The Vanished Podcast

Last week, you heard Part 1 of Andrew Dixon’s story. You learned about Andrew’s early life in Oklahoma and how, from the very beginning, his story was complicated. Over time, the patterns he was born into followed Andrew into adulthood. Andrew ultimately left Oklahoma for a fresh start in Las Cruces, New Mexico. After a long-term relationship with the mother of his child had ended, Andrew moved north to Truth or Consequences, hoping to begin again. There, a childhood friend's family opened their home to Andrew while he worked to get back on his feet. Andrew found work and, for a time, seemed to be rebuilding some stability. But in the months before he went missing, another painful setback emerged. A legal situation involving his child's mother left Andrew temporarily unable to see his daughter until the matter was resolved in court.  Those who were close to him could see that the loss hit at the center of who Andrew was. Being a father wasn’t just important to Andrew; it was the role that mattered most. As that part of his life became uncertain, the strain began to show. He was under pressure, emotionally raw, and trying to hold himself together while facing instability in nearly every direction. Then, in the weeks before Andrew disappeared, something shifted. Several people said he had become increasingly fearful. He believed people were watching him, following him, possibly trying to harm him. He spoke about being tracked, hacked, and pulled into something dangerous. To some, it sounded like paranoia. To others, it was harder to dismiss entirely. The people who cared about Andrew were left with a question that still hangs over this case. Was he reacting to a real threat, or was he being consumed by fear that had lost touch with reality? As investigators and Andrew’s loved ones began piecing together the days leading up to his disappearance, they kept circling back to that same unsettling question. With each new detail, the line between paranoia and real danger became harder to see. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Andrew Dixon, please contact the Truth or Consequences Police Department at 575-894-7111. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the evening of July 28, 2025, surveillance cameras at the Sierra County Detention Facility in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, captured a white Kia Soul pulling into the parking lot. The driver parked, stepped out, and walked away. Investigators believe that the driver may have been 32-year-old Andrew Dixon. That brief moment on surveillance video would later take on new significance. Two days later, Andrew was reported missing. A man contacted police to report that his 2004 blue Toyota Camry was missing, and he believed his friend and roommate, Andrew Dixon, may have taken it. He had tried multiple times to reach Andrew, but got no response. He also told investigators that this behavior was out of character. Andrew had never taken anything from him before. Andrew’s own car, the Kia seen on surveillance, had been left behind at the detention facility. No one knew why he would leave his vehicle there, why he would take his roommate’s Camry instead, or where Andrew may have been headed. As Detective Sergeant Shane Jeffers began investigating, what initially seemed like a possible misunderstanding involving a borrowed car quickly became something more complex. In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, Andrew’s life had been unraveling, and those closest to him were left trying to piece together a story that didn’t quite make sense. In this episode, we will begin piecing together the fragments of Andrew Dixon’s life and the mystery of what may have happened to him. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Andrew Dixon, please contact the Truth or Consequences Police Department at 575-894-7111. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, you heard Part 1 of William Gray’s story. In October of 2022, 39-year-old William Gray disappeared from his home in Sweeny, Texas, leaving behind questions that remain unanswered more than three years later. In Part 1, we explored Will’s life, the mounting tension in his marriage, the events leading up to the day he vanished, and the early stages of the investigation. In the months before his disappearance, Will had been injured at work and underwent back surgery in September 2022. According to his sister, Beverly, he told her that once he was cleared to return to work, he planned to retain an attorney and file for divorce. He wanted to make sure he had everything in place before taking that step. At the time, Will continued living on the property he shared with his wife because he didn’t want to leave his young son behind. Beverly said he told her he had been sleeping in a camper on an adjoining property and that he was documenting what was happening around him. He said he had installed cameras and was backing up the data in multiple locations. The last known contact with Will was on October 17, 2022. His wife said he was picked up from the property in a truck, though descriptions of that vehicle have varied and, as far as Beverly knows, a driver has never been identified. Will’s phone was left behind, cutting off a key digital trail. In the days that followed, Beverly reported him missing to the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office. Beverly said she was surprised to learn that investigators reported finding no digital evidence, despite what Will had told her about the steps he was taking to preserve everything. Early on, the case appeared to gain momentum, but after Beverly had an in-depth conversation with the original detective assigned to it, he suddenly left the department, and the investigation seemed to slow. In Part 2, we will examine what happened in the years following Will's disappearance, the questions that remain, and information Beverly has uncovered as she continues trying to find out what happened to her brother. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of William Gray, please contact the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office at (979) 864-2200. You can follow Beverly’s search efforts to find her brother on social media at Find Will Gray. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In October of 2022, 39-year-old William Gray disappeared from his home in Sweeny, Texas. At the time, Will was in the middle of a difficult chapter in his life. He was recovering from back surgery following a work-related injury and was temporarily sidelined, but looking forward to returning to his job soon. According to those close to him, Will had been making plans. He told family members that once he was back at work, he intended to retain an attorney and move forward with filing for divorce. Beneath those plans, tensions had been escalating. In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, Will confided in family that he had growing concerns for his safety, though he reassured them that he was documenting everything. Then, he sent a message to his ex-wife, the mother of his two older children, that included a police report number and a request for her to protect the kids. Days later, Will was gone. More than three years have passed, and the question remains: what happened to William Gray? If you have any information regarding the disappearance of William Gray, please contact the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office at (979) 864-2200. You can follow Beverly’s efforts to find answers for her brother on social media at Find Will Gray. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode originally aired on October 28, 2018. It has been remastered and now includes new information at the end regarding significant developments in this case. At 8:30 PM on December 9, 2001, 38-year-old mother of three, Michele Lyn Hundley Smith, told her family she was going Christmas shopping. She left her home in Stoneville, North Carolina, driving her green 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport van with North Carolina license plate “ROK-N-ON.” She was headed to Martinsville, Virginia, less than 20 miles away. Shopping at night wasn’t unusual for Michele. It wasn't long before Christmas and shortly before her oldest daughter’s birthday. No one thought twice about it. But by midnight, Michele still hadn’t returned. Her husband woke their 14-year-old daughter, Amanda, concerned that something was wrong. Michele never came home. For more than 24 years, Michele’s disappearance remained unsolved. Then, in February 2026, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Michele had been located alive.  This re-release contains the original episode as it aired in 2018, followed by an update segment at the end discussing these recent developments. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the evening of February 28, 2006, 23-year-old Travis Roberson traveled from his home in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, to downtown Fayetteville to attend a Mardi Gras celebration. He was there with friends, enjoying what was meant to be a night of music, crowds, and celebration. At some point during the evening, Travis told the others he wasn’t feeling well and said he was going to walk back to the car to wait until everyone was ready to leave. When the rest of the group returned to the vehicle later that night, Travis was nowhere to be found. At first, there was no immediate panic. Friends assumed Travis may have met someone or found another way home, and that he would call to let them know what was going on. But hours passed, then days, and that call never came. Travis’s family reported him missing to the Siloam Springs Police Department. Since Travis was last seen in downtown Fayetteville, police later said the case was transferred to the Fayetteville Police Department. What happened next would have long-lasting consequences. Due to a breakdown in communication between agencies, no one opened an active investigation into Travis’s disappearance. For years, each department believed the other was handling the case. In reality, no investigation was underway at all. By the time the error was discovered, critical time had been lost. Leads had gone cold, evidence was gone, and memories had faded. Nearly twenty years later, Travis Roberson’s family is still searching for answers about what happened to him that night. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Travis Roberson, please contact the Siloam Springs Police Department at 479-524-4118. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Keyonta Davis disappeared from Baltimore, Maryland, just days after his twenty-first birthday in March of 2020. On his birthday, Keyonta stopped by his mother Angie’s home, and the two made plans to get together the following day so she could bake him a cake. The next day, Keyonta went to work and called Angie during his lunch break. Nothing about that conversation suggested anything was wrong, but he never showed up for that birthday cake, and Angie never heard from her son again. Keyonta was a young adult with disabilities who needed ongoing support as he moved into adulthood. He worked part-time at an adult day care center, a job he enjoyed and took pride in. Although he was no longer living at home, Keyonta stayed in regular contact with his mother and other family members. Disappearing without a word was completely out of character for him. In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, Keyonta confided in Angie about the people he was living with. He told her they were taking his money and using the benefits he received because of his disability. Angie began to fear her son was being financially exploited. When she tried to step in and help, she was met with resistance. Keyonta insisted he could handle the situation himself. When Angie attempted to report her son missing, she said the Baltimore Police Department initially turned her away, telling her that Keyonta was an adult and did not have to stay in contact with family if he didn’t want to. But Angie knew something was wrong. With little help from authorities, she felt compelled to begin asking questions on her own. What she learned was deeply troubling. Although a missing persons case was eventually opened, Angie believes little effort was made to locate Keyonta or determine what happened to him. Nearly six years later, she continues to advocate for her son, pushing for answers and justice. If you have any information about the disappearance of Keyonta Davis, please contact the Baltimore Police Department Missing Persons Unit at (443) 983-7385. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In early March of 2020, 35-year-old Michael Green left his home in Winnfield, Louisiana. It wasn’t unusual for Michael to come and go, and a few days without hearing from him didn’t immediately raise concern. But as the days stretched on, his absence began to feel heavier. Michael was usually in touch, or at least visible somewhere around town. This time, he wasn’t. Michael's sister sent him messages, but Michael didn’t respond. That alone was unsettling. In mid-March, she sent him a message on Facebook Messenger, saying their mother was worried and asking him to get in touch. She could see that Michael’s account was active, a small sign that he was still out there. Then, that too was gone. Deactivated, it vanished just like Michael himself had. Michael's family reported him missing to the Winnfield Police Department, and horrifying rumors about what happened to him quickly spread around town. Nearly six years later, the question of what happened to Michael Green remains unanswered. If you have any information about Michael’s disappearance, please contact the Winnfield Police Department at 318-628-3511. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joan Bernal's episodes originally aired in October 2020. In December of 1988, Joan Bernal, her husband, and their children had plans to leave their home in Joliet, Illinois, and head to Texas to visit her husband’s family for the holidays. Things didn’t go as planned, and they weren’t able to bring Joan’s children from a previous marriage due to custody issues. According to Joan’s husband, Gil, they decided to make the trip anyway. He later told investigators that Joan became upset during the drive and that he dropped her off near a bus stop in McAlester, Oklahoma, and gave her cash so she could return to Illinois. The plan, he said, was for Joan to pick up her other children and then fly to Texas to meet them. Joan Bernal has never been seen or heard from again. Over the years, this case has been marked by conflicting accounts, unanswered questions, and lingering uncertainty about what truly happened to Joan. Investigators and Joan’s loved ones have wrestled with whether she could still be alive, whether foul play was involved, and why no verified trace of her has ever surfaced. Update: In December 2025, 37 years after Joan Bernal was last seen, the case took a significant turn. A Will County grand jury returned a sealed indictment charging Joan’s husband, Gilbert Bernal, with first-degree murder in connection with her disappearance. Stay tuned through the end of Part 2 for more details on the recent developments in this case. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joan Bernal's episodes originally aired in October 2020. In December of 1988, Joan Bernal, her husband, and their children had plans to leave their home in Joliet, Illinois, and head to Texas to visit her husband’s family for the holidays. Things didn’t go as planned, and they weren’t able to bring Joan’s children from a previous marriage due to custody issues. According to Joan’s husband, Gil, they decided to make the trip anyway. He later told investigators that Joan became upset during the drive and that he dropped her off near a bus stop in McAlester, Oklahoma, and gave her cash so she could return to Illinois. The plan, he said, was for Joan to pick up her other children and then fly to Texas to meet them. Joan Bernal has never been seen or heard from again. Over the years, this case has been marked by conflicting accounts, unanswered questions, and lingering uncertainty about what truly happened to Joan. Investigators and Joan’s loved ones have wrestled with whether she could still be alive, whether foul play was involved, and why no verified trace of her has ever surfaced. Update: In December 2025, 37 years after Joan Bernal was last seen, the case took a significant turn. A Will County grand jury returned a sealed indictment charging Joan’s husband, Gilbert Bernal, with first-degree murder in connection with her disappearance. Stay tuned through the end of Part 2 for more details on the recent developments in this case. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On June 13, 2016, 44-year-old Amy McHale said goodbye to her mother and left her home in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Nothing about that moment suggested it would be the last time her family would see her, but it was. In the early morning hours of June 14, Amy called her daughter, Amanda, and left a voicemail. When Amanda listened to the message later that morning, it didn’t raise any immediate alarm bells, but when she tried to call her mother back, it went straight to voicemail. In the message, Amy said she was staying at her ex-husband’s house, something she did from time to time. At first, no one was overly concerned. Amy was an adult who had her own routines, and everyone assumed she would resurface, as she always had before. As hours turned into days with no word, concern for Amy began to grow. Amy’s ex-husband told family members that she had been at his home when he went to bed on the night of June 13, but when he woke up the next morning, Amy was gone. From that point forward, there were no confirmed sightings or clear answers about where she may have gone. Nearly a decade has passed since Amy vanished, and her loved ones are still searching for answers, holding onto hope that someone knows what happened and will finally decide to step forward. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Amy McHale, please contact the Philadelphia Police Department at (215) 686-3013. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving 2025, the family and friends of 59-year-old Daniel Davis began to grow increasingly concerned. Dan was known as deeply reliable. His coworkers couldn’t even remember him missing a single day of work in decades. Much of Dan’s life revolved around his job at 115 Bourbon Street, a well-known music venue in Merrionette Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb just outside the city of Chicago. They soon learned that Dan had been involved in a car accident late on the night of Monday, November 24. After the crash, Dan was dropped off at his workplace, where he walked inside and briefly greeted the two remaining coworkers. In the early morning hours of November 25, Dan was seen walking away from 115 Bourbon Street. Once Dan's loved ones learned about the accident, questions immediately followed. Where was he, and why wasn’t he answering calls or text messages? Had Dan sought medical attention afterward? As hours passed without contact, it became clear that something was wrong. Dan was reported missing to the Chicago Police Department, and surveillance footage began to surface. Almost immediately, they noticed something troubling. The surveillance footage was bizarre, but it didn’t clearly point to what had happened or where Dan might have gone. When they entered his apartment, they found items left in a manner out of character, deepening the confusion rather than providing answers. The final known surveillance video of Dan was recorded on Wednesday, November 26, around 6:30 p.m. Dan was seen exiting a church in Blue Island, Illinois, a community just south of Chicago. After that moment, Dan Davis vanished without a trace. Despite exhaustive search efforts by law enforcement, family, friends, and volunteers, no further confirmed sightings or answers have emerged. Nearly two months later, what happened to Dan Davis remains a mystery. If you have any information about the disappearance of Dan Davis, please contact the Chicago Police Department Area 2 Special Victims Unit at (312) 747-8274. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On January 12, 2025, 50-year-old Robert Maguire, known to those closest to him as Bobby, said goodbye to his father and boarded a bus in Wilmington, Delaware. His destination was Scranton, Pennsylvania. Those cities are only about 2 to 3 hours apart, but the route the bus Bobby boarded included a stop at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, where he was expected to transfer to a second bus bound for Scranton. On the other end of the trip, Bobby’s cousin was waiting for a call to let him know he had arrived and was ready to be picked up. That call never came. At first, the silence did not raise an immediate alarm. Bobby’s cousin assumed he had decided not to make the trip. His family in Delaware believed he had arrived safely. As more time passed with no word from Bobby, those assumptions fell away, and the family realized something was wrong. What makes Bobby’s disappearance especially difficult is the uncertainty of where it occurred. Somewhere between Wilmington, New York City, and Scranton, Bobby vanished. With multiple buses, a major transit hub, and time unaccounted for, his last confirmed location remains unclear. This has left his family unsure where to focus their search. One year later, they’re still searching for answers. If you have any information about the disappearance of Robert Maguire, please contact the Wilmington Police Department at (302) 654-5151. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the afternoon of January 8, 2023, deputies from the Jersey County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a trespassing call in Dow, Illinois. A landowner reported seeing two men riding across his fields: one on a four-wheeler and the other driving a blue Buick. When deputies caught up with one of the men, he explained that he was searching for his girlfriend, 39-year-old Kaila Vincent Vatole, who had left their residence earlier that day. He said he didn’t know which direction she had gone, but he was worried about her and told deputies she might be suicidal. Given the seriousness of the situation, a search for Kaila began immediately. Deputies arrived on scene shortly after 2 p.m., and, with daylight already fading in the winter months, a helicopter was requested to cover as much ground as possible before nightfall. Several other agencies were called in to assist with the search efforts. Deputies went door to door, asking neighbors if anyone had seen Kaila, but no one had. It was as if she had simply vanished without a trace. The sheriff then contacted the Illinois State Police to request an aircraft equipped with heat-sensing technology, hoping it could locate Kaila. The pilot identified several heat signatures, but each proved to be an empty well or a culvert. They began pinging Kaila’s phone. A deputy also attempted to call her several times, and that's when it was heard ringing inside the house under a pile of clothing. At that point, investigators realized Kaila had left without her phone, eliminating what might have been their strongest digital trail. In the days that followed, deputies returned to the area to search, but no trace of Kaila was found. More than three years later, what happened to Kaila Vincent Vatole remains unknown. If you have any information about the disappearance of Kaila Vincent Vatole, please contact the Jersey County Sheriff’s Office at 618-498-6881. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kay-Alana Turner’s episodes first aired in November 2023. On March 9, 2023, 27-year-old Kay-Alana Turner left a friend’s home in Silsbee, Texas, and began driving toward Austin, about four hours away, apparently to visit a friend. In the days leading up to March 9, Kay-Alana had not been sleeping well and did not seem quite like herself. In the early morning hours of March 10, witnesses in Hockley and Tomball, Texas, interacted with Kay-Alana after she asked if she could sleep in their driveways. By that time, her phone had died. Around 6 a.m., a homeowner in the Holly Creek Estates subdivision in Tomball noticed Kay-Alana’s car parked in their driveway, with Kay-Alana asleep inside. The homeowner contacted someone from the homeowner’s association and nearby neighbors. As several people gathered around the vehicle and attempted to wake her, Kay-Alana became frightened. When she tried to leave, her car was blocked. An officer from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office then broke the driver's side window of her vehicle. Kay-Alana fled first by driving through a yard and across nearby farmland, then into a wooded area where her car became stuck. Deputies pursued her on foot. Kay-Alana ran into the woods, dropping her phone along the way and later removing her shoes, which were filled with glass from the broken window. In the days that followed, her loved ones compared accounts and came to believe that Kay-Alana had been experiencing a mental health crisis that night. Despite extensive searches of the area where she was last seen, no further trace of her was found beyond her phone and shoes. On April 19, 2024, after more than a year of searching, Kay-Alana Turner’s remains were found by Texas Equusearch in Montgomery County, Texas, less than 1,000 feet from where her car had been abandoned on March 10, 2023. She was positively identified through dental records. Due to the condition of her remains, the medical examiner ruled the cause of death as undetermined, with the manner classified as accidental, noting no evidence of foul play. In the months that followed, body camera footage from Kay-Alana’s initial encounter with Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies was released, sparking concern and controversy. In the footage, deputies were heard making joking and disparaging remarks about Kay-Alana, including comments about her appearance after viewing her identification. The footage intensified scrutiny of the response to Kay-Alana on the day she disappeared and raised broader questions about how law enforcement handles encounters involving individuals experiencing medical or mental health crises. Kay-Alana Turner was laid to rest in November 2024. Her family continues to seek accountability and hopes her story leads to meaningful change, believing that compassion and understanding could have made a critical difference that day. Photo Credit: James Blaign Rambo If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kay-Alana Turner’s episodes first aired in November 2023. On March 8, 2023, 27-year-old Kay-Alana Turner stayed overnight at a friend’s home in Silsbee, Texas. Her friend noticed that Kay-Alana hadn’t been sleeping well and that something appeared to be troubling her. The following morning, Kay-Alana was believed to be asleep when her friend left for work, but as the day wore on, attempts to contact her raised concern. When Kay-Alana was briefly reached by phone, something didn’t seem right, and no one knew where she was. Loved ones later learned that Kay-Alana had planned to drive to Austin, about four hours away. Her loved ones began searching for her, but by the next morning, troubling reports about her behavior began to surface. These were accounts her family and friends felt were completely out of character. What was clear was that Kay-Alana was missing, and they needed to find her. On April 19, 2024, after more than a year of searching, Kay-Alana Turner’s remains were found by Texas Equusearch in Montgomery County, Texas, less than 1,000 feet from where her car had been abandoned on March 10, 2023. She was positively identified through dental records. Due to the condition of her remains, the medical examiner ruled the cause of death as undetermined, with the manner classified as accidental, noting no evidence of foul play. In the months that followed, body camera footage from Kay-Alana’s initial encounter with Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies was released, sparking concern and controversy. In the footage, deputies were heard making joking and disparaging remarks about Kay-Alana, including comments about her appearance after viewing her identification. The footage intensified scrutiny of the response to Kay-Alana on the day she disappeared and raised broader questions about how law enforcement handles encounters involving individuals experiencing medical or mental health crises. Kay-Alana Turner was laid to rest in November 2024. Her family continues to seek accountability and hopes her story leads to meaningful change, believing that compassion and understanding could have made a critical difference that day. Photo Credit: James Blaign Rambo If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode originally aired on October 28, 2019. On July 6, 2019, 25-year-old Chance Englebert spent the day golfing with family in Gering, Nebraska. He later left with his wife, Baylee, and their infant son to stop by Baylee’s grandparents’ house. According to Baylee, it was in her grandparents’ driveway around 7:30 p.m. that Chance got out of the car and walked away. He was captured on surveillance video walking in Terrytown and was never seen again.  On October 10, 2025, more than six years after Chance Englebert disappeared, his remains were discovered below a steep cliff in a remote area of Scotts Bluff National Monument. The location was approximately three to five miles from where he was last seen on surveillance video in Terrytown, though some route-based estimates of the distance he would have traveled on foot place it closer to eight miles. Authorities say evidence at the scene was consistent with a fall of up to several hundred feet, and multiple forensic specialists concluded his death was accidental, caused by blunt force trauma from a rapid deceleration event. Investigators reported no evidence of foul play. Chance’s family, while accepting that a fall likely caused his death, continues to have questions about how he reached that location given the conditions and timeline. If you have any information related to the disappearance or death of Chance Englebert, please contact the Gering Police Department at (308) 436-5089. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Part 1 of this series, we explored Troy Galloway’s life and the events surrounding his January 13, 2016, disappearance from Sonora, California. We walked through the confusion of those early days, eyewitness accounts of a disturbance near Crystal Falls Lake, and the later phone data that appeared to place Troy’s phone in that same area. Those elements combined to form the backbone of the investigation and ultimately led to the extensive search of the lake, an effort that, despite its scale, uncovered no trace of Troy. In Part 2, we shifted our focus to Troy’s relationships and the people who knew him best after his move to Sonora. We heard from the Brainstormers, the friends and loved ones who traveled to Sonora themselves, spoke with neighbors, and worked to piece together what Troy’s life looked like in the months before he vanished. This week, in Part 3, we are going to take a deeper look at the other lines of investigation that have been pursued over the past decade, where the case stands today, and the impact that ten years of searching without answers has had on everyone who loves Troy. If you have any information about the disappearance of Troy Galloway, please contact the Tuolumne Sheriff's Office at (209) 533-5855. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, we walked through the timeline of Troy Galloway’s disappearance and the events that unfolded in the days leading up to January 13, 2016. We learned how, after years of building a life and a steady support network in Santa Cruz, California, Troy moved to Sonora with his wife, placing hours of distance between himself and the people who had always been his safety net. Troy was a devoted father to his young son, but the distance made it difficult to maintain that same level of involvement in his life after the move. On January 15, 2016, Troy’s mother, Nancy, received a message from his wife telling her that Troy had disappeared two days earlier. Nancy was confused and alarmed by what she was hearing. His wife said Troy had run out of the house, underdressed for the cold, and never returned. After that exchange, Troy was finally reported missing, but a miscommunication between local agencies delayed getting the case to the appropriate investigators and beginning the search for Troy. Over time, pieces of information slowly came together. Neighbors recalled hearing a disturbance at Crystal Falls Lake on the night Troy vanished. Years later, advances in technology enabled investigators to interpret Troy’s phone data with greater clarity, suggesting that his phone had been near the lake around the time he disappeared. For a long time, this became the guiding theory: that Troy had somehow ended up in the water. That idea guided the investigation, culminating in an extensive, highly coordinated search effort. Crystal Falls Lake was drained, scanned, and combed through by forensic specialists, dogs, and sonar teams. But when the search turned up no trace of Troy or his belongings, the explanation that had once seemed most likely suddenly stood on shaky ground. If Troy wasn’t in the lake, then the story everyone had been leaning on for years no longer fit, and the investigation was forced back to its earliest questions. This week, we’re going to dig deeper into what Troy’s loved ones learned about his time in Sonora, what they began to uncover about the dynamics within his marriage, and the questions that still haunt Troy’s family as they enter the tenth year of searching for answers. If you have any information about the disappearance of Troy Galloway, please contact the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office at (209) 533-5855. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

January 13, 2016, was a chilly winter day in Sonora, California. That day, thirty-four-year-old Troy Galloway was reportedly at home with his wife and young daughter when the couple had a disagreement. According to his wife, Troy ran out of the house and into the cold, snowy yard wearing only a t-shirt, jeans, and shoes. Troy never returned, and no one has seen or heard from him since. A couple of days later, Troy’s mother, Nancy, who was back home a few hours away in Santa Cruz, received a text from Troy’s wife saying that he was missing. Nancy was both shocked and frustrated that she hadn’t been notified sooner. At that point, Troy still had not been reported missing, and once he was, a jurisdictional mix-up further delayed search efforts. Since Troy was not reported missing right away, it took time to connect his disappearance to a commotion that neighbors said they heard the night he vanished. The neighbors were concerned enough to report it to law enforcement that evening. However, learning that information didn’t bring anyone closer to finding Troy; it only deepened the mystery. If Troy had truly run from the home on foot that night, underdressed for the January weather, where did he go? How did he disappear without a trace? And was that commotion heard by neighbors connected to Troy’s disappearance? For nearly a decade, Troy’s loved ones have been trying to piece together what clues they have to answer those questions. Today, they’re hoping to reach someone who holds the missing piece that could finally explain what happened to Troy Galloway back in January of 2016. If you have any information about the disappearance of Troy Galloway, please contact the Tuolumne Sheriff's Office at (209) 533-5855. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode first aired on August 14, 2023. In Part 1 of Dorothy Goroshko’s story, you heard about her life from her sons, John and Rick. Their childhood was difficult even before Dorothy disappeared and grew even more complicated afterward. Despite Dorothy’s faults, Rick is determined to find her, and John believes he deserves answers. They lost their mother at a critical time in their lives and were left to wonder whether she had chosen to abandon them or if something tragic had happened. Neither possibility brought any comfort. After she went missing, the boys also had to take on adult responsibilities, working to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. On June 4, 1975, Dorothy left home to meet friends for drinks at The Penalty Box in Boston, Massachusetts. Her group of friends frequently spent time at that bar near North Station. They recalled that Dorothy stayed with them throughout the evening and remained until closing. They said their goodbyes, and no one knew where she went next. There were rumors of after-hours clubs in the area, but no one could confirm whether she had been at any of them that night. Could Dorothy have headed home and been involved in an accident? Could she have gone home with someone she met? Or was she planning to meet someone afterward? In recent years, one person has come forward claiming to have seen Dorothy late that night. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Dorothy Goroshko, please contact the Boston Police Department Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470. If you want to remain anonymous, please call 1-800-494-TIPS or text "TIP" to 27463. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode first aired on August 7, 2023. On June 4, 1975, Dorothy Goroshko went out for drinks with friends in Boston, Massachusetts. Her three sons, ages 21, 14, and 12, were at home and went to bed that night unaware that anything was wrong. The next morning, Dorothy still hadn’t returned. The younger boys got themselves off to school, assuming she had stayed with a friend and would be back later. When the evening came and she still wasn’t home, the brothers didn’t know what to think. They kept waiting, hoping for word from their mother. After several days had passed with no sign of Dorothy, one of her sons went to the police to report her missing. Forty-eight years later, the Goroshko brothers are still searching for answers about what happened that night in 1975. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Dorothy Goroshko, please contact the Boston Police Department Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470. If you wish to remain anonymous, call 1-800-494-TIPS or text “TIP” to 27463. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Dorothy Goroshko, please contact the Boston Police Department Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470. If you wish to remain anonymous, call 1-800-494-TIPS or text “TIP” to 27463. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was Christmas Day 2017 when 35-year-old David Horn Jr. vanished from Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania. At the time, Dave was living alone just around the corner in Trainer. That evening, the Philadelphia Eagles were set to play the Raiders. Dave had been born and raised in the Philadelphia area and was a devoted Eagles fan. Spending a holiday night at a neighborhood pub to watch the game would not have been unusual for him. What was unusual was that as other fans were filing in to settle down for the Christmas night game, Dave walked out of the bar. No one ever saw or heard from him again. Dave had plans to leave for a trip to Las Vegas right after the holiday, so when he went quiet, friends and family assumed he was already there. But in early January, Dave’s father went to check on him and found an unsettling scene. Dave’s truck was still parked outside. Inside, the lights and TV were on, and his belongings appeared untouched. Even the plane tickets for his upcoming trip were sitting out in plain view. Then his father noticed the basement door had a broken window with what looked like blood on it. By then, precious days had already passed. As his family retraced his steps, they confirmed that the last known sighting of Dave was at the pub in Marcus Hook. They learned he had ordered an Uber that evening, but the ride was canceled. After that moment, his trail went cold. Nearly eight years later, Dave’s loved ones are still searching for answers about what happened that Christmas night and why he never made it home. If you have any information about the disappearance of David Horn Jr., please contact the Trainer Borough Police Department at (610) 494-7399. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, you learned about Heather Caras’ life, her disappearance, and the trail of confusion that followed. On January 24, 2025, Heather had planned to take her younger son on a special outing after a minor disagreement the night before. According to him, that morning, Heather said she was going outside to start her vehicle, but she never returned. After waiting for some time, he walked to school to tell someone that something was wrong. What followed was a series of strange events. Instead of involving social services, local residents were called in to look after Heather’s children, a decision that struck her friends as deeply concerning. When photos of Heather’s home began circulating, they showed some rooms inside her home in disarray. Her friends weren’t sure whether Heather had made the mess herself, searching for something, or whether someone else had ransacked the house. The next day, one of Heather’s neighbors found her truck parked at Beaver Bay, miles west of her Linton, North Dakota home. The scene was baffling: a trail of footprints in the snow that ended abruptly, and a new pair of shoes, the same brand Heather always wore, left behind, but not a pair her friends recognized. To make matters worse, there were conflicting accounts about her phone. Some said it was found in the truck; others pointed to photos showing her purse and phone still sitting on a counter inside her home. Back home in North Carolina, Heather’s friends tried to make sense of it all. Locals seemed to be pointing fingers in every direction, and sometimes, back at Heather herself. Then came a press release from the Emmons County Sheriff’s Office that left them in shock. It said that Heather “may have previously reached out to an unknown prior acquaintance living out of state to assist in leaving the area and may have taken steps to avoid detection or being located.” To those who knew her best, that explanation wasn’t plausible. Heather was devoted to her sons. The idea that she would simply walk away from them, from everything, didn’t fit the person they knew. Months later, at the end of May, Heather’s remains were found in a field miles from where her truck had been parked. But finding Heather didn’t bring answers. It only deepened the mystery. How had she ended up there, in the freezing cold? Why would she have gone there at all? The medical examiner couldn’t determine the cause or manner of her death. There were no signs of trauma, and toxicology tests indicated that there were no drugs in her system that could have caused an overdose. Her death was ruled undetermined. Yet, despite that uncertainty, the Emmons County Sheriff’s Office publicly stated that the autopsy “confirmed what investigators had believed all along,” that there was no foul play, and that Heather had suffered a mental health crisis. For her friends, that statement felt like a rewriting of history. From the beginning, officials had said Heather left voluntarily with an unknown acquaintance. Now, they claimed this had been their belief all along. It felt like an easy way to close the book on a case that still didn’t make sense. Today, we’re going to explore where things stand now that Heather has been found, take a closer look at her life in the months before she vanished, and the questions that still linger today. If you have any information about the disappearance and death of Heather Caras, please contact the Emmons County Sheriff’s Office at 701-254-4411. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the morning of January 24, 2025, 39-year-old Heather Caras disappeared from her home in Linton, North Dakota. When she stepped outside, her two teenage sons were still at home. One of her sons later recalled that Heather said she was going to start her vehicle, but she never came back. This was out of character for Heather, who was known to be a devoted and protective mother, given that both of her boys have special needs. When she didn’t return, one of the boys walked to school to sound the alarm that something was wrong.  The next day, Heather’s truck was found at Beaver Bay, about fifteen miles west of Linton. The scene there was strange: a set of footprints leading away from the vehicle, then abruptly ending, and a pair of shoes neatly placed in the snow. In the days that followed, few clues emerged. Then came a statement from law enforcement claiming that Heather had “left her family and the area willingly with the assistance of an unknown acquaintance and was not known to be in any danger.” To those who knew Heather best, that theory wasn’t just out of character; it was unthinkable. As we were preparing to cover Heather’s disappearance, news broke in late May that human remains had been found not far from Beaver Bay. They were later confirmed to be Heather’s remains, but the autopsy results left those who knew and loved her with even more questions than answers.  If you have any information about the disappearance or death of Heather Caras, please contact the Emmons County Sheriff’s Office at 701-254-4411. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode first aired on November 7, 2022. Last week, we shared the first part of Jarrod Green’s story. In September 1994, 20-year-old Jarrod disappeared from Searcy, Arkansas. In the days leading up to his disappearance, he seemed increasingly anxious and worried about his safety. During a call with his girlfriend, he was emotional but wouldn’t say what was wrong. Around the same time, he retrieved a gun from a friend, telling them he needed it for protection. Jarrod told his family he had plans to meet someone that night, but he never returned home. His car was found days later in a store parking lot in Searcy. In this episode, we will explore the people in Jarrod’s circle before he went missing and the possible roles they may have played in his disappearance. If you want to get involved, please join Shannon's group, Justice for Jarrod, on Facebook.  If you have any information regarding Jarrod Green’s disappearance, please contact the Searcy Police Department at (501) 268-3531. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode first aired on October 31, 2022. On September 30, 1994, 20-year-old Jarrod Green disappeared from Searcy, Arkansas. That night, he told his family he had plans to meet someone. During a phone call with his girlfriend, he sounded upset but refused to explain what was wrong. Earlier that week, Jarrod had retrieved a gun he had previously loaned to a friend, saying he needed it for protection. He never made it home and was never seen or heard from again. A few days later, Jarrod’s car was found abandoned in the parking lot of a local store. The doors were unlocked, the windows were rolled down, and the keys were on the floor. His disappearance quickly went cold. His family heard little from law enforcement and felt as though the case had been forgotten. Over time, disturbing stories began to circulate. Less than a year later, another person connected to Jarrod vanished. Another reportedly took his own life after confessing to being involved in Jarrod’s death. Years later, a group of new detectives decided to reexamine the case, and for the first time in decades, there was movement. If you have any information about the disappearance of Jarrod Green, please contact the Searcy Police Department at (501) 268-3531. You can follow developments in Jarrod's case on Facebook at Justice for Jarrod.  If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Whitney Wilken had always been known as a free spirit to those who loved her. She grew up in South Dakota but later moved west to Olympia, Washington. Life in Olympia wasn’t always easy for Whitney, and the distance made it hard for her family to know what was going on in her day-to-day life. Still, they stayed connected, and her family could always count on hearing from her. Then, in October of 2019, the calls from Whitney stopped. Her family reached out to friends in Olympia who went to look for her, but it was as if Whitney had vanished without a trace. No one seemed to know where she had gone or why. When Whitney was reported missing to the Olympia Police Department, their search yielded few answers, and the questions only grew heavier with time. In the years that followed, new information surfaced that raised even more concern. Other women in the same area, with circumstances similar to Whitney’s, had been victimized, leading investigators to consider whether her disappearance might be connected to something much darker. Six years later, Whitney’s loved ones are still waiting for answers. They hope that by sharing her story, someone out there might remember seeing or hearing something that could finally bring them closer to finding her. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Whitney Wilken, please contact the Olympia Police Department. For urgent or time-sensitive tips, call 911 or the non-emergency line at (360) 704-2740. For other information, please call (360) 753-8300 and ask to speak with the detective sergeant assigned to Whitney’s case. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On January 23, 1999, 2-year-old Teekah Lewis vanished from New Frontier Lanes bowling alley in Tacoma, Washington. That night, Teekah was there with her mother, Theresa, and several other relatives. She was playing in the arcade when her mother briefly looked away to bowl. When Theresa turned back, Teekah was gone. Panic set in as family members searched every corner of the building, hoping she had simply wandered out of sight, but Teekah was nowhere to be found. Police were called, and despite extensive searches, no trace of Teekah surfaced. Witnesses offered only fragments of clues. One recalled a maroon Pontiac speeding out of the parking lot around the time Teekah disappeared. Another described a suspicious man inside the bowling alley who had followed a child toward an exit that evening. He was able to give a detailed description of the man, including that he had a pockmarked face. Then, more accounts emerged of unsettling incidents involving children at or around New Frontier Lanes, raising the possibility that the bowling alley and the surrounding neighborhood may have been used as a hunting ground by a predator or predators. For decades, those scraps of information were all investigators and Teekah’s family had to go on, but in 2025, Teekah's case finally began to gain momentum.  Through it all, Teekah’s mother has never stopped searching for answers. Theresa has worked tirelessly to keep her daughter’s story alive for nearly 27 years, clinging to the hope that someone may have taken Teekah to raise as their own, a far easier thought than the darker alternatives. Today, she wants what any mother in her position would: the truth about what happened to her little girl, and the chance to bring her home. If you have any information about the disappearance of Teekah Lewis, please contact the Tacoma Police Department at 253-287-4455 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In late February of 2024, 46-year-old Samantha Tolbert vanished from Carroll County, Georgia, a rural area in western Georgia, along the Alabama state line. At first, Samantha’s absence didn’t raise an alarm. She kept in touch with her daughter, but it wasn’t unusual for some time to pass between calls.  That all changed on March 7, 2024, when deputies from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call in Tyus, a small community in Carroll County. There, they discovered Samantha’s ex-husband was deceased. What stood out immediately was that the vehicle he had driven to the scene wasn’t his; it was Samantha’s truck, but she was nowhere to be found. Investigators attempted to contact Samantha because she was the registered owner of the vehicle, but all efforts to reach her were unsuccessful. Friends and family they contacted said they hadn’t heard from her either. In that moment, the troubling truth came into focus: not only was Samantha’s ex-husband dead, but Samantha herself was missing. Suddenly, two stories collided, one ending in death, the other vanished. With Samantha’s ex-husband no longer alive, investigators were left with a haunting mystery: what really happened in those final days, and what secrets did he take with him? If you have any information about the disappearance of Samantha Tolbert, please contact Investigator Amber Cardell with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office at 770-830-5916 or email acardell@carrollsheriffga.gov. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the northern Alberta town of Slave Lake, the nights in late December are long and unforgiving. On December 28, 2019, 27-year-old Joel Judd was staying with a relative in town. By the end of that evening, he had set out for a night out. By the next morning, he was gone, and no one ever saw or heard from Joel again. That night in Slave Lake, Joel went to a local bar where he spent time with other patrons. As the night wore on, Joel left with a few of them. On their way to one person’s home, they stopped at a local inn to purchase alcohol. Joel phoned his uncle and told him he was with a friend. Eventually, the group arrived at the home, where the party continued late into the night. At some point in the early morning hours, according to those present, Joel got up and walked out. No one saw where he went, and he never came back. When Joel failed to return to his uncle's, his family grew concerned and later reported him missing. Investigators traced his steps, using banking records to confirm who he had been with that night, which led them to a house on Whitetail Way, a few miles west of Slave Lake’s city limits. Despite extensive searches of the property and the surrounding area, no sign of Joel has ever been found. Nearly six years later, his family is still searching for answers. Why did Joel leave that home in the middle of the night? Did something happen after he stepped outside? Is it even true that he walked out on his own? Or did something occur at that house party that has never been revealed?  If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Joel Judd, please contact Slave Lake RCMP at 780-849-3045 and reference case#202015563. You may also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at https://www.canadiancrimestoppers.org/submit-a-tip/submit-a-tip. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In northern Alberta, long roads cut through forest and farmland, connecting small, close-knit communities. It was along these highways in the summer of 2016 that 43-year-old Conrad Jason Ducharme, known to family and friends simply as Jason, was last seen. Jason was believed to be traveling on foot to Dixonville for a tent meeting. He made it there and was later spotted in Manning. But after that, his trail went cold. Known for walking long distances and sometimes catching rides, Jason often stayed with friends or relatives scattered along his route. At first, his family assumed he was with someone else. Only later did they realize no one had seen him, and by then, his trail was already fading. What alarmed them most was that Jason missed his son’s birthday at the end of July, something completely out of character. Nearly a decade later, no trace of Jason has ever been found. His family continues to hold onto hope that answers may still come, and that by sharing Jason's story, someone who remembers something might step forward. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Conrad Jason Ducharme, please contact the Manning RCMP at 780-836-3769 and reference case#: 2016-1416531. Or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at canadiancrimestoppers.org. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, we introduced you to the story of Blake Nex, who vanished from his home in Claremont, California, in March of 1993. At his house in Palmer Canyon, his family found groceries still sitting on the counter, his cats left inside, and no sign of Blake. Weeks later, his truck was discovered parked at Ontario International Airport, which led some to believe he had left willingly. But with no investigation opened by law enforcement at the time, the case quickly went cold and his family was left to search for answers on their own. In Part 2, we pick up decades later, when Blake’s brother Royse connected online with Andrea, a woman halfway across the world who had stumbled upon Blake’s case. Their connection reignited the search, and together they began piecing together fragments of memory, long-circulating rumors, and theories that had lingered for years. In this episode, we follow those threads to explore what people close to Blake remember, what they suspect, and the whispers of activities he may have been involved in before he disappeared. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Blake Nex, please contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at (323) 890-5500. For more information, visit findblakenex.com. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In March of 1993, 37-year-old Blake Nex vanished from his home in Claremont, California. Blake’s family grew concerned when they couldn’t reach him, so a relative went to check his house. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss. There were no signs of a struggle or forced entry, but the scene inside Blake’s home told an even stranger story. Groceries were still sitting on the counter, as if Blake had just come home from the store and been plucked out of his life in the middle of an ordinary day. His cats were left behind to fend for themselves, along with five hundred dollars in cash, but Blake himself was nowhere to be found. A couple of weeks later, Blake’s truck turned up in the parking lot of a local airport. No one could say when it had been left there or by whom. Then, after his disappearance, Blake’s home was broken into. An answering machine, toolbox, and several expensive bicycles were stolen, only adding to the mystery. When Blake’s family reported him missing, they felt the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department brushed off their concerns. At the time, department policies didn’t require them to take reports for missing adults, and they considered Blake to be voluntarily missing. Nearly two decades would slip by before law enforcement finally took up the case. By then, Blake’s trail had gone ice cold. Any evidence that could have revealed what happened to Blake was already gone, swallowed by time and by the investigation that never began. Now, decades later, Blake's loved ones are determined to reignite the search for answers, holding onto the hope that the truth about his disappearance can still be uncovered. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Blake Nex, please contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at (323) 890-5500.  For more information, visit https://www.findblakenex.com, where you can learn more about his case and reach out to his loved ones who are still searching for answers. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode originally aired on May 23, 2022. In the last two episodes, we shared Bill Jamison’s story. In Part 1, we walked through the night Bill disappeared and the early investigation into his case. In Part 2, we examined the unusual circumstances at Bill’s job and the people connected to his work who may have had motives to harm him. Today, in Part 3, we will explore other facets of this mystery and take a closer look at the many theories that have surfaced over the years. If you have any information about the disappearance of William Jamison, please contact the Roselle Park Police Department at (908) 245-2300 or the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at (609) 882-2000. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form: http://www.thevanishedpodcast.com/case-submission/. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode originally aired on May 17, 2022. In the early morning hours of March 27, 1981, Bill Jamison vanished after a night out. He had spent time at a bar before stopping for a quick bite at a diner. The waitress remembered nothing unusual. Bill ordered his usual late-night meal, finished eating, and walked out into the cool March night. That was the last time anyone ever saw him. Yesterday, you heard about the immediate search for Bill and how his family quickly realized law enforcement was not doing enough. They launched their own efforts, sometimes turning to unconventional methods like psychics. They pleaded with police for more action and spent years writing letters to anyone they thought could help. More than four decades later, his disappearance remains unsolved. Today, we will explore what was happening at Bill’s workplace in the days leading up to his disappearance. His family has always wondered if what was unfolding there could hold the key to what happened to Bill. If you have any information about the disappearance of William Jamison, please contact the Roselle Park Police Department at (908) 245-2300 or the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at (609) 882-2000. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode originally aired on May 16, 2022. On March 26, 1981, 33-year-old William “Bill” Jamison followed his usual routine. He spent the day at Haug Die Casting Company in Kenilworth, New Jersey, where he worked as vice president of production. After work, he grabbed dinner at a restaurant, then stopped at the Chez Lounge inside the Linden Lanes Bowling Alley to enjoy drinks and conversation with friends. His last stop was the St. George Diner in Linden around 1 AM. He ate a quick meal, left about half an hour later, and was never seen again. When Bill failed to arrive at the office the next morning, something completely out of character, his coworkers grew alarmed. One even went to his apartment, but there was no sign of him. They contacted his sister, Katie, who immediately began calling hospitals and reached out to law enforcement. More than 40 years later, Bill’s disappearance remains a mystery. Over the years, there have been reported sightings of him in other states and whispers of a possible mob connection. To this day, his family is still searching for answers. If you have any information about the disappearance of William Jamison, please contact the Roselle Park Police Department at (908) 245-2300 or the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at (609) 882-2000. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On July 3, 2020, 38-year-old Jami Lucas was riding his motorcycle near Outing, Minnesota. According to official reports, a deputy recognized Jami and knew he didn’t have a valid license, which sparked a pursuit. However, Jami’s family was told something different: that an anonymous call had come in, leading deputies to pursue Jami. Either way, several deputies began chasing Jami, who turned off onto a dirt road. Police records state that the pursuit ended when Jami ditched his motorcycle and ran into the woods. A deputy drew his weapon and ordered him to stop, but Jami kept going, vanishing into the dense underbrush. From that moment forward, no one ever saw Jami Lucas again. More than five years have passed since that night, and Jami’s family believes far too little has been done to find him. They also question why a high-speed chase was initiated at all, especially over something as minor as a suspended license. Nationwide, pursuits like these have drawn heavy criticism for being unnecessarily dangerous, frequently ending in crashes that cause injuries and even deaths, not only to suspects but also officers and innocent bystanders. For Jami’s loved ones, the circumstances of that night remain unsettling. They can’t shake the uneasy feeling that the very agency tasked with finding him was also the last to see him alive. They've been left not only with their grief but also a growing list of contradictions, conflicts of interest, and unexplained gaps in the record. If you have any information about the disappearance of Jami Lucas, please contact the Cass County Sheriff’s Office at 218-547-1424, Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477, or the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at 651‑793‑7000. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On July 12, 1987, 18-year-old Vickie Carriere was spending time with her boyfriend. Vickie was eight and a half months pregnant and eagerly awaiting the arrival of her baby boy. That day, the couple was at his family’s fishing camp before starting the drive back to Vickie’s home in Waggaman, Louisiana. According to her boyfriend, who was also the baby’s father, they stopped at a local convenience store, just minutes from her home. He said he went inside to buy a soda for Vickie and chocolate milk for himself. When he returned to the car, Vickie and all of her belongings were gone. When she didn’t come home that night, her parents were immediately alarmed. It wasn’t like Vickie to disappear, especially so close to her due date. They feared for both their daughter and the grandson they were so ready to welcome. In the days that followed, those fears deepened. Vickie missed her baby shower, and then her due date came and went without a word. More than 38 years later, Vickie’s family is still searching for answers, and for the baby boy she never got to hold. If you have any information about the disappearance of Vickie Carriere and her unborn son, please contact the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office at (504) 363-5500. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On February 21, 2022, 25-year-old Aaron Cody Fortner disappeared from Jackson County, North Carolina. At the time, he was staying at a property owned by his grandparents. He made a couple of phone calls to his grandparents in the early morning hours that seemed off, but they weren’t sure what to make of it at the time.  When Aaron’s sister, Kourtney, spoke to her grandparents later that morning, they asked her if she had heard from him. She said she hadn’t, and they proceeded to tell her about the phone calls. Kourtney was concerned enough to drive out and check on her brother.  When she arrived, things didn’t feel right. A door Aaron always kept locked for safety reasons was unlocked. Kourntey went inside, and Aaron was gone. One thing that stood out was that it was a mess. Just the day prior, their mother had visited, and everything was tidy. That left his family to wonder what happened between the time Aaron's mother last saw him and when he disappeared. Where could he have gone, and why did it seem like something had disrupted his world overnight? His family began calling Aaron's name, searching the surrounding area, and quickly contacted law enforcement to report him missing. More than three years have passed, and Aaron’s loved ones are still searching. Along the way, they have uncovered strange and unsettling clues, but so far, none have led them to Aaron. If you have any information about the disappearance of Aaron Cody Fortner, please contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at (828) 586-8901 or the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s Western District at (828) 330-4700. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode originally aired on July 17, 2023. Jim Lewis was a decorated veteran who had recently retired after serving in the United States Army for 25 years. Jim and his wife, Patsy, purchased a home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, which was intended to be their forever home, after having moved around the US and the world for many years. They were finally putting down their roots, and Patsy was able to start hanging those pictures on the walls. However, it didn't even last a year, as in October 1982, Jim pulled out of the driveway, headed to a job interview in Vero Beach, Florida, and never came home. The police were convinced that Jim had willingly abandoned his family, and they showed no interest in investigating. His family did what they could on their own, but that wasn't bringing them any solid answers. Then, Jim's car was found months later at the local airport in Fayetteville. It had been parked there since October 6, 1982, three days after Jim left, supposedly to drive to Florida. None of it seemed to make sense to his family. He always cared for them and wouldn't have left them this way. Over the years, some clues have been revealed that could point to an outcome no one ever saw coming. If you have any information about the disappearance of James Lewis, please contact the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office at (910) 323-1500. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode originally aired on July 10, 2023. On October 3, 1982, 42-year-old James Lewis left his home in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Jim told his family he planned to drive to Vero Beach, FL, for a job interview. Jim was a decorated veteran who had recently retired from the Army. He was a skilled pilot looking for something to do in the next phase of his life post-retirement. Jim was interviewing for a position ferrying airplanes from a dealer in Florida to buyers. After Jim left, his family never heard from him again, something that was very unusual for Jim. Months later, in January of 1983, Jim’s wife received a call from a local airport, stating that his car had been parked there since early October, just days after her husband had vanished. Had Jim actually driven to Florida? Had he taken a flight somewhere? Why was his car at the airport? These questions have haunted his family for more than 40 years. If you have any information about the disappearance of James Lewis, please contact the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office at (910) 323-1500. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In September 2023, 45-year-old Eleanore "Ellie" Halverson and her mother, Roxanne, drove to a mental health facility in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. She was planning to check in for treatment. Outside the entrance, Ellie said goodbye to her mother and daughter, as neither of them were allowed to accompany her inside. Roxanne expected she would hear from her daughter within a few days, once Ellie had settled in and was granted phone privileges. But as time passed with no word, a sense of unease set in. Then she learned that Ellie had never officially checked into the facility, and no one had seen or heard from her. Fearing the worst, Roxanne reported Ellie missing in Grand Rapids. Then, on November 4, Ellie was spotted on surveillance footage in Northhome, MN. Ellie's family believed she was likely with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Geno. Police eventually tracked Geno down in rural Itasca County. He told investigators they had argued one night in early November, and Ellie had stormed off into the freezing Minnesota darkness. That was the last time he claimed to have seen or heard from her. This November will mark two years since Ellie vanished. Her family is still searching, haunted by unanswered questions and desperate for the truth about what really happened that night. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Eleanor “Ellie” Halverson, please contact the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office at 218-326-3477. If you wish to remain anonymous, call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or visit CrimeStoppersMN.org. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag Reward Fund tip program is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit thehotline.org for confidential support 24/7. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, you learned about Jonathan Hoang, his quiet and structured life, and how he disappeared from his family’s home in Arlington, Washington, at the end of March 2025. On the evening of March 30, Jonathan asked to sleep in the downstairs guest bedroom because the sound of the treadmill was bothering him. In hindsight, a few details from that conversation were slightly unusual, but nothing raised alarm. By the next morning, everything had changed. His mother went to wake him for school and found that Jonathan was gone. His iPad and headphones were missing, but his phone and jacket, which he never left home without, were still in the house. Search teams combed the neighborhood and nearby areas. Surveillance footage was gathered from neighbors, but Jonathan was not visible on any of the cameras. No one reported seeing him, and no physical trace of Jonathan was ever found. As time passed, his family began to believe he was not just lost, but that someone may have taken him. Since Jonathan has autism and is considered an endangered missing person, his family expected law enforcement to treat the case with urgency. Instead, they encountered one obstacle after another. They continued searching, but much of the work fell on them and members of the community who offered support without having access to the tools or authority that law enforcement holds. At the center of all this is a disconnect. Jonathan’s family is certain he could not have simply walked away and started a new life. He needed daily support and structure. Yet from their perspective, law enforcement seems to have built a narrative that he did exactly that. This week, we will examine what happened after the initial searches ended, the investigation, the community response, and a recent development that has brought new hope, possible sightings of Jonathan in Kirkland, Washington. You can follow the family’s search efforts on social media at Help Us Find Jonathan Hoang - Endangered & Missing Person. A $100,000 reward is currently available for information. If you see Jonathan, please call 911. If you have any information about the disappearance of Jonathan Hoang, contact the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office at 425‑388‑3393 or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or use the P3 Tips App to remain anonymous. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Twenty-one-year-old Jonathan Hoang disappeared from his home in Arlington, Washington, sometime between the evening of Sunday, March 30, and the early morning hours of Monday, March 31, 2025. On the night of March 30, Jonathan asked his father if he could sleep in the downstairs guest room, saying the sound of the treadmill was bothering him. A short while later, he returned to say he wasn’t feeling well and asked to stay home from school the next day. His father suggested waiting to see how he felt in the morning. Around 8 PM, Jonathan told his dad he was heading to bed downstairs. It was a small deviation from routine that was odd, but not alarming. The next morning, Jonathan’s mother went to wake him for school and found that Jonathan was gone. Jonathan is on the autism spectrum and lived a quiet, structured life. He spent most of his time at home with his family or at school, where he was enrolled in a transitional program for young adults designed to help them build independent living skills and prepare for work. Jonathan was a creature of habit, and his routines brought him comfort. One of those routines was walking the same path through the neighborhood, always wearing the same jacket with a hood, even on the hottest days. That jacket became a part of how neighbors recognized him. But on the morning his mother discovered he was missing, the jacket was still inside the house. The items missing along with him were his iPad and earbuds. He left behind his phone, his beloved jacket, and every indication of routine. His family called the police immediately. Search and rescue teams canvassed the area, and neighbors helped in the effort. Despite extensive early searches, no sign of Jonathan was ever found. Months have passed since Jonathan disappeared, and his family continues to search and to fight for answers. You can follow the family’s search efforts on social media at Help Us Find Jonathan Hoang – Endangered & Missing Person on Facebook. There is currently a $100,000 reward for information. If you see Jonathan, please call 911 immediately. If you have any information about the disappearance of Jonathan Hoang, please contact the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office at 425-388-3393 or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or through the P3 Tips App, where tips may remain anonymous. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ruth Egnoski’s story was difficult to piece together. Between fragmented newspaper archives and fading memories, there were gaps we feared might never be filled. We couldn’t even determine what year Ruth had disappeared. We had submitted records requests to the Delavan Police Department, but at the time we produced the episode, we had received no response. Given the uncertainty and the reality that some departments never respond, despite open records laws requiring them to do so, we decided to move forward with the story. Then, less than a month after the episode aired, we were stunned to receive a large police file from the Delavan Police Department. The documents inside answered many of the lingering questions we’d had just weeks earlier, and what we found was shocking. If you have any information about the disappearance of Ruth Egnoski, please contact the Delavan Police Department at 262-728-6311. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sometime between the summer of 1964 and 1966, a young woman named Ruth Egnoski vanished from Delavan, Wisconsin. The exact year is unclear, but she would have been between 18 and 20 years old at the time. Her family says they reported her missing to local police, but no search was ever conducted. A private investigator later claimed Ruth had boarded a bus to Chicago. Then, strange clues began to surface. In the 1970s, Ruth’s Social Security card mysteriously appeared in the office of a local school custodian. In the 1980s, luggage was found hidden in the ceiling of the same custodian's office, and that custodian just so happened to be Ruth's stepfather. Could these discoveries point to a chilling connection? The case heated up briefly but eventually cooled off again. Today, Ruth Egnoski's disappearance remains unsolved. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Ruth Egnoski, please call the Delavan Police Department at 262-728-6311. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Over the past two weeks, you’ve heard the story of David Shier, who vanished from Trinidad, Colorado, in February 2022, and the exhaustive search that followed. Despite the urgency, no clues surfaced. Dave's family was forced to reexamine every detail, lead, and possibility. On the morning of Dave's disappearance, he asked his wife to drive him to meet someone about a property. But who was that person? Why was his truck parked oddly, so unlike him? And what about the neighbor’s report of a white truck at the house around the time he disappeared? From the beginning, Dave’s loved ones felt law enforcement had dismissed his case as a medical emergency, simply an older man who had wandered off and passed away. However, for the family, when they didn't find him during the searches, they believed he deserved a thorough investigation. The last confirmed sighting was a trail camera image of Dave walking away from his home. For more than a year, the case stayed cold. Then, something unexpected happened. A grave was opened in Starkville Cemetery. It was supposed to contain one man, who had also been missing, but inside were two bodies. The coroner claimed both were buried in 2019, well before Dave vanished, but the man who performed the exhumation, a seasoned professional, said the second body seemed too intact to have been in the ground that long. That stopped the Shier family in their tracks. Dave’s wife watched the exhumation footage and couldn’t shake the bad feeling that overcame her when she noticed the outline of legs in a body bag that looked familiar. Could it be Dave? Could he have been buried without anyone telling his family? No matter who the second body was, what was unfolding at the cemetery disturbed the family deeply. The secrecy, inconsistencies, and lack of care were unacceptable. They believed no one should be buried without dignity, and no family should be left in the dark. So the Shiers acted, fighting for truth, transparency, and change. Last week, you heard how the Colorado Bureau of Investigation opened an inquiry into what happened in Las Animas County. This week, we take you inside that investigation, what it uncovered, how it ended, and where it leaves the Shier family now on their quest for answers. If you have information about the disappearance of David Shier, please contact the Las Animas County Sheriff's Office at 719-846-2211. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, in Part 1 of David Shier’s story, you heard about his sudden and unexplained disappearance from Trinidad, Colorado, on February 11, 2022. Dave’s wife recalled that he asked her to drive him somewhere because a person had called about a property. She didn’t know more than that, but Dave was frustrated with her because she already had plans to run errands for one of their daughters. She last saw him around 11 AM, and when she returned later that afternoon, Dave was missing. When Dave didn’t return and no one had heard from him, his family reported him missing. Given his age and the unusual circumstances, law enforcement took the case seriously and launched immediate search efforts. A snowstorm that night forced them to pause, but searches resumed the following morning and continued for months, even years. Clues began to surface: the unusual positioning of Dave’s truck, and a report of a white vehicle spotted near the home. Then came a crucial discovery, a neighbor’s trail camera footage, which law enforcement initially overlooked due to technical limitations. The neighbor eventually found an image of Dave walking away from the property around noon on the day he vanished. That footage is the last known sighting of him. Despite extensive efforts, no trace of Dave was found, and the case went cold. Then, more than a year later, there was a strange twist in the case when the local coroner came under fire after the body of a man was exhumed, a man who had been considered a missing person for several years, and they found two bodies inside the grave where there was only supposed to be one.  Suddenly, David Shier’s case was back in the spotlight, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation launched a broader inquiry into potential misconduct in Las Animas County. In this episode, we follow the strange and disturbing developments that brought new attention to Dave’s case, and explore the question: could he be the second person buried in that grave? If you have any information regarding the disappearance of David Shier, please contact the Las Animas County Sheriff's Office at 719-846-2211. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On February 11, 2022, David Shier disappeared from his home in Trinidad, Colorado. That morning, his wife, Rosemarie, saw him around 11 a.m. before she left home to run some errands. When she returned later that day, David was gone. She tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. She also reached out to friends and family, but no one had seen or heard from Dave. As the hours passed and Dave failed to return home, the family decided it was time to report him missing. Dave's truck was still parked at home, so it was assumed that he may have left on foot, possibly heading to his workshop in the neighboring town of Starkville. Deputies went to the shop and gave the area a quick look, but there was no sign of him there. They combed the path between his home and the workshop, but still no clues. Later, it was discovered that a neighbor’s trail camera captured Dave walking away from his property on the day he vanished, but it wasn’t enough to tell where he was going or what may have happened next. Despite extensive searches of the surrounding area, not a single trace of David Shier was ever found. For a while, it seemed like the case had gone cold. But about a year later, something unexpected happened, something that brought David’s name back into the spotlight. The county coroner came under scrutiny by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation after being accused of improper secret burials, misuse of funds, and shocking misconduct. At first, it sounded like a completely unrelated scandal, but something shocking and unexpected happened that prompted the investigation. While exhuming the body of one man, investigators found a second body buried in the same grave. A body that wasn’t supposed to be there. For the Shier family, the possibility that it could be Dave was chilling. The mystery surrounding Dave's disappearance only deepened, leaving his loved ones with more questions than answers. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of David Shier, please contact the Las Animas County Sheriff's Office at 719-846-2211. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode originally aired July 5, 2021. This episode originally aired July 5, 2021. Ian Eckles was last seen on May 16, 2020, as he left his home for a hunting trip in the mountains of Washington. He never met up with his friend as planned, and after days of no contact, a massive search began. The effort intensified when Ian’s vehicle was spotted being driven by another man. By June 14, 2020, Ian was still missing. However, authorities apprehended the man believed to be responsible for his disappearance and murder. That man, Jorge Alcantara-Gonzalez, is also suspected in connection with at least two other deaths. So, who is Alcantara-Gonzalez, and what happened to Ian? After his arrest, Alcantara was taken directly into an interview with investigators. In Part 3 of this series, we share segments of that interview. Tune in to hear what Alcantara says happened, and how it compares to what investigators believe occurred the night Ian vanished. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form: http://www.thevanishedpodcast.com/case-submission/. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode originally aired on June 29, 2021. By May 23, 2020, 41-year-old Ian Eckles had been missing for a week. He had made plans to go hunting with a friend, but never showed up at their meeting spot. When he failed to report to work the next day, concern quickly turned into alarm. Ian’s family and friends launched a desperate search across the rugged terrain of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest along Washington’s Cascade Mountains. Exhausted and running on adrenaline, they scoured the wilderness for any sign of him. Then, something surreal happened. Ian’s FJ Cruiser came barreling down the mountain. But Ian wasn’t driving. A brief, tense encounter with the man behind the wheel ended with him fleeing into the forest, and a chase that didn’t last long. That encounter triggered a massive manhunt for an armed and dangerous fugitive, and it raised even more questions about what really happened to Ian Eckles. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form: http://www.thevanishedpodcast.com/case-submission/. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode originally aired on June 28, 2021. 41-year-old Ian Eckles was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and spending time in the wilderness. So when he planned a weekend hunting trip near Liberty, Washington, with a friend, it seemed like nothing out of the ordinary. But when his friend arrived at their meeting spot deep in the national forest, Ian was nowhere to be found. There was no sign of him, his vehicle, or his gear. What began as a missing person case quickly evolved into something far more complex. Ian’s family, friends, and law enforcement have been searching for answers since May 2020. They haven’t found Ian, but what they have uncovered since his disappearance is more shocking than anyone expected. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form: http://www.thevanishedpodcast.com/case-submission/. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On July 11, 2024, 42-year-old John Brent McGhee disappeared from Leachville, Arkansas. Brent was last seen by his mother when she dropped him off at his cousin’s house. A short time later, he left on foot, reportedly to look for his wife. According to eyewitness accounts, Brent made it to the home of his wife’s best friend, but he was not allowed inside. Brent did not have a cell phone with him at the time, which meant there was no way for anyone to contact him, and he left no digital trail to follow. Brent was very close with his mother, and it was unlike him to go so long without reaching out. Days passed, then over a week. Brent’s mother knew something was wrong. On July 22, she walked into the Leachville Police Department and reported him missing. What followed was a wave of rumors. Some stories suggested Brent had met a horrible fate. But was there any truth to these rumors, or was it all just small-town lore? If you have any information regarding the disappearance of John Brent McGhee, please contact the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office at 870-658-2242 or Crimestoppers at 844-910-STOP. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the night of October 1, 1976, just one week after celebrating his 21st birthday, Jimmy Don Robinson vanished from Elmore City, Oklahoma. Though he no longer lived at the family home, Jimmy stopped by around midnight. His mother had just returned from a late shift and was preparing dinner. Jimmy chatted briefly with his family, and during that time, they noticed an unfamiliar man sitting in the passenger seat of Jimmy's car. Jimmy didn’t say who the man was, only that he was giving him a ride and would be back in about 30 minutes. Jimmy was never seen or heard from again. Now, nearly 49 years later, Jimmy’s loved ones are still searching for answers about that night. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Jimmy Don Robinson, please contact the Garvin County Sheriff's Office at (405) 238-7591 or Garvin County Crimestoppers at 1-855-211-STOP. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, we brought you Part 1 of Larry Riegel’s story. You learned about Larry’s life, career, and sudden disappearance from Yakima, Washington, around Christmas in 2009. On Christmas morning, Larry spoke with his mother, and around 4 PM that afternoon, he had a conversation with his son, Brian. But when Brian called back later that evening, Larry didn’t answer. Larry had planned to visit his family the day after Christmas, but when he failed to show up for their annual holiday gathering on the evening of December 26, they knew something was wrong. Larry would never have missed the family celebration, especially without letting them know.  At the time, Larry was living with his girlfriend, Ladena. Family members contacted Ladena to inquire about Larry, but they were met with a series of contradictory, shifting stories. Ladena claimed Larry had left for the coast, even though Larry hated traveling there. This was another red flag for Larry's family. Determined to find answers, Larry’s sister, Susan, went directly to Ladena. Susan was met with a confusing mix of bizarre and inconsistent tales that didn’t seem to lead anywhere. Susan couldn’t make sense of it at the time, but over the years, some of those details began to take on new meaning. The family launched their own search, trying to find anyone who had seen or heard from Larry. Despite their efforts, no solid leads emerged. As weeks passed, Larry’s family only felt more desperate. In January, they decided to report Larry missing. However, when one of Larry’s sisters tried to file the report, she was told she couldn’t report Larry missing. Larry's sisters were shocked to learn that on January 5, many days after Larry’s Christmas disappearance, Ladena had gone to the police, claiming that Larry returned to their home and assaulted her on January 4. That accusation dramatically altered the perception of Larry’s character and disappearance. Authorities believed he was on the run. To those who knew Larry best, none of this added up. Years later, frustrated by the lack of progress and the mounting inconsistencies, Larry’s family demanded a meeting with the police chief. That meeting marked a pivotal moment in the case. A new investigator, Nolan Wentz, was assigned to take a fresh look at the evidence. For years, it seemed like Larry’s case had been left to gather dust, forgotten and cold. But now, with a new investigator on the case, there was hope that the truth would finally be uncovered. With fresh eyes and new determination, what was once a dead-end investigation started showing signs of life. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Larry Riegel, please contact the Yakima Police Department at (509) 575-6200 or the Yakima County Crime Stoppers at (800) 248-TIPS. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was Christmas 2009 when 57-year-old Lawrence Riegel vanished from Yakima, Washington. Larry had plans to visit his family the day after Christmas, but he never showed up, which was completely out of character for Larry. He was known for always arriving with his famous peach pie in hand. At the time, Larry was living with his girlfriend, Ladena, who told the family that Larry had left town and headed for the coast. That explanation didn’t sit right with his loved ones. Larry didn't like traveling to the coast and would never have missed Christmas, especially without calling to let his family know. Ladena later said that Larry returned in early January, and the two got into a physical altercation. Larry supposedly walked out and was never seen or heard from again. This new story raised even more questions. No one else has reported seeing or hearing from Larry since Christmas Day. Though Ladena's account has long been viewed with suspicion, Larry’s disappearance remains unsolved more than 15 years later. Today, Larry's family is pushing for a renewed effort to reexamine his case, hoping to uncover new information that will lead them to Larry. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Larry Riegel, please contact the Yakima Police Department at (509) 575-6200 or the Yakima County Crime Stoppers at (800) 248-TIPS. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In late February 2023, 37-year-old Nicholas Downey rented a car in Florida to visit his wife in Mississippi. While he made it there safely, the visit was brief, as Nick needed to return to Florida and drop off the rental car. During his drive home, he spoke to his wife one last time. After that call, he vanished without a trace. Nick's disappearance wasn't immediately noticed until his wife tried to call him again the following morning. Her calls went unanswered. Eventually, someone did pick up, but it wasn't Nick; it was a deputy from the Liberty County Sheriff's Office. The officer explained that Nick's rental car had been found abandoned on a remote property in Liberty County, Florida, and Nick was nowhere to be found. In fact, there wasn't even a footprint left in the sand to follow.  A K-9 tracking team was brought in to search the area but found nothing: no tracks, no personal belongings, and no signs of a struggle. Even more perplexing, the car was discovered far off any logical route Nick would have taken to return the vehicle. These circumstances have left both his loved ones and investigators searching for answers. The case has become so puzzling that some law enforcement officials have half-jokingly suggested, though with a hint of discomfort, that the only remaining explanation might be something out of this world. The theory of alien abduction has been mentioned, not out of belief, but from sheer desperation to explain the unexplainable. Over two years later, what happened to Nick Downey remains a haunting and unsolved mystery. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Nicholas Downey, please contact the Liberty County Sheriff's Office at (850) 643-2235. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode originally aired on April 6, 2020. On the night of September 19, 1984, 17-year-old Sandy Rea was last seen at the Windsor Bowling Alley in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Her cousin, who was working there at the time, had a brief conversation with her. Sandy then made a phone call, though it’s still unclear who she contacted. Sandy mentioned to her cousin that she was heading to a party and invited him to come along. He declined, needing to finish his shift. Her cousin walked away to go clean a lane and around 8:30PM, when he looked up, he saw Sandy walking out of the bowling alley. This is the last confirmed sighting of Sandy Rea.  More than 41 years later, Sandy’s family is still waiting for answers. If you have any information about the disappearance of Sandy Rea, please contact the Shawnee Police Department at 405-273-2121. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, we shared Part 1 of Joseph “Joe Lupo” Rulli’s story. You learned about his rise in the boxing world at a young age, his battle with Polio that tragically ended his career too soon, and Joe’s eventual rise within the mafia. For a while, things were looking good for Joe, but by April of 1971, a mafia turf war was raging. Several of Joe’s associates, including his partner, had been murdered. Joe was warned that he was next. He was a marked man. In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, Joe had a tense encounter at his doorstep. FBI agents, along with his older brother, Dennis, an investigator for the New Jersey State Police, offered Joe a way out: become an informant and receive protection. But Joe refused. He wasn’t a rat. Not long after, Joe hosted a going-away dinner for one of his higher-ups. This event was supposed to mark a new chapter for him. But before the party even started, Joe stepped out for what he claimed was a quick errand, and he never returned. His wife, Cynthia, arrived at the party only to find her husband missing. A wave of panic washed over her. Cynthia had been at home when the FBI had approached Joe, offering him protection. She understood the gravity of the situation and the danger her husband was in. In the days that followed, Cynthia reported Joe missing. His car was later found riddled with bullets and soaked in blood. It looked like a textbook mafia hit. When Joe’s brother, Dennis, arrived on the scene, he assumed he would find Joe’s body in the trunk, but all he found were Easter baskets filled with melted candy. There was no body. And the blood? It wasn’t Joe’s. It was animal blood. This discovery turned the case on its head. It was no longer a simple mafia hit. The possibility emerged that Joe had orchestrated his own escape. Had he secretly taken the FBI’s offer to start a new life? Did a family member help him slip away undetected while everyone else partied? Or had Joe been murdered, and someone staged the scene with animal blood? These questions have haunted Joe’s son for decades. By bringing his father’s story to light, he hopes someone with answers will finally step forward and help solve this decades-old mystery. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Joseph "Joe Lupo" Rulli, please contact the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at (609) 882-2000 ext. 2554 or email missingpinformation@njsp.gov. You can also reach out to Joe directly at lupo144@aol.com. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On April 20, 1971, 39-year-old Joseph Rulli, also known as Joe Lupo, mysteriously disappeared from Closter, New Jersey. That day, Joe was hosting a party when he stepped out briefly for an errand but never returned, prompting his wife to report him missing. Days later, Joe's car was discovered in Jersey City, riddled with bullet holes and stained with blood. Initially, investigators assumed Joe had been murdered. However, testing revealed a shocking twist: the blood inside the vehicle wasn't human; it was animal blood. This revelation only deepened the mystery: Had Joe staged his own death and disappeared, intentionally leaving behind a gruesome scene to mislead investigators? Or had someone else murdered him? Joe Lupo had once been a promising boxer, a local hero with a bright future, but an illness altered the course of his life. When he vanished, he left behind a wife and a young son, also named Joe, who has spent decades determined to uncover the truth about his father’s disappearance. As he grew up, he combed through the memories of family members who were adults at the time, sifted through old newspaper articles, and meticulously examined archival materials in search of any clues that might finally shed light on what happened to his father that fateful day in April 1971. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Joseph "Joe Lupo" Rulli, please contact the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at (609) 882-2000 ext. 2554 or email missingpinformation@njsp.gov. You can also reach out to Joe directly at lupo144@aol.com. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In September 2007, 38-year-old Cynthia Robison left Stockton, California, in the company of a truck driver. The two traveled to Florida, and it’s documented that they were there in early to mid-October. On October 15, Cynthia called her mother, Carolyn, from Connecticut, sounding frantic. She claimed to have witnessed the truck driver shoot someone. Before Carolyn could fully understand what was happening, Cynthia abruptly hung up. Carolyn never heard from her daughter again. Cynthia’s family was left in a state of confusion and desperation. They didn’t know where she was exactly or where she might be headed. When they reported her missing, they faced significant roadblocks due to jurisdictional issues. Cynthia had lived in California; her disappearance likely occurred thousands of miles away on the opposite coast. The Stockton Police Department in California opened a missing persons case, but jurisdictional challenges have severely limited their ability to conduct a thorough investigation. Nearly eighteen years later, the search for Cynthia continues, with her family and law enforcement still hoping for answers that might finally lead to Cynthia. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Cynthia Robison, please call the Stockton Police Department at (209) 937-8377. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, we brought you Part 1 of Nicholas Marion’s story, and you learned about his life growing up in the Orlando, Florida, area and his eventual move to British Columbia after marrying a woman from there. After relocating, the distance between Nick and his loved ones in the U.S. seemed to widen. In retrospect, Nick appeared increasingly isolated and dependent on his wife. Months before his disappearance, Nick's mother passed away, and while he remained strong for those around him, the emotional toll began to show over time. In June 2024, Nick and his wife traveled to Youbou, British Columbia, to attend the Laketown Shakedown Festival, staying at a property owned by one of her friends. His wife claimed that Nick was struggling that weekend and didn’t even want to go. She said he left early Sunday morning for a walk and never returned, ultimately reporting him missing later that day. Nick’s family quickly made their way to Canada upon hearing of his disappearance, diving into the search efforts. But as they began to ask questions, doubts started to surface about the details they were being told. Was everything truly as it seemed, or was there more to Nick's disappearance than anyone realized? If you have any information about Nicholas Marion’s disappearance, please contact the Lake Cowichan RCMP Detachment at 250-749-6668 and reference file number 2024-1151. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the morning of June 30, 2024, at around 6:30 AM, 38-year-old Nicholas Marion left a property he was staying at in Youbou, British Columbia, to go for a walk. However, Nick never returned, and his phone was left behind, making it impossible to contact him. Nick, along with his wife Dory, had traveled to Youbou, a peaceful community nestled along the shores of Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island, for a music festival. What was supposed to be a weekend of fun quickly turned into a heart-wrenching mystery when Nick disappeared without a trace. When Nick's family, who live in the U.S., learned of his disappearance, they wasted no time in traveling to the area to join the search. What followed was an intense search effort that lasted for days, but despite their efforts, only a shirt was found, and no other signs of Nick were uncovered. Several eyewitnesses claimed to have seen Nick, but these sightings were ruled out or could not be confirmed. Now, nearly nine months later, the search is still ongoing. Nick's family remains desperate for any clue or piece of information that could help them understand what happened to him. If you have any information about Nicholas Marion’s disappearance, please contact the Lake Cowichan RCMP Detachment at 250-749-6668 and reference file number 2024-1151. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, we shared Part 1 of Charissa Caster’s story. You learned that in July 2024, Charissa vanished without a trace. Her belongings were discovered along a roadside in Edmonds, Washington, prompting law enforcement to notify her family. Days later, her car was found abandoned approximately 50 miles away in Sequim, Washington. Surveillance footage later surfaced, showing her picking flowers in the area; this was the last confirmed sighting of Charissa Caster. Despite extensive searches, no further trace of her has been discovered. As Charissa’s family and friends combed through the details, they revisited the events leading up to her disappearance. Charissa had recently ended a relationship with her boyfriend and had expressed concerns to multiple people about his alleged abusive behavior. She had even sought medical care at a local hospital, where a rape kit was performed. These revelations sparked alarm, especially with Charissa now missing. Yet, there were also signs that Charissa had been struggling with her mental health in the lead-up to her disappearance, as her behavior had become increasingly erratic. She also made a significant change in her life by deciding to change her name to Hazel Grace, signaling a possible desire to start anew. This name change has added even more mystery to her case. Was it an attempt to escape her past, or did it signify a more profound personal transformation? As the mystery deepened, the lack of answers and clues only intensified the uncertainty surrounding her case. Her loved ones were left grappling with a difficult question: Was Charissa the victim of violence, or did she leave on her own due to mental health struggles? In this week’s episode, we will continue to explore Charissa’s story, delving into the information her loved ones have uncovered in the months since her disappearance. Despite their tireless efforts, they remain hopeful and continue piecing together the fragments of her journey, holding on to the hope that Charissa may still be out there. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Charissa Caster, please contact the Edmonds Police Department at 425-771-0200. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In late July 2024, 32-year-old Charissa Caster vanished under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind a trail of unsettling clues. Her disappearance came to light when her belongings were found scattered along a roadway in Edmonds, Washington. Shortly after, her car was discovered abandoned near Sequim, WA, roughly 50 miles away. The last confirmed sighting of Charissa was captured on video, showing her picking flowers in the area, but after that, she seemingly disappeared without a trace. As the reality of her disappearance set in, Charissa’s loved ones immediately launched a search around the location where her car was found, but they turned up empty-handed. In a desperate attempt to piece together what happened, they began retracing her steps in the days and weeks before her July 2024 disappearance. To share what little information they had, they created a group chat to exchange details from their personal interactions with Charissa. Slowly, a haunting picture of her life in the lead-up to her disappearance began to emerge. But what do these fragmented pieces mean, and how might they help uncover what happened to Charissa? If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Charissa Caster, please contact the Edmonds Police Department at 425-771-0200. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At just 16 years old, Toby Anderson found himself tangled in a web of trouble. His teenage years were marked by hardship, pushing him to act out in ways that strained his relationships. Sent to a juvenile facility in Northern California, Toby was shuffled between different family members, struggling to find stability. Then, without warning, he vanished. Everyone assumed he had run away, a plausible scenario given his troubled past. Toby's father searched for him, reaching out to relatives across the country in hopes of tracking him down. But Toby never turned up. When his father passed away, the search slowly faded into the background. Decades later, a determined cousin became intrigued by the mystery surrounding Toby. As she dug deeper, she began to uncover startling truths that contradicted what she had been told. What she uncovered was not just puzzling, it was terrifying. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Toby Anderson, please contact the Oregon State Police at (541) 776-6236. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was Easter Sunday in 2013 when Shannon Merry's family last heard from her. During a phone call with her mother, who was in North Carolina while Shannon was in Ronkonkoma, New York, they had a disagreement, and the conversation ended on a sour note. After the call, Shannon's mother did not hear from her again and assumed that her daughter was upset. As time passed, Shannon's friends also noticed her absence; she stopped texting, calling, and posting on social media. Their concern grew as days turned into weeks, then months, and eventually years. Seven years later, they were finally able to have Shannon reported as a missing person. However, the considerable time that had passed since anyone had heard from Shannon posed significant challenges for law enforcement in their investigation. The lack of immediate leads, fading of physical evidence, and difficulties in tracking down new information after such a long period hindered investigators' efforts to piece together what happened to Shannon Merry. Today, Shannon's loved ones are appealing to the public for leads, hoping that someone will come forward with vital information. They believe that even the smallest clue could make a significant difference in their search and remain hopeful that the public’s assistance will bring them closer to finding Shannon. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Shannon Merry, please call the Suffolk County Police Department Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452 or 911. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In February of 1981, Roberta Michels-Hopkins, a 29-year-old mother of two, disappeared from Camden, New Jersey, without a trace. The story goes that she left her home, heading out to buy a pack of cigarettes, and never returned. Roberta's sister said she received a phone call from the man Roberta was in a relationship with, asking if she had seen or heard from Roberta. This phone call prompted her sister to try to report Roberta as missing. However, no official record of a missing persons report was filed until 41 years later. Roberta's sister was told that Roberta had the right to disappear if she wanted to. It was as if Roberta had vanished, slipping through the cracks of time, and her name became seemingly forgotten. Roberta's son, who was an infant at the time of her disappearance, spent much of his childhood in foster care, lost in a world without answers. Years later, he had a daughter named Trinity, who would unknowingly step into a mystery much larger than she could have imagined. In 2019, just for fun, Trinity sent a DNA sample to one of those commercial databases, never expecting it to lead her to the unsettling truth that her grandmother had vanished and, shockingly, that no one had been searching for her. What began as a simple curiosity soon became an obsession for Trinity. She dug deeper, uncovering a tangled web of unanswered questions and missing pieces. By 2022, she had ensured that Roberta's disappearance was finally acknowledged by law enforcement, officially reporting her grandmother as a missing person. But how did Roberta's story remain buried for so long? The mystery still lingers, and Trinity is determined to uncover the truth. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Roberta Michels-Hopkins, please contact Detective Geoffrey Chiumento of the Cinnaminson Township Police Department at 856-829-6667, ext. 2075, or the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000, ext. 2554. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In early August 2012, 33-year-old Tamala “Nikki” Wells vanished from her Detroit, Michigan, home under mysterious circumstances, leaving her family in a state of confusion and despair. The last person to see Tamala, her boyfriend, claims she drove off from their home on the evening of August 6th in a white 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix, but after that, she disappeared without a trace. The following morning, Tamala’s mother, Donna, received a chilling call from her young granddaughter. She revealed that Tamala had not come home, sparking immediate concern. Donna, who lived in Florida, rushed to Detroit to help search for her daughter. What followed was a series of unsettling discoveries. Tamala’s car, reportedly driven by her on the night she disappeared, was found abandoned in a different part of town, but Tamala herself was nowhere to be found. As days turned into weeks, the case began to go cold. However, Tamala’s family believes that the investigation was mishandled from the start and that there is still hope of finding her. They are convinced that with a fresh look and renewed effort, this case could be solved. If you have any information about the disappearance of Tamala "Nikki" Wells, please contact the Detroit Police Department at (313) 596-2200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On August 20, 2023, 39-year-old Jeremy Lawrence visited his girlfriend and newborn daughter at St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth, Minnesota. After spending time with them, he left the hospital around 5:30 PM, planning to ride his ATV roughly 70 miles to his parents' home in Mountain Iron, Minnesota. About an hour later, around 6:30 PM, he was seen on surveillance footage. After 7 PM, his mother, Debbie, began to worry. She had expected him to return by that time.  Debbie began calling Jeremy's phone, and just before 7:30 PM, Jeremy texted Debbie, asking, "What's up?" Minutes later, Jeremy was spotted on surveillance footage once again. At 7:34 PM, Jeremy replied to Debbie, "Not close. When do you think I left?" Then, at 7:49 PM, he texted again, "I'll call in a little while." However, the promised call never came, and Debbie's concern deepened as the hours passed without any word from her son. Starting around 9:00 PM, Debbie began repeatedly calling Jeremy, but there was no answer. She tried to reassure herself, thinking he might be unable to hear the calls over the noise of the ATV. Around 10:00 PM, Jeremy finally picked up the phone. His brief and unsettling response, "Stop calling," was followed by the call abruptly ending. That was the last time Debbie would hear from her son. Jeremy's phone soon powered down or died. By the following morning, Jeremy had still not made it to his parents' home, prompting Debbie to report her son missing. In the months that followed, questions about Jeremy's personal life and relationships emerged, leaving those closest to him searching for answers about what might have been happening in his life leading up to his disappearance. As of now, nearly 18 months later, his family and friends continue their search, holding onto hope that Jeremy will one day be found. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Jeremy Lawrence, please call the Duluth Police Department at 218-730-5400. You can follow developments in Jeremy's case on the Find Jeremy Facebook page. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In late June 2024, Darrel Johnson traveled from Phoenix to a remote state park in northeastern New Mexico with 33 other campers. They were celebrating the birthday of a woman’s daughter, who some described as Darrel’s girlfriend while others referred to her simply as a friend. Reports indicate that Darrel arrived at the campground around 11 AM on June 28 and spent the rest of the day there. It has been suggested that an argument occurred between Darrel and another man, identified as the woman’s boyfriend; however, this account of the evening has been disputed. Around 11 PM that night, Darrel’s companion reportedly checked on him in his tent to see if he was okay. Darrel assured her that he was fine. However, by 7 AM the following morning, he was missing from his tent, and no one in the group knew where he had gone. Initially, the campers were not alarmed, assuming that Darrel had gone for a walk, perhaps to the restrooms. When Darrel did not return, they contacted authorities to report him missing. Investigating officers spoke with nearby campers and discovered that shortly after midnight, one witness believed Darrel approached their group and asked to borrow a flashlight. After receiving the flashlight, he was seen walking away, initially heading along the shoreline before turning back toward his campsite. After that, Darrel was never seen or heard from again. Back in Phoenix, Darrel’s family was stunned to learn from the New Mexico State Police that he was missing. They hadn’t even known he had left town. His son and daughter-in-law quickly packed up their family and drove nine hours to assist in the search. As days turned to weeks without new leads, tensions began to rise between Darrel’s family and the group he had camped with. Darrel’s family became suspicious, feeling that the others must know more than they were revealing. They started to notice discrepancies in the stories they were being told. Meanwhile, the family of the woman Darrel had traveled with felt they were being unfairly accused of his disappearance. The situation became increasingly tense, and communication between the two sides ultimately broke down. More than six months later, the investigation remains at a standstill. However, Darrel’s family refuses to give up their search, holding onto hope that answers will eventually be found. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Darrel Johnson, please call the New Mexico State Police at 505-425-6771. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On June 28, 2024, Darrel Johnson left his home in Phoenix, Arizona, and traveled to Conchas Lake State Park in New Mexico to join a group of over 30 people camping there for a birthday celebration. The group arrived and settled into their campsite. According to those camping with him, Darrel was last seen around 11 PM that night. However, a fellow camper, who was not part of Darrel's group, reported seeing him after midnight. This camper recalled that the individual he believed was Darrel asked to borrow a flashlight and was then seen walking back toward his campsite with it in hand. That was the last sighting of Darrel Johnson. What happened to him after that moment remains a mystery. In the months that followed, Darrel's family launched an intensive search, determined to find any clue that would lead them to him. Despite their relentless efforts, not a single trace of Darrel has been uncovered. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Darrel Johnson, please call the New Mexico State Police at 505-425-6771. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In early August 2022, 24-year-old Andi Wagner mysteriously vanished from Evansville, Indiana. On August 6th, she briefly visited her grandparents' house before heading out. Andi's destination was unknown. Later, she was with a man she knew. He claimed Andi left his home either late on the evening of the 6th or in the early morning hours of the 7th. Oddly, evidence showed that the phone Andi was using continued to ping at that location until the afternoon of the 7th.  In the wake of her disappearance, conflicting stories began to emerge about who Andi had been with and when, muddying the details of what transpired when Andi vanished. Despite extensive search efforts, no trace of Andi Wagner has ever been found. For a time, Andi's case drew national attention, but it also attracted the involvement of individuals with questionable motives, shifting focus away from the search for her. Over time, her disappearance has become almost mythical in local lore, amplifying rumors and speculation. Nearly two and a half years later, Andi's loved ones continue their tireless pursuit of answers, determined to uncover the truth behind her sudden and unexplained disappearance. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Andi Wagner please call the Evansville Police Department at 812-436-7896. The Kingsman Philanthropic Corp. is currently offering a $25,000 reward; tips may also be submitted by calling or texting 930-212-2610 or emailing tips@therealkingsman.org. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In April 2019, Katherine Hammontre Sundquist embarked on a hike with friends and her beloved dog, Tootsie, in a national park near San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico. Their destination was a picturesque waterfall. Before the hike, Katherine had injured her foot, and not long after beginning the trek, she informed her friends that her foot was hurting. She decided to stay back at the first set of pools with Tootsie while the others continued on to the waterfall. It would take the group approximately 50 minutes to reach the waterfall and return to where Katherine was waiting. However, by the time the group returned, both Kat and Tootsie had vanished. Despite extensive searches of the area, no trace of either Katherine or Tootsie has ever been found. As news of Kat’s disappearance spread, rumors began to circulate within the community of San Felipe. People pointed fingers in various directions, but more than five years later, the mystery of what happened to Katherine Hammontre Sundquist remains unsolved. You can follow Desiree’s efforts on social media at Katerine is still missing.   If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Yesterday, we shared the first part of Isaac Seidel's story, providing insight into his life and the events leading up to his disappearance. You learned that Isaac vanished along with his bike, phone, and backpack, leaving behind everything else at his home. Isaac hadn't mentioned to anyone that he had plans to go anywhere. In fact, it appeared that Isaac was simply going about his usual Sunday routine. He had chicken thawing, something he regularly did to prep meals for the week. It seemed he set out for a bike ride, intending to return in time for dinner. But something happened to Isaac, and several years later, his whereabouts remain unknown. If you have any information about Isaac Seidel’s disappearance, please contact the Pennsylvania State Police at (717) 567-3110. Isaac’s dark green Cannondale bicycle is also missing. Megan has a social media page for Isaac to help spread awareness. You can follow her over on Facebook at Find Isaac Seidel.  If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm, help is available. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is open 24/7 at 800-273-8255. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Isaac Seidel, a 36-year-old man from Blain, Pennsylvania, disappeared on September 12, 2021. His loved ones grew concerned when Isaac missed several days of work, prompting them to visit his home. There, they discovered a chilling scene: Isaac, who lived alone, was gone, but his bicycle, backpack, and phone were missing. Everything else seemed untouched, including chicken thawing in the sink, suggesting he had planned to return home to cook dinner. Initially, Isaac’s family feared he might have suffered a tragic accident, and they began combing the roads near his home, searching ditches and ravines, but found no trace of him. Now, several years later, they continue to search for answers, holding onto hope that they will uncover the truth behind his disappearance. If you have any information regarding Isaac Seidel’s whereabouts, please contact the Pennsylvania State Police at (717) 567-3110. Isaac was last seen with his dark green Cannondale bicycle. You can follow Isaac's case on social media at Find Isaac Seidel.  Support us by supporting our sponsors! If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On April 11, 1981, 15-year-old Barbara Cotton vanished without a trace from Williston, North Dakota. A bright and ambitious young woman, Barbara had big dreams for her future. She was saving money for her first apartment, which she planned to rent when she turned 16 that fall. But those dreams were abruptly shattered on that chilly spring evening when Barbara disappeared, seemingly into thin air. To this day, piecing together even the most basic details about that night remains a challenge. Who was the last person to see Barbara, and at what time? How can we verify these accounts after so many years? Conflicting stories and missing pieces of the puzzle make it difficult to discern the truth. However, the investigation into Barbara's disappearance has not been forgotten, and there is a renewed drive to uncover what really happened. With each passing day, more people are committed to uncovering the truth—and they may be getting closer to solving the mystery. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Barbara Cotton, please contact the Williston Police Department at 701-577-1212. You can follow Barb’s story on social media at Find Barb Cotton. You can find more information at FindBarbCotton.com, and check out Dakota Spotlight wherever you get your podcasts. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On April 11, 1981, 15-year-old Barbara Cotton vanished without a trace from Williston, North Dakota. Her mother, Louise, immediately began contacting Barbara’s friends, hoping to learn to find her. When no one had seen her, Louise reported her daughter missing to the Williston Police Department and passed along any tips she received. However, as the weeks and months passed, there was no sign of Barbara, and the case went cold. To those closest to her, it seemed as though little was being done to locate her, fueling their suspicions that the investigation was stagnant. The prevailing assumption at the time was that Barbara may have run away, a common conclusion for missing teens in that era. However, decades later, the case remains unsolved, and there is now a renewed push to uncover the truth behind Barbara Cotton’s disappearance. Many questions remain unanswered, and the search for answers continues. If you have any information about Barbara Cotton’s disappearance, please contact the Williston Police Department at 701-577-1212. You can follow Barb’s story on social media at Find Barb Cotton. You can find more information at FindBarbCotton.com, and check out Dakota Spotlight wherever you get your podcasts. Support us by supporting our sponsors! If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nineteen-year-old Anastasia Ferreira, affectionately known as "Stasia" by those closest to her, was the kind of person who couldn't help but be noticed. Though Anastasia stood just around 4'11", her personality loomed large, making her impossible to overlook. She was a vibrant force of nature to her family: a ball of energy with a heart big enough to embrace everyone she encountered. As a child, Anastasia was a daredevil, fearlessly climbing swing sets to the highest bar and filming herself spinning on ceiling fans. Her loved ones remember her as adventurous and bold, someone who constantly pushed boundaries and wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. Yet, beneath that fearless exterior was a young woman shaped by early childhood trauma and a relentless desire for stability in a chaotic world. In mid-March 2023, Stasia vanished without a trace from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The details surrounding her disappearance are as perplexing as they are devastating. One moment, Anastasia was engaging with friends and posting on social media; the next, she was gone, leaving her family in a state of agony, desperately searching for answers in the face of her sudden and unexplained absence. Upon learning that Anastasia was missing, her family began searching the streets of Albuquerque for clues about what may have happened to her. They began hearing a flurry of stories that seemed conflicting. Nearly two years later, they are still sifting through the puzzle pieces they have gathered, hoping that the truth will come into focus. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Anastasia Ferreira, please call the Albuquerque Police Department at 505-242-2677. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

21-year-old Jessica Foster, known to those close to her as Jessie, disappeared from Las Vegas, Nevada in late March of 2006. Jessie was far from her home in Canada, and her family didn't really know the ins and outs of Jessie's daily life in Sin City. They had last seen Jessie in late 2005 when she returned home to visit her loved ones for the holidays. She didn't seem quite like herself, but her family couldn't quite pinpoint the changes in her demeanor. Her once-vibrant spirit seemed to have faded, raising quiet concerns. In March, her family lost all communication with her. It was later revealed that her journey to Las Vegas was far darker than anyone had known. Nearly 19 years later, Jessie's family continues to search for the truth behind her disappearance, hoping to uncover the story of what happened to their beloved daughter and sister. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Jessie Foster, please contact the North Las Vegas Police Department at (702) 633-9111 or the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (702) 385-5555. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, you heard Part 1 of Bethany Collins Buckles’ story. You learned about her life, struggles, and sudden disappearance just as she planned for her mother’s Thanksgiving visit. Jolinda had expected to hear from Bethany, but she grew concerned when the call didn’t come. At the time, Jolinda was in Atlanta, hours away from Bethany’s condo in Asheville. She contacted the Asheville Police Department, requesting a welfare check. Officers reported that no one was home, and Bethany’s car was missing. When Jolinda finally arrived in Asheville, she discovered something even more troubling—Bethany’s dog had been left alone in the apartment for days without food or water, which was out of character for her daughter. Yet, there was no sign of a struggle inside the condo. Jolinda immediately reported Bethany missing, and the investigation began. Authorities traced Bethany’s phone, which appeared to be moving around the Asheville and Swannanoa areas before going radio silent.  Then, months later, in February 2022, a break in the case came when Bethany’s car was found in a grocery store parking lot not far from her Asheville condo and near where her phone had been pinging in late November. But the mystery deepened; whoever had left the car there managed to avoid detection, and no one had seen anything. This week, we will dive deeper into the mystery of what happened to Bethany and explore why she may have been targeted. What were the circumstances leading up to her disappearance, and who might have been involved? We’ll examine the details surrounding the car’s discovery and the investigation that followed, as we search for answers to this puzzling case. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Bethany Collins Buckles, please contact Detective Kevin Taylor from the Asheville Police Department at 828-259-5945. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the week leading up to Thanksgiving 2021, Bethany Collins Buckles was making holiday plans with her mother, Jolinda. Bethany was at her condo in Asheville, North Carolina, while Jolinda was at her home in Atlanta, Georgia. Jolinda planned to drive to Asheville for the holiday, and they were creating a shopping list to send to the grocery store for pick-up. This way, they would have everything they needed to prepare Thanksgiving dinner once Jolinda arrived in town.  Before ending their call, they agreed to finalize their plans the next day. However, Jolinda never heard from Bethany again. Concerned and unable to drive to Bethany's condo from Atlanta, she contacted the Asheville Police Department to request a welfare check. An officer reported back that no one was home and that Bethany's car was not parked outside.  When Jolinda eventually arrived in Asheville, she went to Bethany's condo and discovered that her little dog had been left locked inside for days without food or water, which was very unlike Bethany. This prompted Jolinda to report her daughter as missing. As the investigation into Bethany's disappearance began, the authorities uncovered several strange clues. Years later, those clues have still not led to any breakthroughs in finding Bethany. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Bethany Collins Buckles, please contact Detective Kevin Taylor from the Asheville Police Department at 828-259-5945. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 2023 holiday season was already in full swing, with many of us busy wrapping gifts and preparing for festive gatherings, when 24-year-old Braonain McGinnis quietly vanished from his home in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Braonain and his mother, Patricia, worked opposite shifts, so it wasn't unusual for them to miss each other except for brief moments when coming or going. Therefore, Patricia did not immediately notice that her son was missing. Initially, she thought Braonain was at work and, later on, that he was simply asleep in his room.  However, when Patricia realized Braonain had disappeared, she reported him missing to the Anne Arundel County Police Department, who began investigating his whereabouts on December 21, 2023. Christmas passed with no word from Braonain, and then New Year's came, deepening their concerns. A couple of weeks after Braonain was last seen, his family was shocked to learn that his vehicle had been found abandoned over 2,000 miles away in the mountains of Arizona. Extensive searches ensued, but no trace of Braonain McGinnis was ever found. It has been nearly a year since Braonain vanished, and his loved ones have worked tirelessly to try to piece together the clues that he left behind.  If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Braonain McGinnis, please call the Coconino County Sheriff's Office at 928-774-4523 or 1-800-338-7888 or Silent Witness at 928-774-6111. You may also contact the Anne Arundel County Police Department at (410) 222-8050. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The summer of 1998 was coming to a close when two young women disappeared from the St. Cloud area of Minnesota. April Geyer was 21 years old, and Roseanna Forcum was just 15. April and Rose had only recently become acquainted. Although they ran in the same social circle, it wasn’t immediately clear that the girls had vanished together. At that time, we were approaching the end of an era when most people didn’t own cell phones. You had to wait until you reached your destination or found a pay phone to call home and inform your parents about your plans and when you would return. As April and Rose’s families independently searched for them, they eventually realized they weren’t alone.  Two years later, an informant came forward with information indicating that April and Rose were together when they disappeared, even identifying a suspect believed to be their killer. Despite extensive searches, April and Rose were never found. Now, twenty-six years later, their families are determined to bring their stories back into the light, hoping to finally uncover the truth. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of April Geyer and Roseanna Forcum, please contact the BCA tip line at 877-996-6222. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

