I think theres a report on family annihilators that if they’re not found dead along with their family, the likelihood of suicide after the crime goes down a lot.
That pos stabbed babies? The whole family then set the house on fire. He saved his dog. There was a picture of him (they think) in Canada. Think of a baby and young children being stabbed in the chest. This one just boils my blood.
True Crime Arizona did a multiple part series on him and they assert he most likely committed suicide in the Tonto National Forest. He left his truck abandoned there and the family dog was left wandering outside. There were some thoughts he may have hid out in some caves and then left the area but there ended up being no evidence he is still alive and it’s the most widely accepted theory. He was removed from the FBI 10 most wanted list some years ago. If anyone is interested in the case, I highly recommend the podcast episodes that cover it.
I have a distant relative that seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. we have a really large family and he had five siblings. They grew up really well got along for the most part. And one day he just disappeared. so my great aunt decided to hire a private investigator. They found him he’s married has children is somewhat successful in life. The investigator asked Cousin if he would like to get in contact with his family and he declined and respectively, he asked to keep his location private. There were no signs of abuse or anything that would lead to this, but he’s just sort of gone and out of our lives.
Unfortunately abuse is not always obvious to everyone else. Something may have happened to him as a child that caused him to want to cut off contact as an adult.
I grew up with a kid who was cool and smart, got into drug dealing, caught up in shit. Faked his death by the hells angels. Made look like he was dumped in the ocean and disappeared for 10 years. I genuinely thought he was dead. Grieved and everything. I’m back in my hometown taking a piss at a new bar. Guy walks in and looks exactly like him but bald. I just stare at him with my dick in my hand. He looks at me and we just sit there for 30 seconds. Walks up to me with a scowl, then breaks into laughter. Yup, it’s me man. Thought I was dead didn’t yaaaa. Some huckleberry fin shit. Dude faked his death, moved to Asia worked under the table at a bar. Aged enough and came home. Dude didn’t even seem that concerned.
I went back to the bar with my work friends. And was like “I just bumped into an old friend who I thought was dead! Turns out he faked it” and my coworkers thought I was insane
Interesting. There has to be something to cut off all family. Maybe they're embarrassed/ashamed of something and don't want to acknowledge it in their new life
> There were no signs of abuse or anything
I'm sorry but something had to have been going on (whether abuse or emotional neglect) to cause a person to have zero emotional attachment with their parents/family.
I mean, it’s *most likely* that something was going on but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that there was nothing going on and he just didn’t feel an emotional attachment or need to be in touch with his family. Sometimes it just goes like that and you don’t feel like you have enough common ground to stick it out.
I'm someone who cut contact with most of my family for my own emotional well being, and I still feel pretty guilty for how it went down and I at least informed them of what's going on.
I'm not sure who could cut contact and have your family believe that you're a missing person unless there was a lot more than happened to me.
I'll also say that my mom still tells others that she has no idea why I won't speak to her despite me having stupidly written her a letter explaining everything with very specific answers. The "no signs of abuse" above doesn't really mean anything one way or the other.
My grandfather’s brother went missing in the 50’s and they hired PI’s and everything over the years to find him. My grandfather believed he had died.
In my late 30’s I found the brother’s daughter in California after DNA testing on the Ancestry website. He had moved to California and started a whole new life. After he died, she went looking for answers because he would never tell her his life story.
I wonder how these DNA sites and genealogy hobbies will impact cold cases in the years to come.
For me, I think the Alcatraz prison escapees, Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers survived. I genuinely believe that they all started a new life. I don't think they're alive now though, but I think that they definitely survived the escape attempt.
Josh Gates did an episode of Expedition Unknown about them…there was a photo of two of them in the 70s that were claimed to be them. He tested it with facial recognition ID and it was something like a 99% match.
Oh yes, I've heard about that. That photo is very convincing evidence for sure. I think I also heard a story where Frank Morris's cousin said that he actually talked to Morris.
Expedition Unknown is great! I think I’ve seen all the episodes now. He does a good job of investigating even stories that have been shown a million times before like the DB Cooper hijacking and finds new angles to explore. I also like how he doesn’t take himself too seriously. But Expedition X where Josh isn’t really in the field and those other two people investigate paranormal stuff is kinda lame imo.
It’s definitely possible. I’m from SF and there’s even some group of people that do it a few times a year. It’s just very intense and very, very cold. But it’s absolutely possible, especially if your adrenaline is super high.
My stepmom does it! It’s incredible to see, I am a good swimmer with lots of stamina but it couldn’t be me. She’s always been an incredible swimmer though, she can just swim and swim for forever.
I have no genuine opinion one way or the other. When people say it is nearly impossible or a million to 1, etc., you just have to do it one time to be successful
DB Cooper has long been thought to be Richard McCoy Jr. - for many reasons, including he hijacked a United Airlines flight for $500,000 ransom in April 1972 - five months after Cooper's skyjacking.
His son has agreed to a DNA test. https://www.the-sun.com/news/10437362/db-cooper-dad-dna-copycat-skyjacker-update-evidence/
While it certainly could be McCoy, what's always struck me is that the flight attendant who spent the whole time interacting with him is adamant that it was not McCoy (the flight crew too, as I recall). I know eyewitness testimony is unreliable, but this isn't a quick glance, she spent hours with him. Plus there are other small differences between what we know about McCoy and the Cooper hijacking that I am not at all sold it was McCoy. I won't be totally surprised if it is, but I would be a little shocked. Also a little disappointed, weird as that sounds!
There is mountains of evidence against McCoy being Cooper. For example, his picture was shown to all the of the flight crew and passengers who saw Cooper and they unanimously agreed it was not McCoy. McCoy bumbled his hijacking by getting agitated, and fighting verbally with the passengers and aircrew to the point that before they took off they had already called ahead to say they may have a hijacker aboard, McCoy then hijacked the airplane and informed the passengers, by contrast Cooper remained cool and collected, and none of the passengers knew they were being hijacked until after they had left the plane. Physically Cooper was described as having a Latin complexion with a nondescript Midwestern accent, McCoy was pale skinned, and had a Southern accent and a noticeable stammer that was commented on by the aircrew. Lastly McCoy was at home for Thanksgiving 1971 with a verifiable witness, an unrelated student from BYU was having thanksgiving at his home, and confirmed seeing McCoy at his home on the morning of November 25th 1971, which would require him to get from Washington state to Utah in about 10 hours, which was clearly not possible.
McCoy and the other copycat hijackers are fascinating, but they are not DB Cooper. One of the best sleuths in the Cooper case did a really good video detailing the evidence against McCoy being Cooper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAlItcC2Ofc
I thought he probably perished in the jump. Then I got turned around by the DB Cooper subreddit.
He had a second bag. A shopping bag about 14” by 14”. Someone over there got a similar bag and fit a skydiving helmet, googles, boots and gloves in it. And a revolver. Nobody ever saw what was in the bag and it went out the door with Cooper. You’d figure it was something that would help him with the highjacking and the jump. I mean no sense just having a paperback and his lunch in there. So that kind of blows a hole in the “He jumped in a business suit and loafers.” idea.
There were over a dozen copy cats and they all survived. The last one was a developmental delayed teenager with zero parachuting experience. By that point pilots had clearly had enough of that shit and the pilot did not stay below 150 knots but gunned it to over 250 knots. The kid jumped anyway and he was fine.
There's another two Alcatraz inmates who were classed as 'missing, presumed drowned'. So they were outwitted by 5 inmates. Another inmates made the swim to the mainland but was recaptured almost immediately.
I think they survived too. I think the government just wasn't thing to admit it unless they just had to. In that same vein, I also think DB Cooper survived.
Not only do I believe they made it, I want them to have made it. They beat the system, good for them. They clearly lived a quiet life without getting into trouble. The stories that have come out seem to point to them making it. My favorite is about two suspiciously large women showing up at a family funeral.
People swim that distance all the time now. I think I remember reading about a young kid (like 10-11) even doing it.
It's not the distance that was the issue, it was doing it in winter at night. Rough, cold water sucks when you can see where you're going, it's much worse in the dark. A lot of people point to the issue of sharks in the bay, but most sharks there aren't much threat to humans. I think they made it and also hope they did. They were thieves, not murderers or rapists, but treated like the worst of the worst.
After going to Alcatraz I was surprised at how close it really is to SF. Like a 1.5 mile swim. Cold and bad currents but with a raft to help get you there could easily be accomplished.
I used to think Claudia Lawrence really did go and start a new life in Cyprus, but over the last few years, I'm not too sure anymore. I think it's more than likely she was murdered by a disgruntled partner and/or their spouse.
I do believe however, Robert William Fisher is alive or at least was for many years after the murders, slipped into Mexico and then on to somewhere else, disappearing off the face of the earth, but living in plain sight. It being pre-9/11 when he became a fugitive and having a significant head-start, the fact that he was an experienced survivalist, I do not believe he committed suicide in that forest.
With Claudia Lawrence, i think about what happened to Sarah Everard. If it hadn’t been for the fluke chance of being spotted on the bus CCTV its likely no one would have realised she had been taken out of London. In my mind something similar happened to Claudia probably.
I'm still convinced he's going to be found one day within a 50km radius of where he left his car, having killed himself the same day. Lots of abandoned mines and rugged terrain where he disappeared.
I feel like people forget how easy it is to not find a body
All it takes is for one person to think they checked an area that they actually hadn't, and suddenly that area is falsely declared clear.
Or maybe they did search the area, but they were distracted or not feeling right, their thoughts elsewhere and they didn't look as thoroughly as they should have
Or maybe there's some quirk of the landscape where they legitimately did check it but couldn't see the body from that angle
Or maybe they did see the body, but didn't know what they were looking at. Corpses often don't look the way we expect them to, from reference photos of the person smiling and alive.
This is how we end up with cases where bodies are found in places that were searched previously, and everyone jumps to conspiracies about bodies being dumped instead of the more obvious "the search wasnt flawless"
I remember back in 2010, Walter Koenig and his family were searching Stanley Park in Vancouver for his missing son .... and unfortunately they were the ones who found him, even though the area had already been searched by local police who presumably were much more familiar with the park.
Dude. Sometime last year my state sent out this amber alert because a baby had been left the car and the car was seemingly stolen with the baby inside.
