09/18/98: Robert Kovak, 24, Blacksburg, VA

Robert Kovak

The remains of Robert Kovak have been found. See update below.

Robert Kovak grew up in rural Rivesville, West Virginia, a rural coal mining town in the northern part of the state, home to roughly 900 people. He was described as modest, detail-oriented, dedicated to getting things done, friendly and likable.

Kovak was a 1991 graduate of Fairmont Senior High School. He received his undergraduate degree at Fairmont State University near his home in Rivesville, then was accepted into the architecture graduate program at Virginia Tech. It was his first experience at a large university and he rose to the top of his class. He enjoyed living in Blacksburg, where he was close enough to ride his bike to class or to drive home to visit family. He and his brother Michael were just one year apart and always very close. They got together as frequently as they could, especially in the summer when school was out.

On Friday, September 18, 1998, Kovak's mother, Jacqueline Kovack, tried to call him repeatedly, but he wasn't home. After several more tries on Saturday and Sunday with no result and no call back, she became very worried.

Kovak's roommates said they seen him packing clothing earlier in the day. They thought maybe he planned to attend a West Virginia University football game on Saturday. Now his blue laundry hamper was gone, so they assumed he had heading home for the weekend. They estimated he must have left around 5 p.m. He never arrived.

Authorities retrace Kovak's steps

9/18/98  4:30 p.m. - Kovak is positively identified getting gas at the Wilco station on 825 N. Main Street in Blacksburg. He speaks briefly with the gas station attendant, saying he is on his way home to visit friends. He paid for his gas with a check, then took off in his red Geo Tracker, traveling up Progress Street toward his Terrace View apartment.(1) His vehicle is found abandoned four days later.

9/18/98  5:21 p.m.  - Video surveillance captures Kovak withdrawing $80 from an ATM at the Freedom First Credit Union on South Main Street in Blacksburg.

9/18/98  5:45 p.m. - A fellow architecture student sees Kovak in Cowgill Hall as he steps onto the elevator at the second floor. He has on blue jeans and a polo shirt. She describes him as looking exhausted, with "bags under his puffy eyes." He had also shaved his beard, something that, to her, made him appear heavier. He asks how she is doing, but nothing further, then she exits onto the third floor. She was supposed to see Rob later that night at a party, but she heard through mutual friends that he would not be there. If her timing is accurate, this may be the last sighting of Robert Kovack.

9/19/98 4:30 a.m. - Kovak's very good friend from college, Jason Yoho, who was also from Rivesville, drove the same route Kovak was supposed to have taken, only 12 hours later. He told investigators he did not recall a vehicle parked where Rob's Tracker was found, and he could not recall a vehicle being there on his way back on Sunday.

9/19/98  8:00 - 9:00 a.m. - A married couple from Morgantown, WV stops at the Gorge Bridge from 8 to 9 a.m. while traveling to Myrtle Beach, SC. The couple tells police that they always notice vehicles parked on the side of the road, but they did not see a red Tracker.

9/20/98 - Jason Yoho does not recall seeing a vehicle parked on the side of the road on his way home on Sunday.

Kovak's Geo Tracker, similar to this one,
was found at the intersection of US Route 19
and Lansing Road near Fayetteville, West Virginia,
 just beyond the New River Gorge Bridge.

9/22/98 - Kovak's red soft-top 1992 Geo Tracker is found abandoned and out of gas near Fayetteville, West Virginia, just a half mile past a gas station. The keys are not in the ignition and the doors are locked. There were no signs of a struggle or foul play. Oddly, the 4-wheel drive in engaged, despite mild weather.

The vehicle was operational, but it looked dusty. It had also been broken into. A slit had been cut into the soft-top canvas in order to unlock the passenger door. An amp had been taken from the rear cargo area and likely also the hamper Robert had last been seen with. (A resident of Craig County later reported finding an empty blue clothes hamper, missing its lid, on her property, but it wasn't positively identified as Kovak's.) Police theorize that rafters on the New River noticed the abandoned vehicle and broke into it to steal from it. The crime lab found one partial latent fingerprint and one palm print they couldn't identify.