32-year-old Alana Carroll was last seen by her family on August 15, 2023. It was typical for Alana to check in with her family frequently, so they became increasingly concerned when several days passed without any communication from her. Her grandmother, Joyce, ultimately decided to report Alana missing to the Clark County Sheriff's Office.  Witnesses later reported seeing Alana at a property she often visited in Battle Ground, Washington, but the timing of these sightings was unclear. There were also unverified claims from others who said they had seen Alana into September and October. As rumors began to circulate, unsettling stories about Alana's disappearance spread, leaving her loved ones unsure of what to believe. Nearly a year later, news emerged about a person of interest in the case, but was this case closed or just another story? If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Alana Carroll, please contact Detective Arvizo with the Clark County Sheriff's Office at 564-397-2028. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, you heard Part 1 of Cameron Sequeira’s story. Cameron disappeared from Forest Lakes, Arizona, in June 2010, along with his dog, Zero. Cameron’s parents were told that he dropped off his 2-year-old daughter with his girlfriend’s great-grandmother, Louise, before leaving to walk his dog. Louise attempted to report Cameron missing the following day after he failed to return to pick up his daughter; however, an officer said she had to wait until Cameron was missing for more than 24 hours. Zero later came back without a collar or leash. In the days that followed, chaos ensued when another resident of the same property fled the state with his infant son. Cameron’s parents learned about a rift between this man and Cameron, which led them to question whether this man's departure was connected to Cameron’s disappearance or merely a coincidence, perhaps motivated by a desire to protect his child.  Join us as we delve deeper into this mystery and unravel what may have happened to Cameron Sequeira. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Cameron Sequeira, please call the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 928-774-4523 or 1-800-338-7888. To remain anonymous, you may call Silent Witness at 928-774-6111. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was late June 2010 when 32-year-old Cameron Sequeira disappeared from Forest Lakes, Arizona. The story goes that Cameron left his young daughter with one of his girlfriend's relatives and then went for a walk with his beloved dog, Zero. Zero returned a couple of days later, but no one ever saw or heard from Cameron again. His parents were alerted that their son was missing, and they traveled from their home in Oregon to Arizona to aid in the search efforts to find Cameron. When they arrived in Forest Lakes, the whole situation wasn't adding up. Days after Cameron had vanished, authorities were alerted that a man living on the same property had fled the area with his infant son. Now, law enforcement had two mysteries on their hands. Were these events related? More than 14 years later, Cameron's family is still piecing together the clues to figure out what happened to their son. If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Cameron Sequeira, please call the Coconino County Sheriff's Office at 928-774-4523 or 1-800-338-7888. If you wish to remain anonymous, please call Silent Witness at 928-774-6111. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, we shared the first installment of Goldie Thornsberry’s story. You learned that she disappeared from Fayetteville, Arkansas, in early 1996. Goldie was reported missing after her bank noticed strange activity on her checking account. When the investigation began, officers went to Goldie’s apartment and were greeted by one of her daughters, who said Goldie wasn’t home; she was traveling to visit family members. This story shifted with time about where exactly Goldie planned to go and whom she was traveling to visit. Investigators contacted relatives who said they hadn’t seen or heard from Goldie.  Goldie’s daughter and son-in-law were later charged with forgery after investigators determined they were using her checks. They became the main suspects in Goldie’s disappearance. Still, despite their best efforts, they couldn’t find Goldie or any hard evidence to prove what happened to her.  In 2010, there was a remarkable development in the case after one of Goldie’s former neighbors saw a news story about a Jane Doe who was found inside of a well in Little Rock in 2000 and thought it was Goldie. After a DNA comparison came back indicating it was, in fact, Goldie, they could finally move forward with the case. While there was a mountain of circumstantial evidence against Goldie's daughter and son-in-law, would it be enough for a conviction? If you have any information about the murder of Goldie Thornsberry, please call the Fayetteville Police Department at 479-587-3555. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the summer of 2000, two development consultants were surveying land on Cantrell Road in Little Rock, Arkansas, when they noticed a drainage area and decided to investigate its source. Venturing a short distance into the woods, they stumbled upon a well. One of the workers thought he saw something at the bottom and prodded it with a stick. As the object shifted, it became evident that it was a human skull. That's when they decided it was time to call the Little Rock Police Department. Human remains were retrieved from the well, and it was later confirmed that the victim was a woman. Unable to match Jane Doe to any missing persons reports in the area, her case quickly went ice cold. Ten years later, the police department had a clay recreation made of what Jane Doe may have looked like, hoping that a visual representation of the woman might trigger someone's memory. One evening in Little Rock, a man who had lived in Fayetteville, Arkansas, during the 90s saw the clay bust on the news and was struck by its resemblance to his former neighbor, Goldie Thornsberry, who had disappeared in 1996. He contacted the authorities, and that tip took a cold case that some had hoped time had forgotten off the shelf and thrust it back into the spotlight. If you have any information about the murder of Goldie Thornsberry, please call the Fayetteville Police Department at 479-587-3555. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On June 24, 2024, 21-year-old Zyanya Valora stayed up late after her parents went to bed. In the early morning hours of June 25, around 2:30 AM, she is believed to have left their home in Ojai, California. Her family suspects she was barefoot and wearing a tank top and shorts. Later that morning, Zyanya's parents assumed she was simply sleeping in, as young people often do. However, around 11 AM, her mother, Damaris, discovered that her daughter was not in her room or anywhere inside their home. Concerned, Damaris called her husband at work and began searching the neighborhood. After failing to find Zyanya, Damaris reported her daughter missing. An extensive search was conducted for Zyanya, who has Autism and is considered at-risk. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office, along with other agencies, dedicated five days to searching the area. Unfortunately, despite these extensive efforts, no trace of Zyanya Valora has been found. If you have any information about Zyanya Valora's disappearance, please contact the Ventura County Sheriff's Office at (805) 654-9511. You can follow the search efforts for Zyanya at Find Zyanya Valora.  If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the afternoon of June 24, 2023, 41-year-old Lawrence Hammett was transferred from Montrose Regional Health to Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango, Colorado. Approximately two hours later, a staff member attempted to call Lawrence back, but he was gone. No one knew that Lawrence had been transferred to a hospital roughly two and a half hours away, and they began to notice that they stopped seeing him around town.  Weeks passed without word, and Lawrence's loved ones began comparing notes. No one had heard from him. They searched around Montrose, but there was no trace of Lawrence there. Eventually, Lawrence's sister contacted the Montrose Police Department to file a missing persons report, and they told her that he had been in the hospital and was transferred to Durango.  This news moved their search more than 100 miles away, and by that time, the camera footage from June 24 was long gone. They didn't have any clues to point them in the direction that Lawrence may have gone or if he had left with someone. More than a year later, Lawrence's loved ones are still picking up the pieces, searching for any information that could help bring the puzzle of what happened to him into focus.  If you have any information about Lawrence Hammett's disappearance, please call the Durango Police Department at 970-375-4700. If you are in the area and want to help, Lawrence's loved ones are planning a search party in Durango on Oct 5, 2024. You can find more information on the Bring Lawrence Home Facebook page. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We first shared the story of Eric Franks’ disappearance in October 2021. While his case is still unsolved, we have significant new information to share with you nearly three years after our original episodes aired, which could potentially shed light on this mystery.  In March 2011, 38-year-old Eric Franks disappeared from Saginaw, Michigan. In 2010, Eric learned he had a teenage daughter, so he traveled to the Saginaw area to connect with her. Eric went radio silent in early March, but then his family began receiving emails from Eric periodically. They went along with this for a time, as they had no reason to question that Eric was sending the emails. Still, something was off about the whole thing, and later, they decided to report Eric missing. Over the last 13 years, a bizarre string of events has unfolded, unraveling disturbing clues about what may have happened and who may be responsible for Eric’s disappearance. If you have any information about the disappearance of Eric Franks, please call the Michigan State Police at 989-495-5555. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the night of October 20, 1972, 26-year-old Patricia Wagner left her Jersey City apartment for a coffee date with her new boyfriend, Dennis. Her mother, Marie, agreed to watch Patty's two young sons, Kenny and Michael, for a few hours. Before leaving, Patty's oldest son, Kenny, begged her not to go. He was overcome by a bad feeling about his mother going out that night, but he didn't know why. Patty reassured her young son that she would return later and headed out of her apartment for her date. That was the last known sighting of Patricia Wagner. Patty never came home, and her family never heard from her again. Although Patty's mother quickly jumped into action to report her daughter missing, Patty's case went ice cold. Decades later, a younger family member became determined to do what she could to find her long-lost cousin.  If you have any information about the disappearance of Patricia Jane Wagner, please contact the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000. You can follow the efforts to find Patty on social media at "Where Is Patricia Jane Wagner?" Be sure to follow Madison's page and Facebook group, "AVoice4TheLost." If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the early days of the show, I came across a website called haveyouseenandy.com. The website focused on the case of Andy Puglisi, a 10-year-old boy who disappeared from a pool in Lawrence, MA, in August 1976. Andy's friend, Melanie Perkins McLaughlin, created and maintained the website. Melanie had previously directed an HBO documentary about Andy's case, which won an Emmy in 2008 for Outstanding Investigative Journalism. When I contacted Melanie to inquire about featuring Andy on the show, I was surprised that she responded and agreed, given my limited experience in podcasting at the time. After Andy's original episode aired, Melanie and I stayed in touch, and she even provided her expertise when we covered similar cases from that era.  Through her research, Melanie discovered that there were more missing and murdered children with stories similar to Andy's. This realization led her to shift her focus from Andy's individual case to a broader perspective, uncovering shocking new information along the way. Melanie always expressed a desire to continue telling Andy's story after realizing that this story was more extensive than just one boy disappearing from a pool in 1976.  Melanie often discussed a project she was working on during our conversations. This project that she was chipping away at, a podcast called Open Investigation, is set to be released starting September 3. Melanie joined us again this week to discuss the developments in Andy's case and tell us about her podcast. The trailer is available today, and the first episode will be released tomorrow. You can subscribe to Open Investigation now wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On December 25, 2000, 37-year-old Kenneth Ray Weaver failed to visit his mother for Christmas. Typically, Kenny and his siblings always made it a point to see their mother on Christmas. If, for some reason, one of them couldn't make it, they would always call, but there was no word from Kenny. While Kenny's family quickly jumped into action to locate him, they faced roadblock after roadblock. Kenny's family heard from his roommate that he dropped Kenny off at a friend's home in Pocola, Oklahoma, on Christmas Day. Another friend later came forward and said he had seen Kenny sitting on the porch of that friend's house and gave him a ride to Fort Smith, Arkansas. This friend recalled that it was Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day, and this is where Kenny Weaver's trail went cold.  Very little is known about what happened to Kenny around Christmas in 2000. Authorities from Arkansas and Oklahoma initially refused to take the case due to jurisdiction debates, which stalled filing a report for five years.  Nearly 24 years later, Kenny's sister has never given up on her pursuit of answers, and today, she has new investigators digging into the case.  If anyone has any information about the disappearance of Kenneth Weaver, please contact the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office at 479-783-1051 or the Pocola Police Department at 918-436-2476. You can follow Becky's efforts to find her brother on Facebook at Missing Kenneth Ray Weaver. Listen to The Vanished on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-vanished-podcast/ now. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In March 2021, 48-year-old Shannon Collins quietly disappeared from Pottsville, Arkansas. His parents, brother, and sister just stopped hearing from Shannon. He wasn't returning their calls or text messages, which was strange. When they contacted Shannon's wife, she said he had left their home on March 12 but was contacting their children via phone. Despite their inquiries, they have yet to receive satisfactory answers. By November, Shannon's brother, Blake, decided to report his brother missing during a trip home to Arkansas for the holidays. From there, the situation only grew more peculiar. Anyone with information about Shannon Collins' disappearance can call Pope County Sheriff's Office at 479-968-2558 and ask for any available investigator. You may also report tips anonymously at https://www.popecoso.org/reportACrime. You can follow developments in Shannon's case on Facebook, Share Shannon's Story, and Instagram. Listen to The Vanished on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-vanished-podcast/ now. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last week, you heard the first part of Cynthia's story. You learned about her life, marriage, pending divorce, and how she disappeared on February 3, 2021. The last confirmed sighting of Cynthia was at a gas station in Grandview, Texas, around 10:35 PM. Multiple witnesses reported that she appeared to be in the midst of a mental health crisis. Cynthia had called friends, and they mentioned that her behavior was confusing. A patron at the gas station stated that she entered his vehicle and left her phone behind when she exited. Another witness remembered Cynthia running up behind his truck and asking for a ride. However, no one stopped to assist her. Cynthia then got back into her vehicle, and her car was seen approaching the exit. Law enforcement suspects that the camera malfunctioned at that moment, and they lost sight of Cynthia's vehicle, making it impossible to determine the direction it headed next. Cynthia's destination after leaving the gas station remains unknown. Two days later, Cynthia's family reported her missing. Fast forward to February 16, Cynthia's Mazda was found on an interstate highway headed towards Waco, TX. The vehicle had run out of gas, and the officer who spotted it confirmed that it hadn't been there 24 hours earlier. Where had the car been since February 3? Was Cynthia the person who left it there, or had someone else abandoned it? One notable point is that on the evening of her disappearance, witnesses remembered seeing Cynthia, but no one has ever claimed to have seen her again. So, what could have happened to Cynthia? Anyone with information about Cynthia Bah-Traore can call Lt. Michael Tate at the Crowley Police Department at 817-297-2276 x6204 or Crimestoppers at 817-469-8477. You may also contact the FBI Dallas Field Office at (972) 559-5000. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Listen to The Vanished on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-vanished-podcast/ now. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the evening of February 3, 2021, 39-year-old Cynthia Bah-Traore left her home in Crowley, Texas. She was later spotted at a gas station in Grandview, Texas, but left her cell phone behind. After that, Cynthia disappeared without a trace. Almost two weeks later, her car was discovered abandoned alongside a highway approximately 35 miles south of where she was last seen, near Waco. The whereabouts of Cynthia and her vehicle during this time remain unknown. Her family has stated that Cynthia had no reason to be in the Waco area, and they are baffled as to why she would have traveled there. Following her disappearance, tensions arose between her family and the police department investigating the case. Over three years later, renewed efforts are underway in hopes of finally uncovering Cynthia’s whereabouts. Anyone with information about Cynthia Bah-Traore can call Lt. Michael Tate at the Crowley Police Department at 817-297-2276 x6204 or Crimestoppers at 817-469-8477. You can also contact the FBI Dallas Field Office at (972) 559-5000. If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form. Listen to The Vanished on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-vanished-podcast/ now. Follow The Vanished on social media at: Facebook Instagram Twitter Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.