04/4/02: Lon Dowdle, Covington, AL

Lon Dowdle, a 26-year old sales representative for Madix Inc., an international fixtures company, came to town on a business trip and spent the evening of Apr. 4, 2002 bar hopping with childhood friend John Dark who had just moved to Fairfield, AL.

Dark last saw Dowdle at 2:30 a.m. when they were getting out of a cab at the Waffle House at 311 Philadelphia St. in Covington. The two were inebriated. While Mr. Dark was waiting to get Lon's change for a $5 cab drive from a $20, Mr. Dowdle left the cab, walked around the corner of the building and disappeared, Mr. Dark told police.

Dark has passed a polygraph test, and the cab driver has backed up his story.

Mr. Dowdle's father, Walter Dowdle, reported him missing about six hours after he disappeared, when a Kroger representative with whom Lon Dowdle had a morning meeting called to say he hadn't showed up.

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04/29/05: Frank DiMattia, Troy, NY

Frank DiMattia, 21, went to see a concert by the band Phix (billed as "celebrating the music of Phish") at Revolution Hall at 425 River Street in Troy, New York on April 29, 2005. That was the last time any one saw him.

One friend, who posted comments about Frank's disappearance online under the handle "Rovo", said that instead of watching the show, he looked for Frank for over two hours after Frank disappeared. He had been told that Frank was very intoxicated and sitting by a picnic table at the waterfront near the Green Island Bridge, but when he went to find him, Frank was nowhere to be found. "After searching for a while I saw a cop car with lights on talking to someone and put someone in the car and I figured they were taking my friend Frank to the drunk tank to sober up. But the cops never took him and we have been searching for him for the past two weeks. I guess people who saw him that that night said he was really upset." Friends also told police that Frank was distraught at the time he was last seen.

His fully clothed body was discovered two weeks later in the Hudson River by the dockmaster at the Troy Town Dock and Marina at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 13, 2005. The river runs next to the venue where the concert was held. According to the Schnectady Daily Gazette, "It was under the dock against the wall. 'The body was floating two to three feet off the sea wall,' said Sgt. John Cooney of the Troy Police Department.

According to his father, Frank DiMattia, Sr. said, "From what I understand, he went outside and he wasn't feeling that well. And when they came back to look for him, he was gone. They don't know if he jumped in the river, if he's been wandering the streets -- nobody knows what happened to him."

Police initially believed it was suicide because DiMattia reportedly had past issues with substance abuse, but friends say he was recovering and doing well and was looking forward to the future.

According to reports, police were going to review video surveillance footage to see if DiMattia was on any of the tapes.

About Frank DiMattia
According to friends, he "always told someone where he was going" and he "always brought pictures of his lil brother and sister if he was gonna go traveling." This time he didn't.

"He was one of the kindest and friendliest people I've ever met," one friend said. "Oh, Frank was far from perfect but he was a kind person and he would do anything for friends and that is why this is so tragic. There is not enough people like him in the world anymore. If you find someone like that hold onto them cause they are a dieing [sic] breed."

Facts of Interest
Name/age: Frank DiMattia, 21
Residence: Johnstown, NY
Parents: Tiena DiMattia of Broadalbin and Frank DiMattia Sr.
Last Seen: 4/29/05, 425 River Street in Troy, NY
Recovered: 5/13/05, Hudson River
Cause of death: asphyxiation due to drowning

Cases to be reviewed

Footprints at the River’s Edge has partnered with Gary Peterson to conduct an independent scientific review of dozens of cases that were accumulated while conducting research for the site. Gary is an experienced Medico-legal Death Investigator who has worked on many missing persons' cases throughout the United States, including Gina Anderson, Caylee Anthony, Nicholas Garza and Stacy Peterson. The case review will be assisted by Marcia Cummings, a retired agent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

At this time, we would welcome additional information from anyone interested in having us take a closer look at their loved one's disappearance. This information will be treated as confidential.

Please e-mail Lisa at footprints.blogmail@yahoo.com.

10/30/09: Isaac Ripberger, 28, California, KY

Isaac Ripberger, 28, walked away from a Halloween party at a house on Reis Lane in an unincorporated area of California, Kentucky and never came back or returned home.

Friends told police they last saw Ripberger on the front porch of the house at about 3:30 a.m. Sat., Oct. 31, 2009 while they were attempting to get their vehicle unstuck from the mud. Officer Steve Kush said, "It was cold and raining. "What few people were left at the party were trying to get the vehicle unstuck. He was waiting on the porch. Once they got the vehicle unstuck, no one could find him." Friends thought he went back into the house to spend the night, and did not realize he wasn't there until the next morning. They reported him missing. Friends reported that Ripberger may have been under the influence, and some speculated that he may have been injured.

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10/8/09: William Hurley, Boston, MA

On Thursday, October 8, 2009, twenty-four year old William Hurley jumped at an opportunity to see his first Boston Bruins hockey game with friend and coworker, Brendan Venti. After getting off work in Quincy, Hurley took the train to Venti's home in Brighton and from there boarded public transportation with Venti and another man to the game at TD Banknorth Gardens in Boston. Hurley mentioned he was tired. After the first period, Hurley's long day of work as a greenskeeper at the Weston Country Club in Weston, Mass. had caught up with him and he said he was too tired to stay.

He called his girlfriend of 2 years, Claire Mahoney, who offered to pick him up as he was unfamiliar with the area. While on the phone with Mahoney, Hurley asked his exact location and a passerby yelled "99 Nashua Street." Hurley's cell phone battery then went dead. Mahoney said, "I got to 99 Nashua Street a minute or two later and he was nowhere in the area." She said, "I beeped, I yelled, I looked around, I walked around. I drove around for an hour. I was right around the corner but when I got there Will was gone."

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Justice for Josh march - Nov. 7

The family and supporters of Joshua Guimond will be joining forces with victims of sexual abuse to host the “Justice for Josh” march on Nov. 7.

The march will raise awareness about Josh's disappearance while honoring victims of sexual abuse by the clergy. While Joshua Guimond, was not believed to have been abused, the Guimond family and abuse victims hope that a united effort will yield them more answers from the university and Sheriff's Department about both Josh's disappearance and the 130 documented cases of sex abuse by clergy housed in St. John's Abbey.

To this end, the Guimond family has also created a petition asking St. John's University and the Stearn's County Sheriff's Department to be more forthcoming with information that could help them find Josh. Their goal is 5,000 signatures.

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01/01/93: Vernon "Cameron" Kent Jones, 23, New York City, NY

"Cameron" Jones is still missing.
After graduating from the University of North Carolina, 23-year-old Vernon Kent Jones set his sights on the the big city. Cameron, as his friends called him, was bright, energetic and handsome. He moved to New York City, aspiring to be an actor. Jones spent New Year's Eve 1993 partying with friend Mark Zimmerman and a couple, Margaret Miller and Paul Williams, in an apartment in Manhattan's Lower East Side (East Village). Zimmerman and Miller left the apartment around 12:30 a.m. for approximately 5 minutes to buy paper towels at the grocery store across the street. While they were gone, Zimmerman says Jones must have put on his coat and left, probably to go home. No one saw Jones walk out and Zimmerman did not see Jones as he left the grocery store. It appears that Williams, who remained at the apartment, did not see Jones leave and may not have been in a condition to be able to provide any details as to Jones' whereabouts.

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