Some people simply vanished.
These mysteries remain unresolved, and in many of them investigators are still asking for one missing piece of information.
Atlantic Canada: Kenley Matheson Walked Away From Campus
Twenty-year-old Acadia University student Allan “Kenley” Matheson was last seen walking along Main Street in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, on September 21, 1992. His family never heard from him again, and police reported no subsequent activity on his bank account. Decades later, investigators even searched a steep site on Melanson Mountain after a cadaver dog indicated interest there, but no human remains were found.
Quebec: Marilyn Bergeron's Final Errand Made Little Sense
Marilyn Bergeron left her family's Quebec City-area home for a walk on February 17, 2008, and was later captured by an ATM camera before being seen at a café in Saint-Romuald. Those locations raised questions because they placed her a significant distance from home without a clear explanation of how she traveled there. Quebec City police have continued investigating, while her family has publicly pushed for broader scrutiny of the case.
Ontario: Lois Hanna's House Looked Like She Had Just Stepped Out
Lois Hanna disappeared after attending a homecoming dance near Kincardine, Ontario, in July 1988. When a coworker checked her home, Hanna's car, purse, and keys were still there, the television was on, and a fresh cup of tea was reportedly sitting near the side door. The OPP continues to investigate the disappearance and now treats it as a homicide.
Canadian Postcard Company, Wikimedia Commons
Interior British Columbia: An Entire Family Disappeared
Ronald and Doreen Jack and their sons Russell and Ryan disappeared from Prince George, British Columbia, in August 1989. The RCMP's Serious Crime Unit still lists the investigation as ongoing, and extended family members organized another search effort near Willow River in 2024. Four people disappearing together has left investigators with a mystery far larger than an ordinary missing-person case.
Naitsabes101, Wikimedia Commons
Vancouver Island: Michael Dunahee Vanished Near His Parents
Four-year-old Michael Dunahee disappeared from the Blanshard School playground in Victoria on March 24, 1991. VicPD says the investigation became one of Canada's largest missing-person cases and remains a priority decades later. The fact that a small child could disappear from a public playground while his parents were nearby continues to make the case particularly difficult to understand.
Northern New England: Brianna Maitland's Car Was Found Against A Barn
Seventeen-year-old Brianna Maitland left work in Montgomery, Vermont, on March 19, 2004, and was never seen again. Her Oldsmobile was later discovered backed into an abandoned building roughly a mile from the restaurant where she worked. The FBI announced a reward of up to $40,000 in 2024 as investigators continued searching for answers.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Coastal Maine: Miguel Oliveras Left A Club And Disappeared
Miguel Oliveras was last seen around 1 a.m. on September 2, 2006, at a nightclub in Portland, Maine. The FBI now describes the disappearance as suspicious and increased its reward to $25,000 in 2026 for information leading to Oliveras or his remains. Nearly two decades passed without establishing what happened after he left the club.
AlexiusHoratius, Wikimedia Commons
Upstate New York: Tammy Mahoney Left A Party And Was Never Seen Again
Nineteen-year-old Tammy Mahoney was last seen near Route 46 in Oneida, New York, in May 1981. According to the FBI, she had apparently been hitchhiking, was taken to a party at a nearby residence, and was said by some witnesses to have later left on foot. The bureau offers a reward for information leading either to her recovery or to prosecution of those responsible for her disappearance.
Mid-Atlantic: Dulce Maria Alavez Disappeared From A Park
Five-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez vanished while playing at Bridgeton City Park in New Jersey on September 16, 2019. The FBI continues to seek images, video, and information from anyone who was in the park that day. A child disappearing from an ordinary afternoon outing with no confirmed explanation has kept the case active years later.
Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant), Wikimedia Commons
The Carolinas: Asha Degree Walked Into The Night
Nine-year-old Asha Degree disappeared from her Shelby, North Carolina, home during the early morning of February 14, 2000. Drivers later reported seeing a girl matching her description walking beside Highway 18 around 4 a.m., and more than a year later Asha's backpack was found buried along the highway. Why she apparently left home during the night remains one of the central mysteries of the case.
fbi, Wikimedia Commons, Enhanced
The Smokies: Trenny Gibson Vanished During A School Hike
Sixteen-year-old Teresa “Trenny” Gibson disappeared in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in October 1976. The National Park Service says she had been hiking with a high school group and was last seen as the students returned from Andrews Bald toward the Clingmans Dome parking area. Her case remains listed among the park service's cold cases.
Victoria Stauffenberg, Wikimedia Commons
Florida: A Camera Caught Someone With Jennifer Kesse's Car
Jennifer Kesse failed to arrive at work in Orlando on January 24, 2006, prompting her family to report her missing. Her Chevrolet Malibu was later found about a mile from her condo, and surveillance footage captured an unidentified person walking away after parking it. Unfortunately, the available images have never produced the identification investigators needed.
Ohio: Brian Shaffer Seemed To Disappear After A Night Out
Medical student Brian Shaffer was last known to be at a Columbus bar with friends in the early hours of April 1, 2006. The FBI says his last confirmed contact occurred at approximately 1:55 a.m. and that he vanished without an apparent reason. Nearly two decades later, his whereabouts remain unknown.
Paul Wasneski, Wikimedia Commons
The Great Lakes: Steven Kraft's Dogs Came Home Without Him
Twelve-year-old Steven Earl Kraft Jr. went out walking two dogs near his Benton Township, Michigan, home in February 2001 and failed to return for dinner. The dogs were eventually located, but Steven was not. The FBI continues to list him as missing.
