The Missing Persons Thread

[SGR]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

If we have a serial killers thread (and I do a serial killers journal) this can't necessarily be considered in bad taste, however I would suggest SGR that you add a line in the OP to the effect that if anyone has any information and maybe see if you can source emails or phone numbers or websites that were set up to take such information. Who knows? Maybe one of you will solve a missing persons case! Wouldn't that be great? In reality though, it might just help to avoid the otherwise perhaps slightly ghoulish nature of such a thread, not that I'm saying I see it as such, but some might.

And always bear in mind, it's a tiny possibility, about as likely as me ever having a girlfriend, but at some point someone who knows these people might end up here, and it would be as well to be aware that could happen.

100% agreed. Thanks for the suggestion Troll.

I've added the phone numbers of the investigating agencies to each case I've posted thus far.

[SGR]

Brianna Maitland - American - Female - Montgomery, Vermont - missing since 03/19/2004 - age 17 at the time of disappearance

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Originally Posted by The Charley Project

Brianna was last seen at her dishwashing job at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont, between 11:20 p.m. and midnight on March 19, 2004. Her coworkers asked her to have dinner with them, but she declined because she was tired and had to get up early to go her second job as a waitress in St. Albans, Vermont. She left work and was supposed to go home to where she lived with a friend in Sheldon, Vermont.

She never arrived and her friend assumed she had moved back in with her parents and brother in East Franklin, Vermont. The friend called Brianna's parents on March 23 and found out Brianna wasn't there, and reported her missing.

Brianna's vehicle, a pale green four-door 1985 Oldsmobile sedan, was found abandoned on March 20, off East Berkshire Road and Route 118, across Dutchburn Farm Road, about a mile outside of Montgomery. It was parked partially inside an abandoned barn.

Two of Brianna's uncashed paychecks were on the front seat of the car. She also left behind all her clothing, her medicine, driver's license, her makeup, and her contact lenses. Some of her belongings were strewn on the ground in front of the car. A woman's fleece jacket was found in a field near Brianna's car, but it apparently did not belong to her.

The Oldsmobile had sustained minor damage; it had apparently backed into the building and punctured a hole in the wall. Investigators later came to believe the accident may have been staged. A photograph of the vehicle as it was found is posted with this case summary.

Police did not initially report the abandoned car to Brianna's mother, who is the registered owner. They noticed Brianna's paychecks inside the vehicle and guessed that she was the primary driver, so they went to her place of work to try to find her and tell her about the car. The abandoned Oldsmobile and Brianna's disappearance were not connected until her disappearance was reported three days later.

There has been some speculation that Brianna's disappearance is related to the disappearance of Maura Murray, a nursing student from Massachusetts who vanished February 9, 2004 in Haverhill, New Hampshire after getting into a car accident. She has not been found. Haverhill is only about 90 miles from Montgomery.

The FBI met with local authorities to discuss possible links between the cases. Both Murray and Brianna are attractive brown-haired young women, and both disappeared after car accidents in which their cars were left behind with personal items inside.

However, the FBI and local law enforcement concluded that, despite the apparent similarities, Murray and Brianna's cases were probably not connected to each other. The theory is not being entirely ruled out, but investigators believe it is an unlikely one.

About three weeks before Brianna disappeared, she was reportedly attacked by a female acquaintance in front of several witnesses. The reasons for the assault are unclear. Brianna did not try to defend herself, although she has had several years of martial arts training.

After the attack she went to the hospital and received treatment for facial cuts, two black eyes and a concussion. She filed a criminal complaint against her alleged attacker. The case was still pending when Brianna disappeared. After she vanished, the district attorney dropped the complaint, against the objections of Brianna's parents.

There is a possibility that Brianna left of her own accord; she mentioned to friends her plans for possibly making a short trip out of the area. She is described as an independent, restless young woman who was unhappy in her rural surroundings, and she has run away before.

Brianna passed her GED examination on the day of her disappearance; she planned to attend college part-time. Authorities believe she was a victim of foul play and her disappearance is possibly drug-related; drugs are very common in the Montgomery area.

Brianna's parents also think she came to harm, but they maintain their daughter was not seriously involved with drugs and drugs were not a factor in her disappearance. Her parents separated after her disappearance and her mother now lives in New York.

Some agencies report that Brianna vanished from East Franklin or Sheldon, Vermont.