According to his father and brother, those so familiar with that stretch of road would gas up before reaching Fayetteville. They'd know the next station isn't for another 15 miles. It then seems odd that Kovak would bypass a gas station and risk potentially having to leave his beloved vehicle on the side of the road while he fetched gas. Kovak's Tracker was the first vehicle he had ever purchased himself. He was known for keeping it immaculate.

Michael Kovak has said he believes that something happened to his brother in Blacksburg. He told the Collegiate Times, "Where we grew up, you held your own or got picked on. He was small and scrawny, but he was scrappy." He added that his brother was "one of the nicest guys in the world, but if someone tried to pick a fight...he wouldn't shy away." He speculated that someone drove his car as far north as they could, using the 4-wheel drive so that the car would run out of gas quicker. The person wanted it to appear as though Kovak had run out of gas.


Search effort

Dog teams, whitewater rafters and National Park Service rangers helped in multiple searches of the vicinity of where Robert's car was found. Their searches included door-to-door visits to homes on Lansing Road and the Canyon Rim area. State police also conducted helicopter sweeps, and Rob's family and friends walked the area searching for clues. Nothing was found. The area is said to be an immense space near a national forest where search parties would have difficulty finding someone.

When investigators and family searched Robert Kovack's Terrace View apartment in Blacksburg, they discovered that his roommates had packed up nearly all of his things into boxes. They had also taken apart his bed before it was ever inspected, despite direct requests from the Kovak family to stay away. No architecture supplies were found, just a single pen and two stamps. But it seems most of his personal belongings were still in his room, such as his backpack, bike, unopened mail (including a bill for rent), shaving kit, toothbrush and toothpaste. So they may have been trying to save his family the heartache of packing up his belongings.


Remains found

New River Gorge Bridge
(See aerial video here.)

In March 2016, a work crew found skeletal human remains under the 800-feet tall New River Gorge Bridge near where Robert’s Geo Tracker was found abandoned. The area where the remains were found was treacherous and overgrown, an easy place to overlook a body.

DNA tests confirmed that the remains belonged to Robert Kovak. His wallet with his driver's license and student ID was also found near the remain, along with his car keys.

Evidence on the remains suggest that Kovack was hit by a car, then fell from the bridge.(3)  News reports are not saying whether the death was a hit and run, but it sounds like a logical possibility. The investigation is ongoing.

While Kovak did have $12,000 in credit card debt, police do not believe he committed suicide. The young man was nearing graduation and had been hired to work for Blackwood and Associates, an architecture firm in Richmond, VA, after graduation. He also had $1,500 in his bank account from his job as a teaching assistant at Virginia Tech and he was considered a happy-go-lucky guy.

He was hard working, but he was considered a happy-go-lucky guy. In his free time, he played softball, went mountain biking and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity.



Case Details
Name/age: Robert Leroy Kovak, 24
Last seen: 9/18/98, Blacksburg, Virginia
Date Of Birth: October 30, 1973
Physical Description: White male, 6'3"; 175 lbs, dark brown hair; brown eyes, wearing
blue jeans and either polo shirt or T-shirt and watch on left wrist.

If you have any information, call the Blacksburg Police Department at 540-961-1150 or West Virginia State Police at 304-469-2915. Refer to the Agency Case Number (6210-10254)



Sources
(1) Fleming, Caleb. (7 March 2009). Decadelong disappearance. Retrieved September 9, 2010 from
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/13746/decadelong-disappearance

(2) Baker, K.C. (March 11, 2016). Family of Robert Kovack, Virginia Tech Grad Student Missing Since 1998, Waits Anxiously As Authorities Investigate Human Remains. Retrieved June 7, 2019 from https://people.com/crime/robert-kovacks-distraught-family-are-human-remains-connected-to-missing-son/

(3) Demmit, Jacob. (March 14, 2017). DNA confirms remains belong to Virginia Tech student missing since 1998. Retrieved June 7, 2019 from https://www.roanoke.com/news/local/blacksburg/dna-confirms-remains-belong-to-virginia-tech-student-missing-since/article_56a64b59-9fd0-506f-833e-bbfc3121047a.html

Published: 9/26/2010    Last updated: June 7, 2019

10/02/12: Jonathan Dailey, 23, Boston, MA

Jonathan Dailey
Source: Facebook

Jonathan Dailey, 23, a North Carolina native who was taking a semester off from graduate-level course work at Boston Architectural College, was last seen by his longtime friend and roommate, Miles Smith, on Oct. 2, 2012.

According to the Boston Globe, Smith last saw Jonathan the evening of Oct. 2 in their apartment on Gardner Street in Boston’s Allston neighborhood after Jonathan came home from work. The pair had some pizza, watched an episode of the “The Office,” and chatted about how their day went. Then Smith went to bed at about 9 p.m. It was the last time Jonathan was reportedly seen.

As days passed, Jonathan’s cell phone was not answering calls. His friends and family grew concerned at not having contact with him. Jonathan was reported missing on Friday, Oct. 5 after he failed to show up to the American Apparel store on Brattle Street in Cambridge where he worked as a sales associate. While Smith said it was not unusual for his friend to step out of their apartment, it was totally out of character for Jonathan to disappear. He also left behind a computer, all his camping equipment, and a number of other items at the apartment.

Jonathan’s parents, Bruce and Donna Dailey, arrived in Boston over the weekend. They worked with Jonathan’s friends to search the places Jonathan frequented, distribute fliers across the city and ask for tips about their son's whereabouts. They worked with missing-person organizations like the Charlotte-based Kristen Foundation and used social media to spread the word about his disappearance. While the search effort mounted, his family prayed for his return and tried to hold onto some hope that he maybe just needed some peace and solitude. Dailey's sister, Robyn, called the experience "emotionally gut-wrenching."

At 7:25 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 9, a week after Jonathan disappeared, a Boston University rowing coach spotted a body in the Charles River near the Boston University Bridge. The location was about a mile from Dailey’s apartment. The body was identified through dental records as Jonathan Dailey.

According to reports, the body was found at the bottom of the river, bound with chains at the ankles and tied to a cinder block. It appeared to have been in the water for several days. Jake Wark, a spokesperson for the Suffolk District Attorney’s office said in a statement, “We will not be discussing evidence recovered at or near the scene of this morning’s recovery effort.” He added that a thorough and comprehensive investigation of the facts and circumstances of Dailey’s death is underway by the State Police.

Investigators are still trying to determine whether Dailey was a victim of foul play or suicide. The medical examiner has not yet determined the cause or manner of death. On Oct. 13, Wark told People magazine, “They are pursuing it as a death investigation. The medical examiner has asked for additional specialized testing, toxicology and so forth.

Police said they are looking at all possibilities behind the young man’s death, from suicide to foul play.

Smith said he could not think of anyone who might want to harm Dailey. “He’s very charismatic, a great friend to all he met.”

Jonathan had no history of drugs, alcohol, or mental illness and he did have a girlfriend.

Dailey’s body was the second body found in the Charles River in two days. On Oct. 1, the body of a 62-year-old man was found at about 8:15 a.m. near the Boston University boathouse. Authorities have said they do not consider his death to be suspicious, nor do they believe there to be linked to Dailey’s death.


About Jonathan Dailey

Jonathan Dailey was born and raised in Charlotte, N.C. and attended Northwest School of the Arts. He played violin and piano, performing in local children's orchestras.

He then went to Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., where he studied architectural technology and design, alongside friend Miles Smith. Jonathan’s family said he loved architecture and never wavered from that path as a career. The friends both earned their bachelor’s degrees. After graduation, they moved to Massachusetts to attend a graduate program at Boston Architectural College and were roommates. Jonathan’s family says he loved being in Boston.

The friends were in their second year of graduate school at Boston Architectural College and were both taking a semester off. According to his family, Jonathan was not enrolled because of financial reasons.

The friends were close and often bonded by indulging in many adventures. As recently as several weeks ago, they traveled to Maine where they visited a gorge, camped, swam, and cliff-dived. “He’s an Eagle Scout, and we both love adventure, but we always prepare,” said Smith.

Smith described his friend as very creative and intelligent, with an eccentric side.

Jonathan Dailey leaves behind two siblings, brother Kevin and sister Robyn. "We are all in agony, disbelief and shock right now, "Robyn wrote on a Facebook page created in Jonathan’s honor. "Not only from the helplessness of having Jon be missing and the overwhelming grief of knowing he has died, but also because of the horror of not knowing what happened,” she said.

A Web page has been created in Jonathan's honor. A memorial service and celebration to honor Jonathan was held November 4th at Morningstar Fellowship Church in Fort Mill, SC.



Sources

Ballou, Brian (2012, October 9). Body in Charles River identified as missing graduate student Jonathan Dailey. Boston Globe. Retrieved November 1, 2012 from http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/10/09/for-second-time-two-days-body-found-charles-river-near-bridge-investigation-underway/7LmtL9LCM9FbihujVfRcQO/story.html

Cavaliere, Victoria (2012, October 13). Death of Boston student found in river probed. NY Daily News. Retrieved November 1, 2012 from http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-10-13/news/34435755_1_death-investigation-facebook-page-architecture-student

Crimesider staff. (2012, October 8). Jonathan Dailey Missing: "Time is of the essence" in search for Boston grad student, sister says. CBS News. Retrieved November 1, 2012 from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57527924-504083/jonathan-dailey-missing-time-is-of-the-essence-in-search-for-boston-grad-student-sister-says/

Myers, Victoria (2012, October 11). Body found in Charles River identified as grad student Jonathan Dailey. Boston Examiner. Retrieved November 1, 2012 from http://www.examiner.com/article/body-found-charles-river-identified-as-grad-student-jonathan-dailey

Staff article. (2012, October 10). Obituary. Charlotte Observer. Retrieved November 1, 2012 from http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/charlotte/obituary.aspx?pid=160346319#fbLoggedOut

05/20/12: Nathan Bihlmaier, 31, Portland, ME



Nathan Bihlmaier

Nathan Bihlmaier, 31, traveled from Cambridge, Mass., to Portland, Me., with two classmates to celebrate their upcoming graduation from the exclusive Harvard Business School. Bihlmaier, who was to earn his MBA degree on May 24, disappeared after being asked to leave the the Ri Ra Irish Pub on the Portland waterfront on May 20.

Bihlmaier and his friends spoke several times by phone in an attempt to meet back up with each other. Bihlmaier, who was still near the bar, described the area, but friends were not able to find him. They last heard from him around 12:15 p.m. 

When Bihlmaier still hadn’t returned to the hotel by 9 a.m. the next morning, friends reported him missing.

Michael Sauschuck, Portland’s police chief, told The Boston Globe that Bihlmaier had been asked to leave the pub after a customer reported that he was acting inappropriately. The paper reports, "Scott St. Ours, the security manager at the Portland pub, offered [several times] to procure Bihlmaier a taxi from a nearby cab stand, but Bihlmaier declined because he was staying at the Hilton Garden Inn across the street."

Out of respect for Bihlmaier's family, Ri Ra officials have declined to describe in detail what actions caused Bihlmaier to be asked to leave.

Bihlmaier, described as likable and gregarious, left the bar without incident at 11:30 p.m. According to the Bangor Daily News, St. Ours witnessed him turning west on Commercial Street at that time. He noted that Bihlmaier wasn't staggering; he was walking straight, speaking clearly and his eyes were not glassy. In fact, on a scale of 1 to 10, he judged his intoxication level to be a 2.

Bihlmaier's friends were initially unaware that he had left the bar. They later spoke to him several times by phone in an attempt to find each other. In the final call around 12:15 a.m., Bihlmaier said he was in front of a large, official-looking building that he didn't recognize. Police now believe that the building may have been the US Custom House on Commercial Street, a short distance from the bar. Yet, his friends were still unable to find him.

Not long after that call, at 12:54 a.m., Bihlmaier's mobile phone stopped sending signals.


The Search for Nathan Bihlmaier

When Bihlmaier hadn’t returned to the hotel by 9 a.m. the next morning, friends reported him missing. Investigators learned that his car and belongings were untouched, and banking and cell phone records indicated no activity.

While friends and family searched for Bihlmaier and distributed fliers, investigators focused their search on the waters of Portland Harbor, where they found one of Bihlmaier's tan flip flops.



Photo Credit: John Patriquin, Press Herald
"Portland police dive teams Monday, May 21, 2012
as they search the waters near the State Pier for Nathan Bihlmaier."

On Tuesday, May 22, just before noon, police divers recovered Bihlmaier's body from the floor of Casco Bay in Portland Harbor, fairly close to the shore. Authorities identified his body by his clothing – a black windbreaker, blue pants, a gray T-shirt and a blue webbed belt – which witnesses and security cameras confirmed he was wearing when he went missing.

The area where the body was found was a short distance from the Ri Ra Irish Pub where Bihlmaier was last seen, but because of the tides, it may be impossible to tell where he entered the water.

Michael Sauschuck, Portland’s police chief, told The Boston Globe that there were no signs of an altercation or foul play. The cause of death has since been determined as accidental drowning.

It remains unclear whether the phone stopped transmitting because its battery was drained or because it was underwater.

According to The Boston Herald,  Nathan Bihlmaier's wife, Nancy, who is pregnant with the couple's first child, "had come to Portland to assist police efforts to find him, including handing out fliers around the city."



Nathan and Nancy Ho Bihlmaier

The missing man's parents, Cheryl and Steven Bihlmaier, also flew in from Kansas on Sunday.

Harvard Business School spokesman Brian Kenny told David Hench of the Press Herald that the family was “very upset, stressed. I think we were all holding out hope he was alive.”


About Nathan Bihlmaier

Dennis Hoey of the Portland Press Herald reports, "Bihlmaier grew up in Osborne, a small farming community of about 1,400 people in north central Kansas." He worked at the community pool as a lifeguard, became an Eagle Scout, and excelled as a student at Osborne High School. According to the paper, "He graduated from Osborne High School in 1999. After graduating, he enrolled at Kansas University. He just completed a two-year program at Harvard Business School, where he was expected to graduate with a masters degree in business administration."
Bihlmaier was very passionate about health care, and had started work as as director of Accountable Care Solutions at Optum, a hospital and health care agency in the Greater Boston area. He had worked there for about two months. Boston is about two hours from Portland.

Kenny said Bihlmaier "was thrilled about the prospects of being a new father" and started a blog in which he wrote about what it meant to be a father for the first time. (Portland Press Herald, 5/22/12). He had planned to break the news about his wife’s pregnancy when his parents flew in for his graduation.

The paper also reports that the tight-knit community within the Harvard Business School is also reeling from the tragedy. "Bihlmaier is a popular student and some 18 to 20 fellow students drove to Portland to offer support to his wife and parents," reports the paper.

“This is a very sad day for all of us at Harvard Business School,” the school said in a statement. “There is a tremendous sense of community here, of camaraderie among students, faculty, and staff. We are all in a state of shock and grief, and our hearts and prayers go out to Nate’s family at this terrible time.”

Nathan Bihlmaier was honored at the graduation commencement ceremony on May 24.


Case Details
Name/age: Nathan Bihlmaier, 31
Hometown: Osborne, Kan.
Residence: Cambridge, Mass.
College: University of Kansas graduate, and Harvard School of Business
Last Seen: Ri Ra Irish Pub and Restaurant, 72 Commercial Street, Portland, Me.
Last Wearing: a black windbreaker, blue pants, a gray T-shirt, a blue webbed belt, tan flip flops
Recovered:  05/22/12 Portland Harbor, Portland, Me.


Sources

Byrne, John A. (n.d.). The Tragic death of a Harvard MBA. Poets and Quants Web site. Retrieved November 9, 2012 from http://poetsandquants.com/2012/05/23/the-tragic-death-of-a-harvard-mba/

Hench, David. (2012, May 23). Missing student's body headed to Augusta for autopsy. Portland Press Herald. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from http://www.pressherald.com/news/police-press-search-for-student_2012-05-22.html?pageType=mobile&id=1

Hoey, Dennis. (2012, May 22). Small town in Kansas worries after native son disappears. Portland Press Herald. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?&articleid=1061133397&format=&page=2&listingType=Loc#articleFull

Koenig, Seth. (2012, May 25). Harvard student asked to leave bar for ‘bad behavior,’ not drunkenness. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from http://bangordailynews.com/2012/05/25/news/portland/harvard-student-asked-to-leave-bar-for-bad-behavior-not-drunkenness/

McShane, Larry. (2012, May 22). Body of Nathan Bihlmaier, missing Harvard Business School student, discovered. New York Daily News. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/desperate-search-nathan-bihlmaier-missing-harvard-business-school-student-turns-leads-article-1.1082518

Schworm, Peter. (2012, May 22) Body of missing Cambridge man found in water. Boston Globe. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/05/22/body-missing-cambridge-man-found-water/0iezRvtiAuAYA36gJ6fUMK/story.html?p1=News_links

03/17/12: David Christian, 27, Whistler, BC, Canada

David Christian

David Christian, 27, was last seen by friends on Saturday, March 17, 2012, at 11 p.m. at Merlin's Bar and Grill in Whistler, British Columbia.

The Ireland native, called "Irish Dave" by friends, was a seasonal worker at Whistler Blackcomb and had been celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a large group. He sent a text message to a friend around 2:30 a.m., but no one heard from him after that.

According to Pique News Magazine, David Christian missed a scheduled flight he was to take to Vancouver on Sunday, where he planned to attend mass, but because he worked "opposite shifts to his roommate and close friend Matt Gore, he wasn't reported missing until he failed to show up to work on Monday morning."

03/02/11: David Mark, 24, Newton, MA

David Mark

David Mark, 24, of Albany, NY, had breakfast at his parents home on Wednesday, March 2, then left on a spur of the moment to visit his sister in the Chestnut Hill area of the Boston suburb of Newton, MA. Mark never arrived. His family was immediately concerned because David suffered from Type 1 diabetes and was dependent on insulin. He last had insulin on March 1 and did not have enough with him to treat himself properly, which put him in danger of becoming very disoriented, confused, or even lapsing into a coma. David also suffered from Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism that makes is difficult to communicate with people socially.

According to Robert Mark, because of his medical conditions and the length of time he had been missing, he very well could have looked disheveled, possibly even appearing to be homeless. He said that he may have left his contact lenses in too long causing his eyes to appear bloodshot. He also has an eye twitch and a condition that causes him to walk in a stiff manner. But both Robert Mark and police emphasized that the public should not be afraid to approach him; he needed emergency care. His family urged people to make contact with him, if they saw him. "Just walk up to him slowly and say, 'David, it looks like you need some help,' " said Robert.

Investigators determined that David Mark was last seen at the Boston Beerworks, near Fenway Park in Boston, MA. Police were led there by Mark's computer history, which showed he had looked up the bar before he left. Police were then able to verify through Mark's E-Z Pass records that he had been on the Massachusetts Turnpike heading into Boston. 

A waitress at the bar said she remembered seing Mark in the bar early that afternoon and that he was in "good spirits."

A cell phone tower detected that Mark's phone was in use soon after leaving the bar.

Mark’s car was found later near the Brimmer & May School at 10 Middlesex Road in the Chestnut Hill area. The location of the car was about a mile from his sister’s home. Mark was nowhere to be found. His family has left a note on the car in the event that he returns.

Witnesses told police that the car had been in the same spot since Wednesday.