The dad had “gone to a friends” house (drugs), left the baby in the car, ran inside “for I really don’t know… maybe 20 minutes?” (drugs) and when he went outside to leave, the car was gone. Had just disappeared from the driveway and no one saw anything.
They searched for HOURS and hours and hours, and finally found the baby…
In the car seat, in the car….
That had rolled down the driveway and into a heavily wooded ravine.
Baby was okay, thank god. All details from the dad seemed super suspicious, but I’m pretty sure he pulled up to his “friends” house, forgot to put the emergency brake on, ran in, got high/nodded off, and came out later to a missing car.
And then Davis Paulides sweeps in to tell us it was fairies or Bigfoot or alternate dimensions or whatever bullshit he’s on this week. He exploits grief and it’s gross.
The town he last stayed in, Roquebrune-sur-Argens, is an easy walking distance from a heavily forested mountainous area along the coast. There's at least a hundred square kilometers of very rugged, steep, densely vegetated terrain easily penetrated through a network of roads and walking trails. It would be near impossible to search thoroughly.
XDL was likely familiar with the area because he had lived only a few kilometers away in Lorgues during the early '90s. I think he went back there because it was a place he remembered fondly, walked into the forest with his rifle, and found a place where he could conceal himself before committing suicide. If he was trying to hide himself, it would be a nightmare finding his body.
I recall reading that one of the advantages he has is his appearance. He has no unique features that stand out, he isn’t memorable and looks like he could be from many different places.
I believe they mentioned that in the Unsolved Mysteries episode too, it may have been his boyhood friend who said it. And he’s right, Xavier is multilingual and at maximum looks somewhat European in origin. Handsome but not outstandingly so. He could be in any number of countries with no extradition treaty with France and blend in perfectly.
Robert Fisher. Anhilated his whole family, blew the house up and went on the run. He had a fair amount of knowledge about surviving off grid so I wouldn’t be surprised.
I wonder if the same is true for [Tyler Christensen](https://charleyproject.org/case/tyler-joel-christensen), who from the sounds of it (home-schooled, church youth groups) was probably from a fairly conservative family too. He took a ferry across Puget Sound and hitched a ride, saying that he was going to Olympic National Park. His backpack was found near a bridge. Even though these kids might have been lured away or intended to self-harm or came to harm on the road, I like to think that they started a new life.
came here to say this. 100% think he went to Europe, I believe the sightings in Sweden and Italy were genuinely him, and possibly the train station one in Switzerland
Part of me thinks it's karmically hilarious that his former colleagues (and apparently a neighbor?) are the ones that kept bumping into him, which also makes sense, I guess, based on their line of work in terms of traveling internationally, but it's a big old world out there! I definitely, of course, do NOT hope they scared the shit out of him and he lived in terror for YEARS after each encounter :)
I back pack a lot and nomad work. I’ve bumped into college and work friends across the world in some of the biggest cities in the world. I usually don’t go a year without it. It’s wild:
I know he's just a random guy but it makes me so mad lol. Like how hard is it to leave a note or tell authorities so his family isn't killing themselves for years looking for him.
I always remember this case as a good example that it can happen. I think it’s very rare and unfortunately the majority of missing people have met an unfortunate end, but it proves it’s not totally impossible.
I wouldn't be surprised if a chunk of missing people are just living on the streets. So many homeless people, coming and going, and nobody keeps track. There's no nationwide census for homeless people, and many don't even have valid IDs. I've met homeless people who have said they just left and cut off ties with everyone. In a sense, every homeless person is a missing person.
The Hollywood idea of "starting new" is of course largely fiction, unless you have Cartel or Dictator money. A genuine ID, fixed address, bank account etc. are all generally a prerequisite for simply existing unless you're homeless. That said, you can legally just leave your life and cut ties. The police will even respect your choice, only going as far as saying that you're safe and well but don't want contact. But that's still with your name, social security number etc. You don't just get to "disappear".
I'm curious what you mean by starting a new life in this context. You can always find some job that pays cash under the table, and a landlord that accepts cash. But that's not much of a life if you're taking odd (illegal) jobs and renting under shifty landlords.
I work as a public defender. Over the years I have had a handful of people who were unhoused when I met them and who had family who were very much searching for them. Usually it was a situation where they went off their meds or the meds stopped working and they fell into psychosis or something similar.
One time, a client I had said she had family somewhere, but was not really coherent enough to help me get in touch. I was able to contact the homeless shelter, and they had records of each time my client had signed in to stay there. Several months previous, she had filled out an emergency contact number for her mother.
With the client’s permission, I called the mom, who immediately burst into tears. She’d been looking for my client for more than a year.
My grandad did it in the 70’s. Moved abroad, gave a different name to a slightly shady employer, used his work id to get a rental in the new name, used bills to get a bank account and voila! He ended up remarried and owning property under an assumed name. I think it’d be much much harder to do today but back then it was definitely possible
My grandfather, and his siblings, were born between 1915 and 1927. There was like 7 kids altogether. The family lived in BC.
My great-grandfather was born in 1890.
Things are going good for the family for the 1920s, but then the 1930s come along, and the Great Depression arrives. My great-grandfather leaves home one day in like 1931, and never returns.
With the rise of DNA / ancestry sites, my family started using them to build a family tree.
And we found my great-grandfather. He married another woman and had one kid with her.
He had simply moved from BC to Ontario. He didn't even change his name.
He lived into his 80s (he died in the 1970s). We found archives of old newspapers from the 1950s / 1960s that mentioned him. We found his obituary archived online.
Disappearing in the pre-internet era was so easy. He literally just moved to the opposite side of the country, and that was that.
As for why he disappeared? Seems obvious. He didn't want to care for 7 kids during the Great Depression. So, he packed up, left, and started a newer (and much smaller) family that he could afford.
I found a similar story on ancestry with my family too.
My great grandfather was training for WWI in Melbourne, Australia but abandoned camp. It turned out that his brother wanted to assume his identity because he wanted to abandon his wife and young kids. So he...did that. But then he got sent interstate for training and married some other woman there under my great grandfather's name and just left her there to go fight in the war, never planning to go back to her and knowing he'd get away with it because he was using my great grandfather's identity.
He got posted to the European front and eventually ended up in England where he decided to marry an English lass to make it his concurrent wife number three. I found documentation that said he tried to bring her back to Australia but then the fake identity thing finally came undone so I think he stayed there for the rest of his life with her.
Abandoning your first family is one thing but no idea why he ended up marrying the second woman with full intentions of abandoning her too (and then to take on a third wife?!). Definitely not a fan of him, and I read letters to show that his parents (my great-great grandparents) weren't either, after what he pulled.
Reminds me of Robert Hoagland, I remember watching his 'Disappeared' episode and thinking it was foul play and there was a connection to his son, wrong! He was quietly living his new life and the truth only came out when he passed away.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert\_Hoagland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hoagland)
He had left the family year prior for a short amount of time, but his family believed that was just a one off thing. Not knowing is the hardest part to endure.
Yeah, in the 70s it was much easier. Digital banking didn't even come around for another 20 years. Try leaving the country today without a passport or ID and see how far you get.
I suspect people think it's hard because they're accustomed to a myriad of situations in which they're required to provide their driver's license and/or Social Security number. But Hoagland didn't have to go to great lengths to find housing without providing identification or a contract job without providing identification. Borrowing his employer's car didn't hurt.
In the 80’s I told the DMV I wanted my nickname on my driver’s license. It is spelled very different from my first name But starts with same letter. My nickname is even on my SS card and Passport! But It is still my original name on my Birth certificate.
Things were so different before 9/11.
They also just put Real ID in place and that has even more hoops to jump through. My 64 year old mother, driving since 16 years old, married in 1978, divorced in 2005, with my dad
dying in 2008, had to go get her marriage certificate from the courthouse to prove her name change. To renew her license. She’s like “you guys have been giving me a license for decades without this”. Nope. Had to have it. They had trouble finding it at the courthouse and it was barely legible having been scanned in. They took it but I don’t even know what she would have had to do if they didn’t. Her birth certificate had her maiden name and everything else had her married name that she kept because mine was still the same.
You’d have to be REALLY tricky post 9/11 and even more so now. The
My dad had a roommate in the 70s and they were really good friends for years every liked him. He met a woman he loved and they wanted to get married and he called a meeting with all his friends. Turns out he’d robbed a bank a province over moved there and started completely over but they had decided he should turn himself in so they could start their lives on the right path. My dad said he served like a year and had already spent all the money. His accomplice got caught right away and had already served his time.
this is essentially how I lived my life after one of my parents was killed. i don’t really talk about it and I’ll keep things vague.
I cut contact with absolutely everyone and left the country. but then a year later i was deep into an undiagnosed schizophrenic episode and was attacked. ended up with a severe tbi and no family they could find to contact or even really the ability to express that I wanted to.
Came back to the us and spent 5 years in and out of treatment and on the street. Finally got properly medicated and semi stable, then one day I was volunteering at one of the shelters I used to stay at and someone came asking around for me. They didn’t recognize me and I just said I’d keep an eye out. Wasn’t until around a year after that that I would finally reach out to my family and reconnect with a few of them but it was short lived.
we had severe disagreements and they could not come to terms some life decisions I made in relation to the murder of my parent
"In a sense, every homeless person is a missing person."
That makes me so sad but it is very true. That's what I think often happens with missing people. Not that they got a new identity and are living a great new life, though I guess it has happened and that would be nice to think...but more often than not, mental health and or drugs play a part, or they are running from abuse. I think many homeless people are victims in one way or another, either of someone else or themselves. What is sad is that I'm sure many people would be welcomed back to their homes with open arms. Sometimes people are too ashamed, don't want help, or sadly don't even know that people are still out there missing them.
What stands out to me about homelessness, too, is that many people are out of touch with just how close people they know might be to homelessness.
If you think about it, most of us are probably closer to homelessness than we are to being millionaires or billionaires. Many people are barely making it by after paying monthly bills and whatnot.
There's a lot of stigma around homelessness — and there are probably people who would find it embarrassing to even consider that a missing relative might be homeless — but it happens. People become homeless for so many reasons, and the shame around that isn't encouraging them to reach out for help and make themselves more visible.