Other resources:

https://www.chillingcrimes.com/blogs...ianna-maitland

https://storiesoftheunsolved.com/202...anna-maitland/



Any tips or information?
Please call the Vermont State Police, the investigating agency, at 802-524-5993

[SGR]

I learned about this case in one of the Missing 411 movies, a very strange case indeed.

Thomas E. Messick Sr. - American - Male - Horicon, New York - missing since 11/15/2015 - age 82 at the time of disappearance

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Originally Posted by The Charley Project

Messick was last seen hunting with friends and relatives on state land in the Lake George Wild Forest near Brant Lake near Horicon, New York at 10:00 a.m. November 15, 2015. The group separated a short distance off Lily Pond Road, with plans to meet up at an agreed-upon location at 2:00 p.m.

Messick never arrived at the rendezvous point, and his hunting party began searching for him. At 4:30 p.m., after they were unable to find him, they contacted forest rangers. Four rangers searched the area until midnight, and the subsequent volunteer-assisted search lasted weeks, but no sign of Messick was ever located.

According to his wife of over fifty years, Messick is an experienced hunter and woodsman and, if he had gotten lost, he would have cut off a piece of his jacket and tied it to a tree to mark his path. Due to his age and health issues, authorities don't believe he could have gotten very far on his own. His case remains unsolved and his family believes he's deceased.

Other resources:

https://locationsunknown.org/tom-messick

https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/fi...ust-days-apart



Any tips or information?
Please call the New York State Police, Troop G, Queensbury at 518-745-1035

The weird thing about this case is the circumstances. This guy was with friends on a hunting trip, he was basically sitting down where they parked their vehicles, at the treeline - and waiting for his friends to drive some deer his way. He had no reason to move that we know of, and his friends weren't expecting him to. Keep in mind, this guy is 82 years old, half-deaf and half-blind and not very mobile. And yet, by the time his friends came back, he was gone. No trace of him. One of these friends reported hearing a very strange sound in the woods, like a metallic scraping I believe he described it, something he's never heard before in the woods. No trace of this guy has ever been found, not even his clothes or his gun. If you're interested in this case, I highly recommend watching Missing 411: The Hunted which goes over it (and other cases like it) in more detail.

[SGR]

Originally Posted by elphenor

we had a weird case like this in Texas where it turned out the guy was probably eaten by hogs

sounds likely something like that happened to this guy

Yeesh, was he dead or alive when that happened?

You'd think if the guy was eaten though they'd be able to find something that would point to that. They haven't even found his gun or clothes.

If we're to stay completely grounded to reality, it seems like there was foul play here to me.

The other weird thing about this case is that the FBI got involved with it shortly after it happened, which is rather unusual for cases like these (unless a child disappeared or the disappearance happened on federal land). They apparently told his wife that they had some theories about what happened to him, but couldn't reveal much more. Bizarre.

[SGR]

Margaret Ellen Fox - American - Female - Burlington, New Jersey - missing since 06/24/1974 - age 14 at the time of disappearance

Picture (age progressed right):

Originally Posted by The Charley Project

Margaret was last seen in Burlington, New Jersey on June 24, 1974. She was planning to go to High and west Broad Streets in Mount Holly, New Jersey to have an interview with a man who called himself John Marshall.

Margaret's younger sister accompanied her to the bus stop and saw her get on. Witnesses reported seeing her near Mill and High Streets after she got off the bus in Mount Holly, but she has never been heard from again.

Margaret had advertised for a babysitting job, and "Marshall" responded to the ad on June 19. He told her he needed a babysitter for the following weekend, but he postponed meeting her several times. Finally he said he would meet her in a red Volkswagen. He gave Margaret a telephone number to reach him; the number was traced to a public phone booth at a supermarket in Lumberton, New Jersey.

In the hours after Margaret was reported missing, police started recording all phone calls placed to her residence. Once was from a man who demanded $10,000 for Margaret's safe return. He stated, "$10,000 might be a lot of bread, but your daughter's life is the buttered topping." This caller has never been identified. You can listen the call here on the FBI website.

Margaret has never been heard from again and "John Marshall" has never been identified. Several other parents in the area complained that someone had attempted to lure their daughters with fake job offers. A suspect's 1976 confession to involvement in her disappearance was widely publicized, but turned out to be a hoax.

Margaret took piano lessons in 1974 and she liked to ride horses. She graduated from St. Paul's Grammar School in Burlington two weeks before she vanished. Her parents are now deceased, but her siblings are still alive, and some still live in the Burlington area. Her case remains unsolved.