Notorious4life (talk) (Uploads), Wikimedia Commons
The Upper Midwest: Brandon Swanson Called His Parents Until The Line Went Silent
Nineteen-year-old Brandon Swanson disappeared in rural Minnesota in May 2008. His abandoned car was later located in a ditch with its doors open, and the FBI continues to list him as missing. The discovery created an enduring mystery because investigators had a vehicle and a general search area but never found Brandon.
fbi.com, Wikimedia Commons, Enhanced
The Great Plains: Sunny Sramek Left In A Ford Explorer
Eighteen-year-old Sunny Sramek was last seen in Trenton, Nebraska, on April 20, 2019, riding in a white Ford Explorer. Her mother reported her missing the next day, and the FBI says there have been no confirmed sightings or contact from her since. The bureau continues asking anyone with information to come forward.
The High Plains: Alejandro Vasquez Has Been Missing Since 2015
Alejandro “Tank” Vasquez was last seen by relatives near Kyle, South Dakota, on October 29, 2015. In September 2026, the FBI renewed its appeal and described the case as a disappearance and presumed-death investigation on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The agency is offering up to $25,000 for information that helps identify those responsible.
Indianertosset, Wikimedia Commons
Texas Hill Country: Rachel Cooke Nearly Made It Home
Rachel Cooke went for her usual four-mile run near her parents' home in Georgetown, Texas, on January 10, 2002. The FBI says she was last seen roughly 200 yards from the house while walking toward it. That tiny final distance has made the disappearance especially haunting because she apparently almost completed an ordinary morning routine.
ArielleLauren, Wikimedia Commons, Enhanced
The Arizona Desert: Daniel Robinson Drove Away From Work
Geologist Daniel Robinson left a work site west of Buckeye, Arizona, on June 23, 2021, without telling coworkers where he was going. Extensive searches initially failed to locate either him or his Jeep, and the Buckeye Police Department still lists the missing-person investigation as open. Police state that foul play is not currently suspected.
Toastdebunny, Wikimedia Commons
New Mexico: Jose Frias Left Almost No Trail
Jose Angel Frias was last known to be in Albuquerque in March 2021. The FBI says he has had no contact with relatives or associates since then, and even his exact last location and clothing remain unknown. That lack of a firm final sighting gives investigators unusually little public information from which to build a timeline.
Asaavedra32, Wikimedia Commons
The Colorado Plateau: Everett Ruess Left Behind His Burros
Twenty-year-old artist and wanderer Everett Ruess headed into southern Utah's canyon country in 1934 and was never seen again. Searchers later found his burros alive in Davis Gulch and discovered the inscription “Nemo 1934,” whose meaning remains uncertain. The National Park Service still describes his disappearance as one of the region's enduring mysteries.
classmates.com, Wikimedia Commons, Enhanced
Southern Nevada: Karla Rodriguez Vanished During An Ordinary Day
Seven-year-old Karla Rodriguez disappeared in Las Vegas on October 20, 1999. FBI investigators have continued pursuing the case for decades, including searches of locations identified during later investigative work, but none produced Karla. The bureau still offers a reward for information leading to her whereabouts.
André Corboz, Wikimedia Commons
The Northern Rockies: Ashley Loring HeavyRunner Vanished From The Blackfeet Reservation
Ashley Loring HeavyRunner was last seen in Browning, Montana, during the week of June 13, 2017. Her disappearance from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation remains under investigation by the FBI and tribal law enforcement. The bureau continues asking anyone with information to contact investigators.
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Wikimedia Commons, Enhanced
The Pacific Northwest: Kyron Horman Disappeared From School
Seven-year-old Kyron Horman attended a science fair at Skyline Elementary School in Portland, Oregon, on June 4, 2010. He was last seen at the school that morning and has never been located. The FBI continues to publish his case and age-progressed images as investigators search for information.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wikimedia Commons, Enhanced
Northern California: Kristen Modafferi Finished Work And Vanished
Eighteen-year-old Kristen Modafferi had recently moved to the San Francisco Bay Area for summer study when she disappeared in June 1997. The FBI says she was last seen after completing a shift at a coffee shop in San Francisco's Crocker Galleria. She has not been seen or heard from since.
Alaska: Michael LeMaitre Disappeared During A Mountain Race
Michael LeMaitre was competing in Seward's Mount Marathon race on July 4, 2012, when he disappeared. The Alaska State Troopers' missing-person bulletin states that the 65-year-old was last seen during the race wearing black shorts and a black shirt. His disappearance transformed a public sporting event into a mystery with no confirmed ending.
Hawaii: David Porter Vanished And His Vehicle Appeared Weeks Later
David “Boogie” Porter was last seen on Oahu on November 3, 1976. Honolulu police say he was an avid bodyboarder, and several weeks after he vanished his vehicle was found unattended near Kaumoku Street. Porter himself was never located, and the case remains with HPD's Cold Case Unit.
Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons
The Caribbean: Amy Lynn Bradley Disappeared From A Cruise Ship
Amy Lynn Bradley vanished aboard Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas during the early morning of March 24, 1998. The ship was traveling through the Caribbean between Aruba and Curaçao when she disappeared. The FBI continues to offer a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to her recovery and the identification and conviction of anyone responsible.
Gérard Janot, Wikimedia Commons
Northwest Mexico: Armed Men Took Jesus Paez Lopez
Jesus Eduardo Paez Lopez was abducted from a residence in El Roble, Sinaloa, in the early morning of January 4, 2020. The FBI says several armed men carried out the abduction and that Lopez has not been seen or heard from since. The bureau continues offering a reward for information leading to his recovery.
Southern Mexico: Forty-Three Students Disappeared In One Night
Forty-three students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College disappeared after attacks in and around Iguala, Guerrero, in September 2014. Investigations have produced arrests, competing accounts, accusations involving organized crime and public officials, and identifications of small remains from only a few students, but the complete fate of the group remains unresolved. Ten years after the disappearance, families were still publicly demanding answers and access to evidence.
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