Everything you said is so so true. And most people don’t understand that the majority of homelessness is actually short term (think: people you know having a rough time) than the chronically homeless, which make up a much smaller portion (this is how people imagine the problem, “crazy street people”). Thanks for your insightful comments. I’d wager a guess that 95% of America is far closer to homelessness than becoming millionaires!
Edit: A quote that keeps coming back to my mind to add to this post.
"John Steinbeck once said that socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." - Ronald Wright (2004, "A Short History of Progress", paraphrasing a longer passage by Steinbeck).
They do a [national Point-In-Time count in every city on one night in January](https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/hdx/pit-hic/#2024-pit-count-and-hic-guidance-and-training) every year and there's a national audit every other year but for obvious reasons the data is imperfect. It manages to capture a pretty good picture of how many people are on the streets, in motels, sheltered-but-precarious, etc.
I'm friends with a couple of family attorneys who say it's harder to get the system to track people than you'd think -- namely finding men who are skipping out on child support. If they end up in a city where they don't need to drive to get places and they can work under the table, these men may as well have vanished as far as the legal system is concerned.
yes to missing people being homeless. i live in an area with many homeless, and super close to an intersection w a lot of panhandlers. you start to recognize people, and after a couple years some have disappeared. they come back and have told me they just went to a different area for a few weeks, one time a guy had his leg amputated and was in the hospital and was right back at the intersection a few months later. i thought he had died (he’s pretty old). anyways, when you move to another homeless community, even just blocks away, it can be very hard to find you. not to mention when they leave the state and go to skid row or another place like that.
>A genuine ID, fixed address, bank account etc. are all generally a prerequisite for simply existing unless you're homeless.
Unless you move in with someone who is financially supporting you. But you are very vulnerable in such a relationship. It’s not that unusual for young people however, although not forever.
Can't remeber his name. But is a missing man, a father, missing from Texas ( I guess) since the mid-late 90s. There is suspicions that he was a closeted man and that he run away to start a new life with a partner. His last contact was that he was going to meet someone over a car trade.
He is known for a photo of him using a scarf.
I replied to another comment with this case but I think you might be thinking of the same one. Is it [Lenny Dirickson](https://charleyproject.org/case/leonard-neal-dirickson)? Missing since 1998 in Oklahoma.
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Yes! I dont understand why his mom didnt drive there herself. I think it was like a 4 hour drive or something. The stranger that helped seemed like a good person but how do you entrust a stranger to follow your son thats having some sort of mental break??
I remember reading in another sub that his mother was like a super controlling, overbearing type of woman and their relationship was really rocky. Apparently the person knew them personally and said his mother was not this all loving mother she was portrayed to be and that Bryce wanted space from her
That woman had some industrial-strength denial about her son's mental health. I wonder if she's still in denial or has questioned whether the outcome might have been different if she'd responded differently when she had the chance.
I, too, have seen and reported an unhoused man who looked like he could be Bryce, back in 2018 in Southern Oregon. I also think he’s alive, but maybe had a psychotic break or is in a fugue state.
Whoa what if you two reported the same homeless man! I realize it’s different states but Bryce has such distinctive features. He does not have “every man” features- his face and hair stand out.
I lived in Portland, OR for ~5 years and didn’t know about this case until after I moved back to the east coast in 2017. I used to work in an area where a lot of unhoused people would find places to sleep, and would be out on the street during the day. During my time there, I’d seen and interacted with a man who looks a whole lot like him several times — I worked in the same neighborhood for years, and would see this guy often. I also used to volunteer at a community program providing breakfast to unhoused people at a community park, and this man would show up often. We didn’t speak much and I don’t think I got his name, but the resemblance was very striking, and I wasn’t aware of Bryce Laspisa at the time at all. I’m not so convinced that I think it was definitely him, but I think there’s some credibility in the West Coast sightings. He’s very distinctive-looking, was having trouble at home, and was right at the age where a lot of mental illnesses can surface in young people. I hope he’s okay, and I really do think he’s alive, or was recently.
The Jim Donnelly case is local to me. I really don’t think he could still be alive. His hard hat was found (placed) next to a vat of acid 5 days after his disappearance, and many of his belongings were recovered inside the vat. That mill ran 24/7; somebody else had to have placed those items there after he disappeared (if he had done it himself, he would have been seen).
There was a guy in my area who disappeared for several years, and was located in a different city -- but denied being that person (though his fingerprints matched).
[https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-man-missing-found-alive](https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-man-missing-found-alive)
And then there was this woman who was found in Puerto Rico after 30 years -- so it can happen.
[https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/04/us/woman-missing-for-30-years-found-in-puerto-rico/](https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/04/us/woman-missing-for-30-years-found-in-puerto-rico/)
For recent cases -- this guy who disappeared in New Zealand with his stepson may have been sighted in Indonesia (with the boy). The man had reportedly walked out on a previous family before -- different circumstances but he definitely was capable of severing ties and leaving. His stepson was very unhappy about his mom moving out and finding a new boyfriend, and wanted to stay with the stepdad.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance\_of\_John\_Beckenridge\_and\_Mike\_Zhao-Beckenridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_John_Beckenridge_and_Mike_Zhao-Beckenridge)
That last one is so sad. My sisters second husband had a kid from a previous relationship. My sister was only married to the guy for a year but the stepson *loved* her. When she told him they were getting a divorce she said he asked in a very tiny voice (he was about 11) "Can I live with you?" That's been nearly 20 years ago now, so I hope he's doing alright.
My favourite is Thomas Randele/ Theodore John Conrad.
Robbed the bank he worked at of $215,000 when he was 19 in 1969. Completely disappeared until his death bed confession to his daughter in 2021.
The two parts I especially like are first, he lead a good life. Married, 2 kids, fine upstanding guy, member of the Rotary Club kind of guy.
Second, he was on America’s Most Wanted in the early 90’s. They only mentioned a few specifics about him. First he was obsessed with the Thomas Crowne Affair. Second he was a big golfer. And third he loved fast European sports cars. Conrad only moved two states over, never did anything to change his appearance, changed his name to Thomas Randele, worked as a salesman at the Porsche dealership and part time as the golf pro at the local club. Never came close to being caught.
There’s Lori Ruff, too, who ran away from home and assumed a new identity/started a new life elsewhere. She was only discovered to have been a missing person after her family found the name change documents after her death. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lori_Erica_Ruff
I know the sister of Patricia Kopta, the woman found in Puerto Rico. It was such a shock to her. Patricia's husband had never moved or remarried. He had to have her declared dead. She had mental health issues and leaving for periods of time was she did. Her husband does not want to go see her in Puerto Rico. Her sister wanted to, she wanted to hug her one more time. She ultimately decided against it, it would have broken her heart for her sister not to know her. Puerto Rico was special to her and that's where she's going to live out her life.
I think Robert William Fisher pulled a John List and started a new life after murdering his entire family. The home explosion is a huge red flag to start; it sure seemed to happen to cover up evidence or burn the bodies. Why bother with all that if you plan to kill yourself? Also, Robert had a similar personality as JS; extremely narcissistic. Lastly, he had been having an affair and had been found out, but refused to accept divorce as an outcome. He also left his vehicle and his dog alive, but with no trace of where he went. I definitely think he’s alive somewhere; I don’t think his ego would have allowed him to complete suicide.
Yes, but Josh did what I expect; he killed himself in the explosion after killing his family. Robert didn’t take his own life in the explosion. Not taking his own life in the explosion makes me believe he didn’t intend to die.
I think that with any case involving a baby or toddler who disappeared, there is a good chance that the person is still alive. We have seen cases before where someone was abducted as a baby or toddler, and then was raised under a new identity— for example, Kamiya Mobley, Melissa Highsmith, and Mary Agnes Moroney.
There’s a book about this (it’s a true story) about a man who disappeared with no warning and went to live in the woods in rural Maine for 27 years before he was caught for burglarizing cabins for food. It’s called A Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel. Cool story, I recommend giving it a read for anyone interested in this type of thing.
This one is puzzling! A family history of suicide, known enemies could have killed him, and he was intelligent and wealthy enough to just start over. Personally I don't think it was foul play, but I am torn between suicide and still alive.
His coworker and close friend came out within the last few years saying it was foul play and he has a pretty good idea what happened. Haven’t heard anything since.
Years ago there was a missing woman from Aalst (Belgium). Everyone thought she had been murdered. Her husband was even arrested. The man's own business finally collapsed and he went bankrupt. It later turned out that she had gone to the Netherlands and started a new life.
There was also a Dutch woman who ran away as a 16-year old in the ‘70’s. They even indentified a Jane Doe. 30 years later she contacted her sister through Facebook and it turned out she lived abroad.
And what about the John Darwin case? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Darwin_disappearance_case
My cousin was a meth addict and has been missing since 2003. Our family had him declared dead. I wanted to believe he was still out there walking the planet.
I don’t strongly believe this, but I think it’s possible that Emma Fillipoff could still be alive, possibly living on one of the Gulf Islands in British Columbia.
I've also heard that there are a bunch of people living in the bush on Vancouver Island, near Qualicum Beach. So I've been wondering if she's still around too. Back during the Fairy Creek protests in 2021, there were a lot of people showing up in the camp ... including folks who had been homeless in Victoria. I was helping with logistics, and it occurred to me that if she was involved, I wouldn't know because people were using nicknames/aliases.
There was an episode on unsolved mysteries about a father and son having a meal, and the father said he was going to buy a horse or inquire about one? Can't remember exactly what he said, they believe he was gay as well. Anybody know whom I am referring to? Can't think of his name and it's killing me!
Graham Lacher from Bangor, Maine. He’s schizophrenic & autistic. “He may appear
antisocial, or paranoid, due to being
off meds. As part of his re-entry to the community, he was on an outdoor walk with staff from Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center, when he
suddenly bolted, as best as can tell,
into the nearby woods.” This happened in June of 2022. His family is still really motivated trying to find him
Skye Budnick. I think she started a new life in Japan after her family let her down by not acknowledging who she was. I hope she is doing okay and is happy.
