Random People Who Disappeared Mysteriously (112 items)

• 

  (#1) Amelia Earhart

  Amelia Earhart disappeared in 1937 during an attempt at a circumnavigational flight around the world. After becoming the first female to complete a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932, Earhart toured the US on a lecture circuit, seeking to empower other females to pursue aviation as she had.

  In 1937, the renowned aviator embarked twice on an attempt to complete a 29,000 mile flight around the world. The West to East route, which started in Oakland, CA, would see Earhart traverse 22,000 miles to Lae, New Guinea. On the flight's final stretch across the Pacific, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan lost communication and were never seen again.
• 

  (#2) Jacob Wetterling

  • 41

  Disappeared in 1989.

  UPDATE:  In August 2016, Danny Heinrich, who was arrested on child pornography charges, admitted to abducting and murdering Jacob Wetterling in 1989. He led police to the body, which was buried in a field in central Minnesota. He also provided details of the boy's final hours.

  Heinrich, wearing a mask and wielding a revolver, abducted Jacob on a road near his home. Terrified, the boy asked, "What did I do wrong?" Heinrich sexually assaulted Jacob in a field, while the boy cried and said he was cold and wanted to go home. 

  After the assault, Heinrich killed Jacob, buried the 11 year old with a stolen shovel, and threw his shoes in a nearby body of water. For the subsequent 27 years, Jacob's parents, Patty and Jerry Wetterling, searched for clues as to their son's whereabouts and fate.

  Speaking publicly after Heinrich's confession, Patty Wetterling said, "I want to say Jacob, I am so sorry. It is incredibly painful to know his last days, last hours, last minutes... For us, Jacob was alive until we found him. We need to heal.” 
• 

  (#3) Madeleine McCann

  Madeleine McCann disappeared in Portugal during a family vacation from the UK in 2007. The small, blonde girl had been in a hotel room with her siblings just 160 feet away from a restaurant where her parents were dining when her mother discovered she was missing.

  The family fell under intense scrutiny when Portuguese police falsely concluded the girl had been murdered in the room. Madeleine remains missing to this day.
• 

  (#4) Jimmy Hoffa

  • Dec. at 69 (1913-1982)

  Jimmy Hoffa was a powerful Union leader who served as President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1958-1971. Hoffa had powerful ties to organized crime and was last known to have been attending a meeting with two mob leaders at a Detroit restaurant when he disappeared in 1975.
• 

  (#5) Natalee Holloway

  While on vacation in Aruba to celebrate her high school graduation, Natalee Holloway disappeared sometime before she was set to embark on her return trip to the US. Three local men, Joran van der Sloot and Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, were last seen with the young woman early in the morning on May 30th, 2005 leaving a bar. While the men were all arrested on more than one occasion, no arrests were ever made in the case.
• 

  (#6) Ambrose Bierce

  • Dec. at 72 (1842-1914)

  A noted journalist and author, Ambrose Bierce disappeared while travelling with rebel troops to gain first-hand knowledge of the Mexican Revolution in 1914.
• 

  (#7) Glenn Miller

  • Dec. at 40 (1904-1944)

  Popular on the big band scene in the US, Glenn Miller joined the Army in 1942 to aid the war effort by creating a modernized Army band. Captain Miller was being flown via single engine plane from the UK to Paris, France when his plane disappeared in 1944 over the English Channel.
• 

  (#8) Sean Flynn

  • Dec. at 30 (1941-1971)

  Sean Flynn, the only child of actor Errol Flynn and Lili Damita, disappeared while on assignment for Time magazine in Cambodia in 1970. He and Dana Stone, reporting for CBS News, were captured by communist guerrillas and never seen again.
• 

  (#9) D. B. Cooper

  The perpetrator of the only unsolved air piracy case in US history, D.B. Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727 en route from Portland, OR to Seattle, WA in 1971. He indicated to a flight attendant on board that he had a bomb in his briefcase and demanded a $200,000 ransom be paid when the aircraft landed in Seattle. Cooper's demands were met and, after releasing the passengers and the bulk of the crew, the plane was reloaded and set off for Mexico (with a planned refueling stop in Reno, NV).

  Less than half an hour into the flight the crew, who had been ordered to congregate in the cockpit, noticed a door had been open in the aft cabin and the rear stairs deployed. It is assumed that Cooper parachuted from the plane while it was in motion and was never seen again.
• 

  (#10) Raoul Wallenberg

  • Dec. at 35 (1912-1947)

  A symbol of humanitarian efforts during WWII, Raoul Wallenberg rescued tens of thousands of Jews in Nazi-occupied Hungary by issuing protective passports and giving them refuge in Swedish designated areas in the country. Wallenberg was detained by KGB operatives in 1945 and disappeared later that year.
• 

  (#11) John Cabot

  John Cabot disappeared along with his five ships during an expedition to find a western route from Europe to Asia in 1499.
• 

  (#12) Arthur I

  Disappeared in 1203 while under arrest at the Château de Falaise in France.
• 

  (#13) Francisco de Orellana

  • Dec. at 35 (1511-1546)

  Disappeared while exploring the Amazon in 1546.
• 

  (#14) William Morgan

  • Dec. at 59 (1545-1604)

  William Morgan disappeared in 1826 after threats to publish a book exposing the secrets of the Free Masons.
• 

  (#15) Ambiorix

  Disappeared in 53 BC after Caesar invaded Belgium. He and his men are said to have crossed the Rhine River, never to be seen again.
• 

  (#16) Subhas Chandra Bose

  Disappeared after a plane crash in Taiwan in 1945.
• 

  (#17) Camilo Cienfuegos

  • Dec. at 27 (1932-1959)