Other resources:

https://patch.com/new-jersey/cinnami...aret-ellen-fox

https://missingpersonscenter.org/mis...aret-ellen-fox

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/margaret-ellen-fox

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disapp...aret_Ellen_Fox



Any tips or information?
Please call the Burlington City Police Department at 609-386-3300

[BassoonPlatoon]

It is possible that Mittank suffered memory loss as a result of the concussion he received.
Unlikely, to be sure, but for those who wish to hold out a semblance of hope.

[SGR]

Originally Posted by BassoonPlatoon

It is possible that Mittank suffered memory loss as a result of the concussion he received.
Unlikely, to be sure, but for those who wish to hold out a semblance of hope.

Some think because of that fight he was in, he suffered a traumatic brain injury - or the medication he received afterward had some bad side effects, still a weird a case for sure.

[SGR]

A real headscratcher, this one...

Brian Randall Shaffer - American - Male - Columbus, Ohio - missing since 04/01/2006 - age 27 at the time of disappearance

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Originally Posted by The Charley Project

Shaffer was last seen at the Ugly Tuna Saloona, a bar near the Ohio State University (OSU) campus, between 1:30 and 2:00 a.m. on April 1, 2006. He had gone there to celebrate the beginning of spring break with several male friends, and drank several shots of hard liquor.

He was last seen speaking to two college-age women inside the bar. He has never been heard from again. Security cameras at the bar show him entering the establishment, but not leaving it.

Shaffer's car was found parked at his apartment, which is near the Ugly Tuna Saloona, after his disappearance. None of his personal belongings disappeared with him, and his cellular phone, credit cards and bank accounts have not been used since he went missing.

Shaffer's loved ones describe his disappearance as highly unusual. He was a second-year medical student at OSU at the time of his disappearance, and made excellent grades.

He and his girlfriend, also a medical student, were planning to vacation in Miami, Florida for spring break and were scheduled to fly there on April 3, two days after his disappearance. His family reported him missing after he missed the flight.

Shaffer was in love with his girlfriend and reportedly planned to marry her. His mother died of cancer three weeks before his disappearance. He'd been close to her and he was grieving her passing, but his family and friends stated he was not inordinately depressed or suicidal.

In May 2006, someone broke into Shaffer's apartment. The burglary turned out to be unrelated to his disappearance. Shaffer's father looked in the Olentangy River for his son's remains after his disappearance, but turned up no evidence. His father was killed in a freak accident in September 2008. Shaffer's only surviving relative is his younger brother.

Authorities do not believe Shaffer left of his own accord, but it is unclear what caused his disappearance. He graduated Pickerington High School in 1997 and got a bachelor's degree in microbiology from OSU in 2003. Shaffer's case remains unsolved.

Other resources:

https://allthatsinteresting.com/brian-shaffer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disapp..._Brian_Shaffer

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/...ow/6995317002/

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/mis.../brian-shaffer







Any tips or information?
Please call the Columbus Police Department at 877-645-8477

[SGR]

Denise Newsom Porch - American - Female - Charlotte, North Carolina - missing since 07/31/1975 - age 21 at the time of disappearance

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Originally Posted by The Charley Project

Porch was last seen in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 31, 1975. She was employed as the manager of Yorktown Apartments on Tyvola Road at the time and also resided in the complex. She left a note for her husband saying she'd left to show an apartment to a prospective renter.

She was last seen during the afternoon hours as she showed a man around the property. She has never been seen again. There were no signs that a struggle had taken place inside her own apartment, and the air conditioning and television set were left on.

Porch left all of her personal belongings behind, including her Camaro and her purse. The only things missing were the keys to the vacant apartments in the complex, and a log of available units which she would show to prospective tenants. She has never been seen again. An extensive search did not produce any clues as to her whereabouts.

Her family had her declared legally deceased in 1982, seven years after her disappearance. It is not believed that Porch left of her own accord; her family says she was happy with her life at the time of her disappearance and she had just celebrated her first wedding anniversary.

Larry Gene Bell emerged as a possible suspect in Porch's case in the mid-1980s. A photo of Bell is posted with this case summary. A former electrician, he lived on Cherrycrest Lane in 1975, approximately 300 yards from Yorktown Apartments.

Bell was found guilty of the murders of two young women from South Carolina in 1985 and sentenced to death. He maintained his innocence in Porch's case and was never formally charged in connection with her disappearance. He is also the prime suspect in several other young women's disappearances and presumed murders in North Carolina.