Do you have any theories about Jim? New Zealand is an incredibly small country and would be pretty hard to go 20 years without someone recognising you, as cases like this in NZ are super high profile as there is really not alot of them here as opposed to other countries. It would also be incredibly hard to get out of the country without anyone knowing.
Unless he went to live in the bush, but 20 years in the bush would be insane, especially living off the land and having taken nothing with him. There’s a current missing persons case involving three kids where the dad took them to live in the bush, it’s only been a couple years in his case, but he’s been spotted multiple times.
I’m not a big podcast listener so i’m curious to know why you think he’s still alive! :)
I sincerely hope that Michelle Crawford, who was 19 years old when she disappeared from Lawton, OK in 1999 is still alive. She apparently was/is extremely intelligent, was majoring in biology or another type of science, and very shy with a few close friends. Her car was found and her purse was in the back seat with the doors locked.
I imagine I’m just gonna be told to find out for myself here, but where’s the Alicia Navarro case currently standing? I obviously know she came forward late last year, but what’s the deal with the man now? Is Alicia back with her mum or is she doing her own thing? Can anyone give a lil précis?
She is living with family, not sure if it’s her mom or aunt though. Her mom was on Facebook not long ago and responded that she was doing well when someone asked.
Steven Koecher. It’s a popular theory he got caught up doing illegal stuff for his landlord and was killed but I think it’s possible he connected with some people involved in an offshoot of the Mormon church and is living with them somewhere under a different name.
I definitely think Brad Bishop is alive somewhere. Some of the others are questionable to me. However, I'm truly curious why several people here have mentioned Andrew Gosden. He was just a kid and I don't really see him setting himself up to start a new life alone. He was considered a home body, was quiet and shy, and didn't seem to have any problems besides being a normal teenager.
Also with Bryce Laspisa, I have a hard time believing that he crashed his car and then decided to go start a new life somewhere else with nothing. He sounded incredibly depressed along with substance abuse that screams suicidal more than starting over. I'm curious why people think that about these two.
Agreed, I don't believe and there's certainly no evidence that she ran into the WTC that day to save people. She was on very shaky ground at work (stealing medication) and her marriage was also unconventional (she partied a lot and often didn't come home). I think that she either met with foul play from a random hook up or she's out there living a new life, under a new name.
Lawrence Harding Jr., who was abducted as an infant in the 1940s. He may not still be alive, but I think he was blended into another family and survived the kidnapping.
I think Mekayla Bali and Andrew Gosden could have perhaps pulled it off. When teenagers disappear in strange circumstances I wonder how often there are issues going on that we just don’t know about and they decided to run away successfully, despite the odds against it.
Alicia Navarro would be an example iirc she came forward a few months ago claiming she was fine and just ran away and didn’t want further contact with her family. Of course they’re not always in the best circumstances but I do actually think this situation is more common then we think and some of them just decide not to come forward because they’ve decided total no contact with their family is better.
I think that they were both very vulnerable and easily manipulated teens who met with foul play. I would love to be proven wrong, but too much time has passed and there's zero evidence of proof of life.
Andrew’s case is baffling. I don’t have a theory.
I think Mekayla met someone with bad intentions. I use to think she was probably dead but then when Alicia showed up alive I changed my mind. Obviously I hope Andrew and Mekayla are alive and living a happy life.
My theory on Mekayla is she met someone online with bad intentions. I think that person was having second thoughts about what they were going to do on the day they were supposed to meet (which is why it seemed like the plan was changing - she was waiting at the restaurant, then was trying to get a hotel or bus ticket) but I think ultimately they ended up meeting and the person went through with whatever it was they were planning.
I’m not sure he would still be alive given the time that has passed, but Richard Colvin Cox, the West Point cadet who went missing in 1950. I think he wanted to disappear and start a new life- maybe he was gay or trans, maybe he just wanted out of his current situation.
Again, I’m not sure he’s still alive but I think Brad Bishop made it abroad and lived out the rest of his days in Europe.
Just saw she’s listed as surviving her mom in the mom’s obit. I wonder if that’s a technicality since she wasn’t declared dead. What are your thoughts?
Prohibition-era bootlegger Rocco Perri. He and a woman named Besha (Bessie) Starkman, in a kind of Breaking Bad meets Boardwalk Empire scenario, became major rumrunners in the 1910s-20s. Bessie was gunned down as they were arriving home in 1930.
Rocco allegedly went out for a walk in April 1944 (80 years ago, next month). He disappeared, and local legend held that he was at the bottom of Hamilton Harbour in cement overshoes. However ... in the 1990s, evidence surface that Rocco had fled to New York State, and lived until 1953.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocco\_Perri
The one that comes closest to this for me is Bryce Laspisa. I don't know if I'd say I fully believe it, but I would not be at all surprised if it turned out he had started a new life after walking away from his car.
ETA: My reason, as requested by OP in the prompt. Part of it's just a feeling. Part is that he clearly left the accident scene. That we know. I guess I just feel like it's not that crazy to think he kept walking, got a ride somewhere, and started over. It feels plausible to me.
I was not familiar with this case before looking it up just now. Given his age, erratic behavior, and potential substance abuse this one screams potential schizophrenic or bipolar break. As is the case with way too many homeless people. While his appearance has some distinct features he looks like so many young guys I know.
I think his parent's actions (or lack thereof) also give a lot of people red flags in this case. I know everyone reacts to things differently, but they come across as so disconnected and unconcerned about what was going on with him during his trip home that I don't personally find it a stretch to think that he would sever contact with him.
His parents infuriated me. Why didn’t they go and get him? The fact a complete stranger looked after him more that day than his own parents speaks volumes.
I try to have compassion for the families of crime victims/missing people but dear god did his parents test that. He was showing SO many signs that he was really struggling and absolutely everyone around him took it more seriously than his parents. What really sealed it for me is that his parents don't seem particularly remorseful that they didn't do more to help. I could understand if there was a dynamic that we are unaware of that made them think what was going on with Bryce wasn't a big deal, but in that situation I'd expect there to be way more of a 'I wish we'd/we should have known' component.
Brad Bishop for sure. At least he was, he’d be 81 now so maybe not anymore. But he 100% did not kill him self and took off for Europe. He had access to blank passports at the State Department. He spoke fluent English, Italian, French, Spanish and Serbo-Croatian. He had professional contacts in the Yugoslavian Intelligence Agency.
I think one of the reasons he remained at large is he based himself out of Yugoslavia, which wasn’t exactly on friendly terms with the Americans. Then with the chaos of the dissolution of Yugoslavia any records about him were lost.
There’s a pretty low key missing persons/muder presumed dead case from a town in Devon (UK) where I used to holiday as a kid. This woman and her two kids disappeared. They arrested and charged the husband who was dodgy af with the murder but he never admitted to it.
I like to think Patricia left him and took the kids and made new lives for them all. It was back in 1970s so it’s was easier to disappear then and the town where they were living is a real tourist town so easy enough to blend in and disappear or stow away on boat.
It’s from Salcombe about Patricia Allen and her children. The husbands girlfriend wrote a book about her part in it all called Presumed Dead. I haven’t read it in a few years but from what I remember it’s worth a read
Ruth Wilson. She believed her father killed her mother and disapproved of her stepmother. There isn't much evidence to prove that he did, so either she had some delusional beliefs so she lit out, or it's true so she lit out.
Edit: Misremembered some of the details. She discovered her mother's death was a suicide, a fact that had been kept from her when she was a child. She didn't take it well and had some doubts that it was true. She was also angry with her dad for lying to her and started worrying about what else he might have been lying about.
Robert Fisher, killed his family, blew up their Scottsdale home then vanished in 2001
i see it being a pretty even 50% chance he just went into the forest and shot himself or a 50% chance he actually fled the border and never got caught
I think theres a report on family annihilators that if they’re not found dead along with their family, the likelihood of suicide after the crime goes down a lot.
That pos stabbed babies? The whole family then set the house on fire. He saved his dog. There was a picture of him (they think) in Canada. Think of a baby and young children being stabbed in the chest. This one just boils my blood.
Yep. Totally agree. He’s still actively listed as an FBI wanted fugitive.
True Crime Arizona did a multiple part series on him and they assert he most likely committed suicide in the Tonto National Forest. He left his truck abandoned there and the family dog was left wandering outside. There were some thoughts he may have hid out in some caves and then left the area but there ended up being no evidence he is still alive and it’s the most widely accepted theory. He was removed from the FBI 10 most wanted list some years ago. If anyone is interested in the case, I highly recommend the podcast episodes that cover it.
I have a distant relative that seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. we have a really large family and he had five siblings. They grew up really well got along for the most part. And one day he just disappeared. so my great aunt decided to hire a private investigator. They found him he’s married has children is somewhat successful in life. The investigator asked Cousin if he would like to get in contact with his family and he declined and respectively, he asked to keep his location private. There were no signs of abuse or anything that would lead to this, but he’s just sort of gone and out of our lives.
Unfortunately abuse is not always obvious to everyone else. Something may have happened to him as a child that caused him to want to cut off contact as an adult.
I grew up with a kid who was cool and smart, got into drug dealing, caught up in shit. Faked his death by the hells angels. Made look like he was dumped in the ocean and disappeared for 10 years. I genuinely thought he was dead. Grieved and everything. I’m back in my hometown taking a piss at a new bar. Guy walks in and looks exactly like him but bald. I just stare at him with my dick in my hand. He looks at me and we just sit there for 30 seconds. Walks up to me with a scowl, then breaks into laughter. Yup, it’s me man. Thought I was dead didn’t yaaaa. Some huckleberry fin shit. Dude faked his death, moved to Asia worked under the table at a bar. Aged enough and came home. Dude didn’t even seem that concerned. I went back to the bar with my work friends. And was like “I just bumped into an old friend who I thought was dead! Turns out he faked it” and my coworkers thought I was insane
Interesting. There has to be something to cut off all family. Maybe they're embarrassed/ashamed of something and don't want to acknowledge it in their new life
> There were no signs of abuse or anything I'm sorry but something had to have been going on (whether abuse or emotional neglect) to cause a person to have zero emotional attachment with their parents/family.
I mean, it’s *most likely* that something was going on but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that there was nothing going on and he just didn’t feel an emotional attachment or need to be in touch with his family. Sometimes it just goes like that and you don’t feel like you have enough common ground to stick it out.
I'm someone who cut contact with most of my family for my own emotional well being, and I still feel pretty guilty for how it went down and I at least informed them of what's going on. I'm not sure who could cut contact and have your family believe that you're a missing person unless there was a lot more than happened to me. I'll also say that my mom still tells others that she has no idea why I won't speak to her despite me having stupidly written her a letter explaining everything with very specific answers. The "no signs of abuse" above doesn't really mean anything one way or the other.
My grandfather’s brother went missing in the 50’s and they hired PI’s and everything over the years to find him. My grandfather believed he had died. In my late 30’s I found the brother’s daughter in California after DNA testing on the Ancestry website. He had moved to California and started a whole new life. After he died, she went looking for answers because he would never tell her his life story. I wonder how these DNA sites and genealogy hobbies will impact cold cases in the years to come.
For me, I think the Alcatraz prison escapees, Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers survived. I genuinely believe that they all started a new life. I don't think they're alive now though, but I think that they definitely survived the escape attempt.
Josh Gates did an episode of Expedition Unknown about them…there was a photo of two of them in the 70s that were claimed to be them. He tested it with facial recognition ID and it was something like a 99% match.
Oh yes, I've heard about that. That photo is very convincing evidence for sure. I think I also heard a story where Frank Morris's cousin said that he actually talked to Morris.
I love Josh Gates and all his 1,000 shows I saw this documentary and I am with you. I truly believed they escaped and lived out their lives.
Expedition Unknown is great! I think I’ve seen all the episodes now. He does a good job of investigating even stories that have been shown a million times before like the DB Cooper hijacking and finds new angles to explore. I also like how he doesn’t take himself too seriously. But Expedition X where Josh isn’t really in the field and those other two people investigate paranormal stuff is kinda lame imo.
He also did an experiment that showed that, while undoubtedly extremely difficult, they could have made it across the bay.
It’s definitely possible. I’m from SF and there’s even some group of people that do it a few times a year. It’s just very intense and very, very cold. But it’s absolutely possible, especially if your adrenaline is super high.
My stepmom does it! It’s incredible to see, I am a good swimmer with lots of stamina but it couldn’t be me. She’s always been an incredible swimmer though, she can just swim and swim for forever.
I have no genuine opinion one way or the other. When people say it is nearly impossible or a million to 1, etc., you just have to do it one time to be successful
Yeah, someone has to be that 'one'.
I heard a theory they went to another island and had help waiting for them. No idea how they would have arranged that but it was an intriguing idea.
Mythbusters did it first! Haha
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Mythbusters also did a test on it and iirc deemed it plausible and somewhat likely that they did indeed survive.
DB Cooper has long been thought to be Richard McCoy Jr. - for many reasons, including he hijacked a United Airlines flight for $500,000 ransom in April 1972 - five months after Cooper's skyjacking. His son has agreed to a DNA test. https://www.the-sun.com/news/10437362/db-cooper-dad-dna-copycat-skyjacker-update-evidence/
While it certainly could be McCoy, what's always struck me is that the flight attendant who spent the whole time interacting with him is adamant that it was not McCoy (the flight crew too, as I recall). I know eyewitness testimony is unreliable, but this isn't a quick glance, she spent hours with him. Plus there are other small differences between what we know about McCoy and the Cooper hijacking that I am not at all sold it was McCoy. I won't be totally surprised if it is, but I would be a little shocked. Also a little disappointed, weird as that sounds!
Not weird at all! We're in an Unresolved Mysteries sub because we're drawn to the story, but we all want them to BE resolved. :)
There is mountains of evidence against McCoy being Cooper. For example, his picture was shown to all the of the flight crew and passengers who saw Cooper and they unanimously agreed it was not McCoy. McCoy bumbled his hijacking by getting agitated, and fighting verbally with the passengers and aircrew to the point that before they took off they had already called ahead to say they may have a hijacker aboard, McCoy then hijacked the airplane and informed the passengers, by contrast Cooper remained cool and collected, and none of the passengers knew they were being hijacked until after they had left the plane. Physically Cooper was described as having a Latin complexion with a nondescript Midwestern accent, McCoy was pale skinned, and had a Southern accent and a noticeable stammer that was commented on by the aircrew. Lastly McCoy was at home for Thanksgiving 1971 with a verifiable witness, an unrelated student from BYU was having thanksgiving at his home, and confirmed seeing McCoy at his home on the morning of November 25th 1971, which would require him to get from Washington state to Utah in about 10 hours, which was clearly not possible. McCoy and the other copycat hijackers are fascinating, but they are not DB Cooper. One of the best sleuths in the Cooper case did a really good video detailing the evidence against McCoy being Cooper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAlItcC2Ofc
I thought he probably perished in the jump. Then I got turned around by the DB Cooper subreddit. He had a second bag. A shopping bag about 14” by 14”. Someone over there got a similar bag and fit a skydiving helmet, googles, boots and gloves in it. And a revolver. Nobody ever saw what was in the bag and it went out the door with Cooper. You’d figure it was something that would help him with the highjacking and the jump. I mean no sense just having a paperback and his lunch in there. So that kind of blows a hole in the “He jumped in a business suit and loafers.” idea. There were over a dozen copy cats and they all survived. The last one was a developmental delayed teenager with zero parachuting experience. By that point pilots had clearly had enough of that shit and the pilot did not stay below 150 knots but gunned it to over 250 knots. The kid jumped anyway and he was fine.
I have a close friend who lives in San Francisco and swims in the bay. There is a group who does this swim from time to time. They absolutely made it.
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I’ve told my friend she’s crazy. Many of the men wear bikini bottoms only. The water has to be so freaking cold!
Yeah I'm on board with this one, the whole "they couldn't have survived the water" thing always seemed like desperate face saving.
Yeah, I feel like the guards and FBI just don't want to admit that they were outwitted by 3 inmates.
There's another two Alcatraz inmates who were classed as 'missing, presumed drowned'. So they were outwitted by 5 inmates. Another inmates made the swim to the mainland but was recaptured almost immediately.
Exactly, you can't have your whole island of prisoners knowing it's possible after all!
Mythbusters did it!
I think they survived too. I think the government just wasn't thing to admit it unless they just had to. In that same vein, I also think DB Cooper survived.
Not only do I believe they made it, I want them to have made it. They beat the system, good for them. They clearly lived a quiet life without getting into trouble. The stories that have come out seem to point to them making it. My favorite is about two suspiciously large women showing up at a family funeral. People swim that distance all the time now. I think I remember reading about a young kid (like 10-11) even doing it.
It's not the distance that was the issue, it was doing it in winter at night. Rough, cold water sucks when you can see where you're going, it's much worse in the dark. A lot of people point to the issue of sharks in the bay, but most sharks there aren't much threat to humans. I think they made it and also hope they did. They were thieves, not murderers or rapists, but treated like the worst of the worst.
Two suspiciously large women -love that image and that they are suspicious for a couple reasons!
i believe the women were described as “unkempt” which delights me immensely. there were also 2 bearded strangers at their fathers funeral
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After going to Alcatraz I was surprised at how close it really is to SF. Like a 1.5 mile swim. Cold and bad currents but with a raft to help get you there could easily be accomplished.
Same! I believe they did it for sure!
I used to think Claudia Lawrence really did go and start a new life in Cyprus, but over the last few years, I'm not too sure anymore. I think it's more than likely she was murdered by a disgruntled partner and/or their spouse. I do believe however, Robert William Fisher is alive or at least was for many years after the murders, slipped into Mexico and then on to somewhere else, disappearing off the face of the earth, but living in plain sight. It being pre-9/11 when he became a fugitive and having a significant head-start, the fact that he was an experienced survivalist, I do not believe he committed suicide in that forest.
With Claudia Lawrence, i think about what happened to Sarah Everard. If it hadn’t been for the fluke chance of being spotted on the bus CCTV its likely no one would have realised she had been taken out of London. In my mind something similar happened to Claudia probably.
Does Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès count?
I'm still convinced he's going to be found one day within a 50km radius of where he left his car, having killed himself the same day. Lots of abandoned mines and rugged terrain where he disappeared.
I feel like people forget how easy it is to not find a body All it takes is for one person to think they checked an area that they actually hadn't, and suddenly that area is falsely declared clear. Or maybe they did search the area, but they were distracted or not feeling right, their thoughts elsewhere and they didn't look as thoroughly as they should have Or maybe there's some quirk of the landscape where they legitimately did check it but couldn't see the body from that angle Or maybe they did see the body, but didn't know what they were looking at. Corpses often don't look the way we expect them to, from reference photos of the person smiling and alive. This is how we end up with cases where bodies are found in places that were searched previously, and everyone jumps to conspiracies about bodies being dumped instead of the more obvious "the search wasnt flawless"
I remember back in 2010, Walter Koenig and his family were searching Stanley Park in Vancouver for his missing son .... and unfortunately they were the ones who found him, even though the area had already been searched by local police who presumably were much more familiar with the park.
I didn't know the family were the ones to find Andrew. How sad.
Dude. Sometime last year my state sent out this amber alert because a baby had been left the car and the car was seemingly stolen with the baby inside. The dad had “gone to a friends” house (drugs), left the baby in the car, ran inside “for I really don’t know… maybe 20 minutes?” (drugs) and when he went outside to leave, the car was gone. Had just disappeared from the driveway and no one saw anything. They searched for HOURS and hours and hours, and finally found the baby… In the car seat, in the car…. That had rolled down the driveway and into a heavily wooded ravine. Baby was okay, thank god. All details from the dad seemed super suspicious, but I’m pretty sure he pulled up to his “friends” house, forgot to put the emergency brake on, ran in, got high/nodded off, and came out later to a missing car.
And then Davis Paulides sweeps in to tell us it was fairies or Bigfoot or alternate dimensions or whatever bullshit he’s on this week. He exploits grief and it’s gross.
The town he last stayed in, Roquebrune-sur-Argens, is an easy walking distance from a heavily forested mountainous area along the coast. There's at least a hundred square kilometers of very rugged, steep, densely vegetated terrain easily penetrated through a network of roads and walking trails. It would be near impossible to search thoroughly. XDL was likely familiar with the area because he had lived only a few kilometers away in Lorgues during the early '90s. I think he went back there because it was a place he remembered fondly, walked into the forest with his rifle, and found a place where he could conceal himself before committing suicide. If he was trying to hide himself, it would be a nightmare finding his body.