  Disappeared when his Cessna 310 went missing over the ocean during a night flight from Camagüey to Havana in 1959.
• 

  (#18) Richey Edwards

  The guitar player for the Manic Street Preachers disappeared in 1995 at the age of 27. While sightings and clues persisted for the weeks following his disappearance, the famed musician was never found.
• 

  (#19) Ettore Majorana

  • Dec. at 32 (1906-1938)

  Disappeared during a boat trip from Naples to Palermo in 1938.
• 

  (#20) Jim Thompson

  The American businessman, who is credited with almost single-handedly saving the Thai silk business in the 1950's and 60s, disappeared in 1967 while taking a walk near his bungalow in 1967.
• 

  (#21) Renee MacRae

  • 79

  The longest running missing persons case in the Britain, the disappearance of Renee MacRae and her 3-year-old son Andrew disappeared in 1976 while driving on the A9. MacRae's burning BMW was spotted and discovered to contain a rug stained with blood of her type, but nothing more. Neither mother nor son were ever found.
• 

  (#22) Jim Gray

  • Dec. at 68 (1944-2012)

  Disappeared from San Francisco Bay in 2007 while on a solo sailing expedition to scatter his mother's ashes.
• 

  (#23) Bruno Manser

  • Dec. at 51 (1954-2005)

  The environmental activist disappeared in 2000 after last being seen in the isolated village of Bario in the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
• 

  (#24) Emanuela Orlandi

  A resident of Vatican City in Italy, Emanuela Orlandi disappeared under suspicious circumstances in 1983. Initially thought to have run away from home, a series of phone calls implied Orlandi had been taken by a group seeking the release of Mehmet Ali Ağca, the man who shot the Pope in St. Peter's Square in 1981. No offers of a trade were ever fulfilled, and the young girl remains missing.
• 

  (#25) Heinrich Müller

  • Dec. at 45 (1900-1945)

  Last seen in the isappeared in the Führerbunker in 1945, Heinrich Müller is the most senior Nazi officer never to have been caught or confirmed dead.
• 

  (#26) Supriyadi

  A member of the Indonesian resistance to the invading Japannese forces, Supriyadi disappeared in 1945 during a raid on a Japanese troops.
• 

  (#27) Frank Morris

  • 92

  One of the few men ever to escape the Alcatraz prison, Frank Morris disappeared in 1962 while attempting to cross the San Francisco Bay towards Marin. Though he is not believed to have survived the trek across the Bay, no body was ever found and his cousin, Bud Morris, claims to have met up the fugitive after his escape.
• 

  (#28) George Bass

  Disappeared in 1803 after sailing into the Pacific wanting to sell cargo in South America. It's believed that Bass was captured by the Spanish and was forced to work in the mines in Peru.
• 

  (#29) Ray Gricar

  • 73

  Defense Attorney of Pennsylvania, Gricar disappeared in 2005 after police found his car abandoned and his laptop thrown into a nearby river. 
• 

  (#30) Susan Powell

  • 60

  Disappearing in 2009, it's suspected that Cox-Powell was murdered by her husband, Josh Powell after police found Susan's blood and a life insurance policy for $1.5 million in their house. In July 2014, the Powell's house seemed to be intentionally burned to the ground, killing Josh Powell and their two sons. Police believe Josh Powell is responsible for the fire.
• 

  (#31) Percy Fawcett

  • Dec. at 58 (1867-1925)

  Disappeared in 1925
• 

  (#32) Joshua Slocum

  • Dec. at 65 (1844-1909)

  Disappeared after setting sail from Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard in 1909.
• 

  (#33) Walter Collins

  Los Angeles resident Walter Collins disappeared in 1928.  His mother, Christine, was subsequently committed to a mental hospital when she would not accept the lookalike boy the police tried to pass off as her returned son. Though she was eventually released and sued, her son was never found, possible having perished in the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders.
• 

  (#34) Etan Patz

  Disappeared in New York City in 1979.
• 

  (#35) Harold Holt

  • Dec. at 59 (1908-1967)

  Disappeared while swimming in heavy surf at a beach notorious for strong and dangerous rip currents in 1967.
• 

  (#36) Muhammad ibn Qasim

  Disappeared in 834
• 

  (#37) Morgan Nick

  • 30

  Disappeared in 1995
• 

  (#38) Louis Le Prince

  • Dec. at 49 (1841-1890)

  Disappeared after boarding a Paris-bound train at Dijon, France in 1890.
• 

  (#39) Owain Glyndŵr

  Disappeared in 1412
• 

  (#40) Hale Boggs

  • Dec. at 58 (1914-1972)

  Disappeared in 1972
• 

  (#41) Jennifer Kesse

  Disappeared in 2006
• 

  (#42) Edward V of England

  • Dec. at 13 (1470-1483)

  Disappeared in 1483
• 

  (#43) Azaria Chamberlain

  Disappeared in 1980
• 

  (#44) Jorge Julio López

  Disappeared after testifying in a trial against Dirty War criminal Miguel Etchecolatz in 2006.
• 

  (#45) Bas Jan Ader

  • Dec. at 33 (1942-1975)

  Disappeared while attempting to sail a pocket cruiser across the Atlantic in 1975.
• 

  (#46) Donald Mackay

  • Dec. at 44 (1933-1977)

  Disappeared in 1977
• 

  (#47) Robin Graham

  Disappeared in 1970
• 

  (#48) Ben Needham

  Disappeared from the island of Kos in Greece on July 24 in 1991.
• 

  (#49) Maura Murray

  Disappeared in 2004
• 

  (#50) Charles Kingsford Smith

  • Dec. at 38 (1897-1935)

  Disappeared in 1935

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking