04/14/99: Nathan Edberg, 21, White Bear Lake, MN

Nathan Edberg is still missing.

Nathan Edberg, 21, stopped at the now defunct Decoy’s Bar and Grill at 2143 4th Street in White Bear Lake, Minnesota for a couple of drinks with old friends. The bartender knew Nathan and noted that he was unusually cheerful. They chatted briefly. According to the National Missing Persons Data Systems entry, he was last seen at 5:59 pm. No one saw him leave, but other reports state that he is believed to have left Decoy's around 7:30 pm. It was the last time he was seen. 

Nathan's truck was later located by State Patrol in a ditch at the junction of Highways 694 and 35E, near the Vadnais-Heights/Little Canada border--a little less than 10 miles from Decoy's. Authorities believe Edberg went into the ditch after missing his exit. It is unclear whether he was hurt in the accident. He did apparently try to get the truck out of the ditch and in doing so, damaged its wheels. No one knows where Nathan went after that. 

Nathan had left his wallet behind on the bar at Decoy's, so he was not carrying money or identification. He was familiar with the area, having grown up in Vadnais Heights, but it's unclear if he would have walked somewhere or perhaps accepted a ride. Coincidentally, Nathan's friends drove by his truck a few hours after he left the bar and did not see him.

The truck yielded clues that only seem to deepened the mystery.  The wipers and light were off and the doors were locked and windows rolled up. Nathan's keys were found inside the locked truck. There were no signs of a struggle near Nathan's truck, which may be significant since Nathan was tall and powerfully built. But Nathan was nowhere to be found. He was simply gone. 

Nathan's family reported that he had been depressed around the time of his disappearance. He lost his job, broke up up with his girlfriend of 4 years and his parents were getting divorced. So when Nathan didn't return to the St. Paul residence he shared with his cousin, his parents thought perhaps he just needed some time alone. When they notified the police after about five days, the authorities realized they had Nathan's truck sitting in the impound lot and that he was definitely missing. His bank accounts and credit cards have not been used since he disappeared.

Nathan's mother does not believe her son committed suicide because he was very devoted to his three younger siblings and things had been looking up for Nathan just before he disappeared. He was starting to seek treatment for depression, about to start work at a new job and was considering a career in law enforcement. He also seemed to be in good spirits the night he disappeared. 

Nathan is 6 feet 4 inches tall and approximately 230 pounds with brown hair and eyes and two earrings in his left ear. He was last wearing a white shirt and light or charcoal gray corduroy pants. He typically wore wire-framed glasses while driving or reading. He is a 1996 graduate of White Bear Lake High School and has attended a year of college. He enjoys playing basketball.

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office (651) 266-7325.


Updated: April 26, 2015.


Sources:

The Charley Project. http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/e/edberg_nathan.html
The Doe Network. http://doenetwork.org/cases/3652dmmn.html.
Munger, Sean. Disappeared: Nathan Edberg, missing 15 years. Accessed 2015, April 26. 
Seroka, Scott. Vadnais Heights mother still searching for her son 11 years later. (2010, April 15.) Kare11.com. http://archive.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=848139