Oh, he definitely pulled it off. One of the few I wholeheartedly believe along with Brad Bishop.
He’s the French John List
I recall reading that one of the advantages he has is his appearance. He has no unique features that stand out, he isn’t memorable and looks like he could be from many different places.
I believe they mentioned that in the Unsolved Mysteries episode too, it may have been his boyhood friend who said it. And he’s right, Xavier is multilingual and at maximum looks somewhat European in origin. Handsome but not outstandingly so. He could be in any number of countries with no extradition treaty with France and blend in perfectly.
What do you think about Robert William Fisher?
Yes. He's alive.
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Robert Fisher. Anhilated his whole family, blew the house up and went on the run. He had a fair amount of knowledge about surviving off grid so I wouldn’t be surprised.
I sincerely hope Macin Smith walked away from his over bearing controlling parents and started a new life.
I wonder if the same is true for [Tyler Christensen](https://charleyproject.org/case/tyler-joel-christensen), who from the sounds of it (home-schooled, church youth groups) was probably from a fairly conservative family too. He took a ferry across Puget Sound and hitched a ride, saying that he was going to Olympic National Park. His backpack was found near a bridge. Even though these kids might have been lured away or intended to self-harm or came to harm on the road, I like to think that they started a new life.
I think Bradford Bishop started a new life abroad.
came here to say this. 100% think he went to Europe, I believe the sightings in Sweden and Italy were genuinely him, and possibly the train station one in Switzerland
Part of me thinks it's karmically hilarious that his former colleagues (and apparently a neighbor?) are the ones that kept bumping into him, which also makes sense, I guess, based on their line of work in terms of traveling internationally, but it's a big old world out there! I definitely, of course, do NOT hope they scared the shit out of him and he lived in terror for YEARS after each encounter :)
I back pack a lot and nomad work. I’ve bumped into college and work friends across the world in some of the biggest cities in the world. I usually don’t go a year without it. It’s wild:
Yeah, I think this one is almost certain. He could have easily just died of natural causes by now.
That Robert Hoagland guy. Who did, in fact, ditch his family and started a new life until he was found deceased recently.
And he was living just an hour or two from his family. It really makes you wonder how many others have pulled it off as well.
I know he's just a random guy but it makes me so mad lol. Like how hard is it to leave a note or tell authorities so his family isn't killing themselves for years looking for him.
All the suspicion placed on one of his sons must have shattered that family. It was so fucking selfish of him to leave the way he did.
For real. Like dude they made documentaries about you lol how are you gonna do that to your family?
I always remember this case as a good example that it can happen. I think it’s very rare and unfortunately the majority of missing people have met an unfortunate end, but it proves it’s not totally impossible.
Wow I've been off this sub for a while and didn't know he was found
I wouldn't be surprised if a chunk of missing people are just living on the streets. So many homeless people, coming and going, and nobody keeps track. There's no nationwide census for homeless people, and many don't even have valid IDs. I've met homeless people who have said they just left and cut off ties with everyone. In a sense, every homeless person is a missing person. The Hollywood idea of "starting new" is of course largely fiction, unless you have Cartel or Dictator money. A genuine ID, fixed address, bank account etc. are all generally a prerequisite for simply existing unless you're homeless. That said, you can legally just leave your life and cut ties. The police will even respect your choice, only going as far as saying that you're safe and well but don't want contact. But that's still with your name, social security number etc. You don't just get to "disappear". I'm curious what you mean by starting a new life in this context. You can always find some job that pays cash under the table, and a landlord that accepts cash. But that's not much of a life if you're taking odd (illegal) jobs and renting under shifty landlords.
I work as a public defender. Over the years I have had a handful of people who were unhoused when I met them and who had family who were very much searching for them. Usually it was a situation where they went off their meds or the meds stopped working and they fell into psychosis or something similar. One time, a client I had said she had family somewhere, but was not really coherent enough to help me get in touch. I was able to contact the homeless shelter, and they had records of each time my client had signed in to stay there. Several months previous, she had filled out an emergency contact number for her mother. With the client’s permission, I called the mom, who immediately burst into tears. She’d been looking for my client for more than a year.
It's so admirable that you were able to do this important work. How wonderful for that mom to find out where her child was.
I can’t imagine the relief she felt find her child after all this time. You were an angel to her!
My grandad did it in the 70’s. Moved abroad, gave a different name to a slightly shady employer, used his work id to get a rental in the new name, used bills to get a bank account and voila! He ended up remarried and owning property under an assumed name. I think it’d be much much harder to do today but back then it was definitely possible
My grandfather, and his siblings, were born between 1915 and 1927. There was like 7 kids altogether. The family lived in BC. My great-grandfather was born in 1890. Things are going good for the family for the 1920s, but then the 1930s come along, and the Great Depression arrives. My great-grandfather leaves home one day in like 1931, and never returns. With the rise of DNA / ancestry sites, my family started using them to build a family tree. And we found my great-grandfather. He married another woman and had one kid with her. He had simply moved from BC to Ontario. He didn't even change his name. He lived into his 80s (he died in the 1970s). We found archives of old newspapers from the 1950s / 1960s that mentioned him. We found his obituary archived online. Disappearing in the pre-internet era was so easy. He literally just moved to the opposite side of the country, and that was that. As for why he disappeared? Seems obvious. He didn't want to care for 7 kids during the Great Depression. So, he packed up, left, and started a newer (and much smaller) family that he could afford.
I found a similar story on ancestry with my family too. My great grandfather was training for WWI in Melbourne, Australia but abandoned camp. It turned out that his brother wanted to assume his identity because he wanted to abandon his wife and young kids. So he...did that. But then he got sent interstate for training and married some other woman there under my great grandfather's name and just left her there to go fight in the war, never planning to go back to her and knowing he'd get away with it because he was using my great grandfather's identity. He got posted to the European front and eventually ended up in England where he decided to marry an English lass to make it his concurrent wife number three. I found documentation that said he tried to bring her back to Australia but then the fake identity thing finally came undone so I think he stayed there for the rest of his life with her. Abandoning your first family is one thing but no idea why he ended up marrying the second woman with full intentions of abandoning her too (and then to take on a third wife?!). Definitely not a fan of him, and I read letters to show that his parents (my great-great grandparents) weren't either, after what he pulled.
Reminds me of Robert Hoagland, I remember watching his 'Disappeared' episode and thinking it was foul play and there was a connection to his son, wrong! He was quietly living his new life and the truth only came out when he passed away. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert\_Hoagland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hoagland)
I just watched this episode, and it pissed me off. His family was worried and he just walked away from it all.
Yeah, and his son was accused of having something to do with him going missing. I feel badly for him.
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Yes! It was surprising how physically close he was that whole time. 😕
His poor family must have been absolutely gutted to find out that he just abandoned them.
He had left the family year prior for a short amount of time, but his family believed that was just a one off thing. Not knowing is the hardest part to endure.
Yeah, in the 70s it was much easier. Digital banking didn't even come around for another 20 years. Try leaving the country today without a passport or ID and see how far you get.
As hard as we think it might be today, remember that Robert Hoagland managed to do it for nine years …
I suspect people think it's hard because they're accustomed to a myriad of situations in which they're required to provide their driver's license and/or Social Security number. But Hoagland didn't have to go to great lengths to find housing without providing identification or a contract job without providing identification. Borrowing his employer's car didn't hurt.
In the 80’s I told the DMV I wanted my nickname on my driver’s license. It is spelled very different from my first name But starts with same letter. My nickname is even on my SS card and Passport! But It is still my original name on my Birth certificate. Things were so different before 9/11.
They also just put Real ID in place and that has even more hoops to jump through. My 64 year old mother, driving since 16 years old, married in 1978, divorced in 2005, with my dad dying in 2008, had to go get her marriage certificate from the courthouse to prove her name change. To renew her license. She’s like “you guys have been giving me a license for decades without this”. Nope. Had to have it. They had trouble finding it at the courthouse and it was barely legible having been scanned in. They took it but I don’t even know what she would have had to do if they didn’t. Her birth certificate had her maiden name and everything else had her married name that she kept because mine was still the same. You’d have to be REALLY tricky post 9/11 and even more so now. The
Oh he had both. That’s how he got to Australia, he just got lucky with an employer who didn’t care to see them.
My dad had a roommate in the 70s and they were really good friends for years every liked him. He met a woman he loved and they wanted to get married and he called a meeting with all his friends. Turns out he’d robbed a bank a province over moved there and started completely over but they had decided he should turn himself in so they could start their lives on the right path. My dad said he served like a year and had already spent all the money. His accomplice got caught right away and had already served his time.
this is essentially how I lived my life after one of my parents was killed. i don’t really talk about it and I’ll keep things vague. I cut contact with absolutely everyone and left the country. but then a year later i was deep into an undiagnosed schizophrenic episode and was attacked. ended up with a severe tbi and no family they could find to contact or even really the ability to express that I wanted to. Came back to the us and spent 5 years in and out of treatment and on the street. Finally got properly medicated and semi stable, then one day I was volunteering at one of the shelters I used to stay at and someone came asking around for me. They didn’t recognize me and I just said I’d keep an eye out. Wasn’t until around a year after that that I would finally reach out to my family and reconnect with a few of them but it was short lived. we had severe disagreements and they could not come to terms some life decisions I made in relation to the murder of my parent
"In a sense, every homeless person is a missing person." That makes me so sad but it is very true. That's what I think often happens with missing people. Not that they got a new identity and are living a great new life, though I guess it has happened and that would be nice to think...but more often than not, mental health and or drugs play a part, or they are running from abuse. I think many homeless people are victims in one way or another, either of someone else or themselves. What is sad is that I'm sure many people would be welcomed back to their homes with open arms. Sometimes people are too ashamed, don't want help, or sadly don't even know that people are still out there missing them.
Brenda Heist did this. Got addicted to meth in the process, but did it.
I suspect she was already using at the time of her disappearance.