Mark had about $40 cash in his wallet, and his debt card has not been used since he left Albany.

David Mark had just completed a master's degree in geography and G.I.S. at the State University of New York at Albany. Mark’s father, Robert, said that his son is very familiar with Boston and might be using the MBTA, particularly the Green Line. David also received a BA summa cum laude from the university in 2009 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

On Mar. 8, 2011, the body of David Mark was found on the shore in East Boston by a consultant for a local Boston fishing company. The body was found on the shoreline near 498 Meridian Street, downstream from the Andrew McArdle Bridge, after apparently drifting along the river. Police said that there were no signs of trauma.


Facts of Interest
Name/age: David Mark, 24
Last seen: 3/2/11, Boston Beerworks, Boston, MA
Physical description:  5'5", 150 pounds, dark hair, some facial hair. Last seen wearing: black leather waist jacket, a tan knit shirt with no collar, and black and gray Adidas sneakers.
Recovered: 3/8/11, East Boston near 498 Meridian Street.
Notes: IDavid requires insulin, and will need an ambulance and emergency treatment.
Investigating Agency: Newton Police, 617-796-2100.

Published 3/7/11.  Updated: 3/9/11, 3/18/11.

01/01/84: Samuel Todd, 24, New York City, NY

Samuel Todd

Samuel Todd is still missing.

Twenty-four year old Samuel Arthur Todd, known to friends as Sam, had been
spending the weekend with his brother Adam and visiting two friends who lived in a loft in New York City's Chinatown. Sam stepped outside of a New Year's party on January 1, 1984 and never came back.

One of the friends was Heather Dune MacAdam, who wrote about Todd's disappearance for the New York Times in 2002:

"We had not planned to have a New Year's Eve party to celebrate the advent of 1984. Instead, our plan was to go to other people's parties and leave our tracks all over downtown Manhattan. Then people started stopping by, expecting something, and so spontaneously we combusted. We were an eclectic group of geeks and artists, Vassar grads commingled with dropouts, summa cum laudes with experimental artists, all bound by the thrill of the night. It was our chance to usher in a year we had waited for ever since George Orwell's futuristic novel had become required reading in high school. We had ranted -- no, raved -- about the arrival of this year, touting it for its promise, as if 1984 was guaranteed to be a wonder marked on memory's calendar."

The group headed to a New Year's Eve party at 271 Mulberry Street. At about 1:30 a.m., Samuel Todd, who was intoxicated, complained that his head was spinning. Adam told the New York Times that his brother appeared "unstable," so he suggested they go out for some air. The brothers went down the two flights of stairs together to the street. According to the paper, "Samuel Todd refused his brother's offer to go farther with him and began jogging the half block to Houston Street. 'He gave me a funny look as if to say he was O.K. and didn't need to be taken care of,' Adam Todd said. 'Then he started jogging slowly. He was making a strong effort to get back in shape.'" Samuel Todd was an avid runner, so it would not have been usual for him to jog.

Adam Todd went back to the party, but quickly became concerned when his brother did not return. His friends joined him searching the streets for Todd throughout the morning and calling his name.

According to MacAdam, they thought Todd had just headed over to another party. Soon their "search became tinged with strangeness as disbelief gave way to the possibility that something might actually have happened to our friend. It was cold, and he had left the party without even a coat and with no money in his pockets. Desperation crept upon us with the dawn."

The next day, the police were called in, but no trace of Samuel Todd has ever been found.

11/90: Dale Shields, East Lansing, MI

In 1994, an article appeared in Michigan State University's student newspaper, The State News, that briefly mentioned the death of graduate student Dale M. Shields. Shields drowned in the Red Cedar River near the Owen Graduate Hall in November 1990.

According to the article, Shields "had been to a party and had been drinking but was reportedly not intoxicated when he fell into the river. Police suspected no foul play, but Shields' roommate said he had doubts about the "accidental death theory."

I will try to post additional details about this case as they become available.


Source:
Missing Student Found Dead in River, State News 3/17/94, by Jason Gorbett