Porch physically resembled Bell's other victims and authorities believe he was involved in her case. Bell was executed in 1996, although his lawyers attempted to reverse his death sentence by claiming he was mentally ill and believed he was Jesus Christ.

Another possible suspect, who tried to extort a $50,000 ransom from Porch's family after her disappearance, turned out to be an opportunist who had not been involved in her presumed abduction.

Porch was declared legally dead in 1982. Her disappearance remains unsolved and foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved. Her family says it is extremely uncharacteristic of her not to contact them.

Other resources:

https://www.charlottemagazine.com/th...-denise-porch/

https://clclt.com/theclog/archives/2...f-denise-porch



Any tips or information?
Please call the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department at 704-353-1000

[SGR]

Logan Drew Schiendelman - American - Male - Tumwater, Washington - missing since 05/19/2016 - age 19 at the time of disappearance

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Originally Posted by The Charley Project

Schiendelman was last seen in Tumwater, Washington on May 19, 2016. He has never been heard from again.

He had played football at Tumwater High School. After his graduation in 2014, he attended Washington State University, 300 miles from home, but dropped out after his freshman year and moved back home. He moved in with his grandmother and half-sister and worked multiple jobs, one of them at his great-aunt's five-acre arm.

His family described him as a quiet, sensitive young man, and his loved ones noticed he became more withdrawn after he left college. He cut ties with his high school friends and hadn't made many new friends during his year at Washington State University.

He had been raised by his maternal grandmother, and had no contact with his father's family until shortly before his disappearance, when he reached out of them and had an emotional meeting with some of his paternal relatives. Schiendelman reportedly told them that if his maternal grandmother found out he'd been seeing his paternal relatives, she would be angry.

His grandmother, who had raised him, said he had been smoking a lot of marijuana at the time of his disappearance. There was apparently some tension between Schiendelman and his half-sister's boyfriend; the boyfriend had moved in with the family, and Schiendelman didn't like this. The boyfriend was questioned about Schiendelman's disappearance and said he knew nothing about it. He passed a polygraph.

The last time Schiendelman spoke to his grandmother, on the morning of May 19, he seemed nervous and told her he had had an "epiphany" about himself he needed to work through. She suggested they talk about it later that day. He never spoke to her again.

The next day, wondering where he was, she pinged his cellular phone and it pinged off a tower near his mother's home in Olympia, Washington, so she assumed he was there. In fact, Schiendelman's mother hadn't seen him, and further activity on his phone indicates he went down Interstate 5 heading south, then back north, then south again, then north again, then south again.

A woman reported having seen Schiendelman with two Caucasian men by his car, which was parked on the right shoulder of southbound Interstate 5 near Exit 95. She saw them on the morning of May 20, while she was driving to work. When she passed the location again coming home, the car was still parked in the same spot, but the hood was up.

One of the men was six feet tall, with a very thin build and thin, straight blond hair in a bowl cut. He wore a too-small tank top and too-short jeans. A sketch of this man is posted with this case summary. The other man is described as having shoulder-length blond hair and wearing a flannel shirt and jeans.

Three people called 911 at 2:00 p.m. on May 20 to report a car drifting across the lanes of Interstate 5 between Tumwater and Maytown, near milepost 92. There didn't appear to be anyone driving. It veered across three lanes towards the center lane, hit the concrete barrier and stopped.

A truck driver reported seeing a Caucasian man with brown or red hair jumping out the passenger side of the vehicle and running towards the thick woods on the side of the interstate. The description of the man doesn't match Schiendelman, but the car, a black 1996 Chrysler Sebring convertible with the Washington license plate number AVJ8434, was his. He left his wallet, identification, debit card, $25 in cash, cellular phone, car keys, water bottle, and other belongings inside it, along with a grocery sack full of snacks in the center console.

An extensive search of a two-mile radius of the woods around the spot the car was found, involving helicopters and tracker dogs, turned up no sign of Schiendelman. A week later, however, someone at the Olympia regional airport checked in on his Facebook page.

It's uncharacteristic of Schiendelman to leave without warning and his family is baffled by his disappearance. Police believe he may have been suffering from mental illness. They stated there was no evidence of foul play in his case, but also no evidence that Schiendelman is still alive. His case remains unsolved.

Other resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disapp...n_Schiendelman

https://medium.com/of-misdeeds-and-m...n-2679d2407a40

https://www.andthentheyweregone.com/...n-schiendelman



Any tips or information?
Please call the Thurston County Sheriff's Office at 360-786-5500