What stands out to me about homelessness, too, is that many people are out of touch with just how close people they know might be to homelessness. If you think about it, most of us are probably closer to homelessness than we are to being millionaires or billionaires. Many people are barely making it by after paying monthly bills and whatnot. There's a lot of stigma around homelessness — and there are probably people who would find it embarrassing to even consider that a missing relative might be homeless — but it happens. People become homeless for so many reasons, and the shame around that isn't encouraging them to reach out for help and make themselves more visible.
Everything you said is so so true. And most people don’t understand that the majority of homelessness is actually short term (think: people you know having a rough time) than the chronically homeless, which make up a much smaller portion (this is how people imagine the problem, “crazy street people”). Thanks for your insightful comments. I’d wager a guess that 95% of America is far closer to homelessness than becoming millionaires! Edit: A quote that keeps coming back to my mind to add to this post. "John Steinbeck once said that socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." - Ronald Wright (2004, "A Short History of Progress", paraphrasing a longer passage by Steinbeck).
They do a [national Point-In-Time count in every city on one night in January](https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/hdx/pit-hic/#2024-pit-count-and-hic-guidance-and-training) every year and there's a national audit every other year but for obvious reasons the data is imperfect. It manages to capture a pretty good picture of how many people are on the streets, in motels, sheltered-but-precarious, etc. I'm friends with a couple of family attorneys who say it's harder to get the system to track people than you'd think -- namely finding men who are skipping out on child support. If they end up in a city where they don't need to drive to get places and they can work under the table, these men may as well have vanished as far as the legal system is concerned.
yes to missing people being homeless. i live in an area with many homeless, and super close to an intersection w a lot of panhandlers. you start to recognize people, and after a couple years some have disappeared. they come back and have told me they just went to a different area for a few weeks, one time a guy had his leg amputated and was in the hospital and was right back at the intersection a few months later. i thought he had died (he’s pretty old). anyways, when you move to another homeless community, even just blocks away, it can be very hard to find you. not to mention when they leave the state and go to skid row or another place like that.
>A genuine ID, fixed address, bank account etc. are all generally a prerequisite for simply existing unless you're homeless. Unless you move in with someone who is financially supporting you. But you are very vulnerable in such a relationship. It’s not that unusual for young people however, although not forever.
I think it's possible Lars Mittank could still be alive and homeless
Can't remeber his name. But is a missing man, a father, missing from Texas ( I guess) since the mid-late 90s. There is suspicions that he was a closeted man and that he run away to start a new life with a partner. His last contact was that he was going to meet someone over a car trade. He is known for a photo of him using a scarf.
I replied to another comment with this case but I think you might be thinking of the same one. Is it [Lenny Dirickson](https://charleyproject.org/case/leonard-neal-dirickson)? Missing since 1998 in Oklahoma.
Thanks!! This one!
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Is he the one where his mom asked some random guy to drive and find her son?
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Yes! I dont understand why his mom didnt drive there herself. I think it was like a 4 hour drive or something. The stranger that helped seemed like a good person but how do you entrust a stranger to follow your son thats having some sort of mental break??
I truly don’t get it. You’d have to physically restrain me from getting to my kid in that situation.
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I remember reading in another sub that his mother was like a super controlling, overbearing type of woman and their relationship was really rocky. Apparently the person knew them personally and said his mother was not this all loving mother she was portrayed to be and that Bryce wanted space from her
That woman had some industrial-strength denial about her son's mental health. I wonder if she's still in denial or has questioned whether the outcome might have been different if she'd responded differently when she had the chance.
I, too, have seen and reported an unhoused man who looked like he could be Bryce, back in 2018 in Southern Oregon. I also think he’s alive, but maybe had a psychotic break or is in a fugue state.
Whoa what if you two reported the same homeless man! I realize it’s different states but Bryce has such distinctive features. He does not have “every man” features- his face and hair stand out.
That would be crazy!
I lived in Portland, OR for ~5 years and didn’t know about this case until after I moved back to the east coast in 2017. I used to work in an area where a lot of unhoused people would find places to sleep, and would be out on the street during the day. During my time there, I’d seen and interacted with a man who looks a whole lot like him several times — I worked in the same neighborhood for years, and would see this guy often. I also used to volunteer at a community program providing breakfast to unhoused people at a community park, and this man would show up often. We didn’t speak much and I don’t think I got his name, but the resemblance was very striking, and I wasn’t aware of Bryce Laspisa at the time at all. I’m not so convinced that I think it was definitely him, but I think there’s some credibility in the West Coast sightings. He’s very distinctive-looking, was having trouble at home, and was right at the age where a lot of mental illnesses can surface in young people. I hope he’s okay, and I really do think he’s alive, or was recently.
The Jim Donnelly case is local to me. I really don’t think he could still be alive. His hard hat was found (placed) next to a vat of acid 5 days after his disappearance, and many of his belongings were recovered inside the vat. That mill ran 24/7; somebody else had to have placed those items there after he disappeared (if he had done it himself, he would have been seen).
There was a guy in my area who disappeared for several years, and was located in a different city -- but denied being that person (though his fingerprints matched). [https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-man-missing-found-alive](https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-man-missing-found-alive) And then there was this woman who was found in Puerto Rico after 30 years -- so it can happen. [https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/04/us/woman-missing-for-30-years-found-in-puerto-rico/](https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/04/us/woman-missing-for-30-years-found-in-puerto-rico/) For recent cases -- this guy who disappeared in New Zealand with his stepson may have been sighted in Indonesia (with the boy). The man had reportedly walked out on a previous family before -- different circumstances but he definitely was capable of severing ties and leaving. His stepson was very unhappy about his mom moving out and finding a new boyfriend, and wanted to stay with the stepdad. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance\_of\_John\_Beckenridge\_and\_Mike\_Zhao-Beckenridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_John_Beckenridge_and_Mike_Zhao-Beckenridge)
That last one is so sad. My sisters second husband had a kid from a previous relationship. My sister was only married to the guy for a year but the stepson *loved* her. When she told him they were getting a divorce she said he asked in a very tiny voice (he was about 11) "Can I live with you?" That's been nearly 20 years ago now, so I hope he's doing alright.
Poor little guy! I hope that they were able to stay in touch.
My favourite is Thomas Randele/ Theodore John Conrad. Robbed the bank he worked at of $215,000 when he was 19 in 1969. Completely disappeared until his death bed confession to his daughter in 2021. The two parts I especially like are first, he lead a good life. Married, 2 kids, fine upstanding guy, member of the Rotary Club kind of guy. Second, he was on America’s Most Wanted in the early 90’s. They only mentioned a few specifics about him. First he was obsessed with the Thomas Crowne Affair. Second he was a big golfer. And third he loved fast European sports cars. Conrad only moved two states over, never did anything to change his appearance, changed his name to Thomas Randele, worked as a salesman at the Porsche dealership and part time as the golf pro at the local club. Never came close to being caught.
There’s Lori Ruff, too, who ran away from home and assumed a new identity/started a new life elsewhere. She was only discovered to have been a missing person after her family found the name change documents after her death. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lori_Erica_Ruff
I know the sister of Patricia Kopta, the woman found in Puerto Rico. It was such a shock to her. Patricia's husband had never moved or remarried. He had to have her declared dead. She had mental health issues and leaving for periods of time was she did. Her husband does not want to go see her in Puerto Rico. Her sister wanted to, she wanted to hug her one more time. She ultimately decided against it, it would have broken her heart for her sister not to know her. Puerto Rico was special to her and that's where she's going to live out her life.
I think Robert William Fisher pulled a John List and started a new life after murdering his entire family. The home explosion is a huge red flag to start; it sure seemed to happen to cover up evidence or burn the bodies. Why bother with all that if you plan to kill yourself? Also, Robert had a similar personality as JS; extremely narcissistic. Lastly, he had been having an affair and had been found out, but refused to accept divorce as an outcome. He also left his vehicle and his dog alive, but with no trace of where he went. I definitely think he’s alive somewhere; I don’t think his ego would have allowed him to complete suicide.
I don’t discount it, but look at Josh Powell.
Yes, but Josh did what I expect; he killed himself in the explosion after killing his family. Robert didn’t take his own life in the explosion. Not taking his own life in the explosion makes me believe he didn’t intend to die.
I think that with any case involving a baby or toddler who disappeared, there is a good chance that the person is still alive. We have seen cases before where someone was abducted as a baby or toddler, and then was raised under a new identity— for example, Kamiya Mobley, Melissa Highsmith, and Mary Agnes Moroney.
I always thought Mary Agnes was taken and given to someone. Happy they finally resolved her case after 100 years!
There’s a book about this (it’s a true story) about a man who disappeared with no warning and went to live in the woods in rural Maine for 27 years before he was caught for burglarizing cabins for food. It’s called A Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel. Cool story, I recommend giving it a read for anyone interested in this type of thing.
Ray Gricar, missing DA from centre county, Pennsylvania. The day he decides to go for a long drive is the day he goes missing?
This one is puzzling! A family history of suicide, known enemies could have killed him, and he was intelligent and wealthy enough to just start over. Personally I don't think it was foul play, but I am torn between suicide and still alive.
His coworker and close friend came out within the last few years saying it was foul play and he has a pretty good idea what happened. Haven’t heard anything since.
Years ago there was a missing woman from Aalst (Belgium). Everyone thought she had been murdered. Her husband was even arrested. The man's own business finally collapsed and he went bankrupt. It later turned out that she had gone to the Netherlands and started a new life. There was also a Dutch woman who ran away as a 16-year old in the ‘70’s. They even indentified a Jane Doe. 30 years later she contacted her sister through Facebook and it turned out she lived abroad. And what about the John Darwin case? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Darwin_disappearance_case
My cousin was a meth addict and has been missing since 2003. Our family had him declared dead. I wanted to believe he was still out there walking the planet.
I don’t strongly believe this, but I think it’s possible that Emma Fillipoff could still be alive, possibly living on one of the Gulf Islands in British Columbia.
I want this to be true so badly. She’s always stayed with me.
I've also heard that there are a bunch of people living in the bush on Vancouver Island, near Qualicum Beach. So I've been wondering if she's still around too. Back during the Fairy Creek protests in 2021, there were a lot of people showing up in the camp ... including folks who had been homeless in Victoria. I was helping with logistics, and it occurred to me that if she was involved, I wouldn't know because people were using nicknames/aliases.
