When People Vanish Without A Trace

Some disappearances inspire hope, while others leave behind only silence and haunting questions. Over the years, many baffling cases have continued to defy explanation, puzzling not just investigators but families and the public as well. Even after decades of relentless effort, 20 of these mysteries remain unsolved—each one carrying chilling details that refuse to fade with time.

Underwood & Underwood (active 1880 – c. 1950)[1] on Wikimedia

1. Brandon Swanson (2008)

After crashing his car near Taunton, Minnesota, 19-year-old Brandon Swanson called his parents for help, insisting he was near Lynd. He was actually miles away. During the call, he suddenly shouted “Oh, s\\\!” and the line went dead. His body has never been found.

fbi.com on Wikimedia

2. Maura Murray (2004)

A 21-year-old nursing student, Maura, crashed her car in rural New Hampshire and declined help from a passerby. Police arrived minutes later to find the vehicle empty. No footprints or signs of struggle were found. Interestingly, her dorm room had been packed in advance.

The Mystery of Maura Murray | Hometown Tragedy | Full Episode | Very Local by Very Local

3. Flight MH370 (2014)

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers. Satellite data showed the plane diverted from its path and flew for hours before crashing somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean. Only scattered debris has ever been recovered along African coasts.

The original uploader was Ohconfucius at English Wikipedia. on Wikimedia

4. Asha Degree (2000)

9-year-old Asha Degree packed her school bag, left home before dawn, and walked into the freezing dark along a North Carolina highway. Multiple motorists spotted her before she vanished into the woods. Years later, her backpack, containing someone else's belongings, was found 26 miles away.

20 Years Later: Asha Degree still missing by FOX Carolina News

5. The Sodder Children (1945)

On Christmas Eve in Fayetteville, West Virginia, the Sodder home burned down, and five of the ten children mysteriously disappeared. No bodies were found in the ashes, and alleged sightings followed for years. A billboard about the case remained up until the 1980s.

Unknown; edited slightly by Daniel Case prior to upload here on Wikimedia

6. Brian Shaffer (2006)

One night in Columbus, Ohio, 27-year-old medical student Brian Shaffer was seen entering a bar but never exiting. Surveillance cameras showed every entrance and exit, yet none captured his departure. No trace has surfaced since, even though his phone once rang before going straight to voicemail.

Carvalho.26 on Wikimedia

7. Louis Le Prince (1890)

Louis Le Prince, recognized by some as an early pioneer of motion pictures, boarded a train in Dijon, France, and vanished mid-journey. His luggage and body were never recovered. Decades later, a man resembling him appeared in an old Paris police photo, but no connection was ever proven.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

8. Joan Risch (1961)

Joan Risch disappeared from her Massachusetts home, leaving behind blood smears and an overturned phone. Her two-year-old daughter was found safe. Strangely, Joan had borrowed library books about disappearances shortly before vanishing. Her car was untouched, and over 14,000 leads yielded no definitive results.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

9. The Springfield Three (1992)

Suzie Streeter, Stacy McCall, and Suzie’s mother, Sherrill Levitt, vanished from a Springfield, Missouri home. There were no signs of forced entry, and all personal belongings remained intact. A broken porch light globe and a strange voicemail were among the few unusual clues left behind.

Springfield, Missouri 3 missing women documentary from 2017 by Ozarks First

10. Harold Holt (1967)

Australia’s Prime Minister Harold Holt went swimming at Cheviot Beach and was never seen again. Despite a massive search involving divers, helicopters, and navy vessels, nothing was found. Conspiracy theories range from a shark attack to a faked death, but no concrete evidence ever emerged.

NAA on Wikimedia

11. Lars Mittank (2014)

German tourist Lars Mittank vanished from Varna Airport in Bulgaria after exhibiting paranoid behavior. CCTV captured him running out of the terminal without luggage and disappearing into nearby woods. Lars was never found again. He had previously texted his mother, “I don’t feel safe.”

BKA Germany/ Federal Criminal Police Office (Germany) on Wikimedia

12. The Beaumont Children (1966)

Jane, Arnna, and Grant Beaumont disappeared from Glenelg Beach near Adelaide, Australia. Witnesses saw them with an unidentified man. Despite massive investigations and public campaigns, no conclusive evidence ever surfaced. A 1968 letter, later deemed a hoax, claimed they were alive and being cared for.

Adam.J.W.C. on Wikimedia

13. Glenn Miller (1944)

Bandleader Glenn Miller boarded a plane bound for Paris and vanished over the English Channel. The aircraft was never found, and no distress call was sent. A theory suggests the plane may have been accidentally hit by jettisoned Allied bombs.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

14. Tiffany Daniels (2013)

Tiffany Daniels left work in Pensacola, Florida, and never returned. Her car was found abandoned near Pensacola Beach. Tire tracks nearby led to the water, but there were no signs of a struggle evident. A few weeks before, she had expressed a desire to travel.

IFCAR on Wikimedia

15. Jim Thompson (1967)

The former U.S. spy-turned-silk-entrepreneur vanished during a walk in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands. His disappearance launched one of Southeast Asia’s largest search efforts, involving soldiers, dogs, and helicopters. Jim simply vanished without a single verified sighting and no evidence of foul play.

Unknown on Wikimedia

16. Kyron Horman (2010)

At just 7 years old, Kyron Horman disappeared after a school science fair in Portland, Oregon. He was last seen by his stepmother, who took a photo of him at his exhibit. No one saw him in class afterward. His case remains Oregon’s largest missing child investigation.

Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wikimedia

17. Amelia Earhart (1937)

While attempting to fly around the world, aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart vanished over the Pacific near Howland Island. Radio transmissions indicated she was low on fuel and had lost contact. Despite exhaustive naval searches, neither she nor her navigator, Fred Noonan, was found. Fragmented clues have since spurred countless theories.

New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper on Wikimedia

18. Ambrose Bierce (circa 1914)

American writer and satirist Ambrose Bierce traveled to Mexico during the revolution, intending to observe Pancho Villa's army. After a final letter sent from Chihuahua, he was never heard from again. Some believe he may have died in battle or been executed.

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

19. Sneha Anne Philip (2001)

Sneha Anne was a physician last seen near the World Trade Center on September 10. Initially thought to be a 9/11 victim, surveillance footage showed her entering her apartment building the day before the attacks, and there’s no confirmed evidence she left again. Her disappearance remains unsolved.

Nightscream on Wikimedia

20. Rebecca Coriam (2011)

Working aboard a Disney cruise ship, 24-year-old Rebecca Coriam was last seen on security footage having an emotional phone call. The ship later claimed she went overboard near Mexico, but no one saw it happen. Her flip-flops were found near the pool, but friends said they weren’t hers.

sjorford on Wikimedia