill passed the Nebraska Legislature unanimously, 42-0, on March 28, 2024, and the governor signed it on April 2, 2024.⁵

The first observance was held in October 2024. The second took place on October 17, 2025, at the Nebraska State Capitol, where Gina’s sisters Jannel Rap, Leann Smith, and Tammy Smith performed music and spoke about her. “25 years ago, Gina’s light shone brightly, bringing joy to everyone around her,” Leann and Tammy Smith said. “Then, in an instant, that changed for all of us. What can we do but carry that light and carry it for her?”¹ A plaque honoring Regina Bos is affixed to a tree near the former site of Duggan’s Pub at 11th and K streets.

If You Have Information

The case is open and police continue to receive tips. Anyone with information about Regina Bos can call the Lincoln Police Department at (402) 441-6000.¹

1
1011 News. 25 Years After She Vanished, Family of Regina Bos Marks Nebraska Missing Persons Day
2
NBC News. Regina Bos Still Missing 18 Years After Vanishing in Nebraska
3
1011 News. This Day in History: October 17 — Gina Bos Goes Missing, Nebraska Missing Persons Day Created
4
Rotary District 5320. Jannel Rap
5
Nebraska Legislature. LB 1102