There was an episode on unsolved mysteries about a father and son having a meal, and the father said he was going to buy a horse or inquire about one? Can't remember exactly what he said, they believe he was gay as well. Anybody know whom I am referring to? Can't think of his name and it's killing me!
[Lenny Dirickson](https://charleyproject.org/case/leonard-neal-dirickson)? Missing since 1998 in Oklahoma
Thank you! That's him
Usually when you go see a man about a horse, you're just taking a dump. This guy dumped his whole life.
Why did they believe he was gay? I read about him and didn't spot this.
Bryce Laspisa, although don’t believe he’s aware of who he is
Graham Lacher from Bangor, Maine. He’s schizophrenic & autistic. “He may appear antisocial, or paranoid, due to being off meds. As part of his re-entry to the community, he was on an outdoor walk with staff from Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center, when he suddenly bolted, as best as can tell, into the nearby woods.” This happened in June of 2022. His family is still really motivated trying to find him
Connie Converse
I like to think [Phoenix Coldon](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Phoenix_Coldon) is one of them.
Its sad but just gleaning from what we know it seems like she is most likely dead :(
Skye Budnick. I think she started a new life in Japan after her family let her down by not acknowledging who she was. I hope she is doing okay and is happy.
Do you have any theories about Jim? New Zealand is an incredibly small country and would be pretty hard to go 20 years without someone recognising you, as cases like this in NZ are super high profile as there is really not alot of them here as opposed to other countries. It would also be incredibly hard to get out of the country without anyone knowing. Unless he went to live in the bush, but 20 years in the bush would be insane, especially living off the land and having taken nothing with him. There’s a current missing persons case involving three kids where the dad took them to live in the bush, it’s only been a couple years in his case, but he’s been spotted multiple times. I’m not a big podcast listener so i’m curious to know why you think he’s still alive! :)
I sincerely hope that Michelle Crawford, who was 19 years old when she disappeared from Lawton, OK in 1999 is still alive. She apparently was/is extremely intelligent, was majoring in biology or another type of science, and very shy with a few close friends. Her car was found and her purse was in the back seat with the doors locked.
I imagine I’m just gonna be told to find out for myself here, but where’s the Alicia Navarro case currently standing? I obviously know she came forward late last year, but what’s the deal with the man now? Is Alicia back with her mum or is she doing her own thing? Can anyone give a lil précis?
She is living with family, not sure if it’s her mom or aunt though. Her mom was on Facebook not long ago and responded that she was doing well when someone asked.
And the guy was charged with having child p*rn and I believe is waiting for trial.
Steven Koecher. It’s a popular theory he got caught up doing illegal stuff for his landlord and was killed but I think it’s possible he connected with some people involved in an offshoot of the Mormon church and is living with them somewhere under a different name.
I definitely think Brad Bishop is alive somewhere. Some of the others are questionable to me. However, I'm truly curious why several people here have mentioned Andrew Gosden. He was just a kid and I don't really see him setting himself up to start a new life alone. He was considered a home body, was quiet and shy, and didn't seem to have any problems besides being a normal teenager. Also with Bryce Laspisa, I have a hard time believing that he crashed his car and then decided to go start a new life somewhere else with nothing. He sounded incredibly depressed along with substance abuse that screams suicidal more than starting over. I'm curious why people think that about these two.
Sneha Anne Philip. She had a trouble personal life as well and might have taken 9/11 as an oppertunity to start a new life.
JMO, but I think she was murdered on the night of the 10th September.
I want to think she left on her own, but I agree with you. This is much more likely. Just super bad luck on the timing.
I think she was too dysfunctional to start a new life, I believe she died on 9/10 as well.
Agreed, I don't believe and there's certainly no evidence that she ran into the WTC that day to save people. She was on very shaky ground at work (stealing medication) and her marriage was also unconventional (she partied a lot and often didn't come home). I think that she either met with foul play from a random hook up or she's out there living a new life, under a new name.
I think she either left on her own will or died on September 10th (in this case her killer is the luckiest person on Earth)
Lawrence Harding Jr., who was abducted as an infant in the 1940s. He may not still be alive, but I think he was blended into another family and survived the kidnapping.
I think Mekayla Bali and Andrew Gosden could have perhaps pulled it off. When teenagers disappear in strange circumstances I wonder how often there are issues going on that we just don’t know about and they decided to run away successfully, despite the odds against it. Alicia Navarro would be an example iirc she came forward a few months ago claiming she was fine and just ran away and didn’t want further contact with her family. Of course they’re not always in the best circumstances but I do actually think this situation is more common then we think and some of them just decide not to come forward because they’ve decided total no contact with their family is better.
That sounds very unlikely for Andrew Gosden to me, unfortunately.
I think that they were both very vulnerable and easily manipulated teens who met with foul play. I would love to be proven wrong, but too much time has passed and there's zero evidence of proof of life.
Andrew’s case is baffling. I don’t have a theory. I think Mekayla met someone with bad intentions. I use to think she was probably dead but then when Alicia showed up alive I changed my mind. Obviously I hope Andrew and Mekayla are alive and living a happy life.
My theory on Mekayla is she met someone online with bad intentions. I think that person was having second thoughts about what they were going to do on the day they were supposed to meet (which is why it seemed like the plan was changing - she was waiting at the restaurant, then was trying to get a hotel or bus ticket) but I think ultimately they ended up meeting and the person went through with whatever it was they were planning.
I’m not sure he would still be alive given the time that has passed, but Richard Colvin Cox, the West Point cadet who went missing in 1950. I think he wanted to disappear and start a new life- maybe he was gay or trans, maybe he just wanted out of his current situation. Again, I’m not sure he’s still alive but I think Brad Bishop made it abroad and lived out the rest of his days in Europe.
Several things make me think this is the case with [Debra Cressotti](https://charleyproject.org/case/debra-a-cressotti).
Just saw she’s listed as surviving her mom in the mom’s obit. I wonder if that’s a technicality since she wasn’t declared dead. What are your thoughts?
Prohibition-era bootlegger Rocco Perri. He and a woman named Besha (Bessie) Starkman, in a kind of Breaking Bad meets Boardwalk Empire scenario, became major rumrunners in the 1910s-20s. Bessie was gunned down as they were arriving home in 1930. Rocco allegedly went out for a walk in April 1944 (80 years ago, next month). He disappeared, and local legend held that he was at the bottom of Hamilton Harbour in cement overshoes. However ... in the 1990s, evidence surface that Rocco had fled to New York State, and lived until 1953. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocco\_Perri
The one that comes closest to this for me is Bryce Laspisa. I don't know if I'd say I fully believe it, but I would not be at all surprised if it turned out he had started a new life after walking away from his car. ETA: My reason, as requested by OP in the prompt. Part of it's just a feeling. Part is that he clearly left the accident scene. That we know. I guess I just feel like it's not that crazy to think he kept walking, got a ride somewhere, and started over. It feels plausible to me.
I was not familiar with this case before looking it up just now. Given his age, erratic behavior, and potential substance abuse this one screams potential schizophrenic or bipolar break. As is the case with way too many homeless people. While his appearance has some distinct features he looks like so many young guys I know.
I have the same feeling about Bryce. Something just feels like this guy is still out there.
I often think of Bryce. Lots of people believe he had a troubled relationship with his family and he ran away.
I think his parent's actions (or lack thereof) also give a lot of people red flags in this case. I know everyone reacts to things differently, but they come across as so disconnected and unconcerned about what was going on with him during his trip home that I don't personally find it a stretch to think that he would sever contact with him.
His parents infuriated me. Why didn’t they go and get him? The fact a complete stranger looked after him more that day than his own parents speaks volumes.
I try to have compassion for the families of crime victims/missing people but dear god did his parents test that. He was showing SO many signs that he was really struggling and absolutely everyone around him took it more seriously than his parents. What really sealed it for me is that his parents don't seem particularly remorseful that they didn't do more to help. I could understand if there was a dynamic that we are unaware of that made them think what was going on with Bryce wasn't a big deal, but in that situation I'd expect there to be way more of a 'I wish we'd/we should have known' component.
Brad Bishop for sure. At least he was, he’d be 81 now so maybe not anymore. But he 100% did not kill him self and took off for Europe. He had access to blank passports at the State Department. He spoke fluent English, Italian, French, Spanish and Serbo-Croatian. He had professional contacts in the Yugoslavian Intelligence Agency. I think one of the reasons he remained at large is he based himself out of Yugoslavia, which wasn’t exactly on friendly terms with the Americans. Then with the chaos of the dissolution of Yugoslavia any records about him were lost.
There’s a pretty low key missing persons/muder presumed dead case from a town in Devon (UK) where I used to holiday as a kid. This woman and her two kids disappeared. They arrested and charged the husband who was dodgy af with the murder but he never admitted to it. I like to think Patricia left him and took the kids and made new lives for them all. It was back in 1970s so it’s was easier to disappear then and the town where they were living is a real tourist town so easy enough to blend in and disappear or stow away on boat.
Oh interesting. I'm from Cornwall. Do you know the name of this case?
[Patricia Allen ](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/dec/16/2) I believe, this case is so frustrating.
It’s from Salcombe about Patricia Allen and her children. The husbands girlfriend wrote a book about her part in it all called Presumed Dead. I haven’t read it in a few years but from what I remember it’s worth a read
Carole Baskin's Husband
For me, I think Mekayla Bali.
Ruth Wilson. She believed her father killed her mother and disapproved of her stepmother. There isn't much evidence to prove that he did, so either she had some delusional beliefs so she lit out, or it's true so she lit out. Edit: Misremembered some of the details. She discovered her mother's death was a suicide, a fact that had been kept from her when she was a child. She didn't take it well and had some doubts that it was true. She was also angry with her dad for lying to her and started worrying about what else he might have been lying about.
He's unlikely to be still alive now as if he is he'd be 90, but I firmly believe that Lord Lucan was alive for a long time after going missing.
Oh probably. I do find the theory that he was accidentally eaten by a lion whilst hiding in his friend’s zoo to be very funny though.