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

01/08/12: Michael Philbin, 21, Oshkosh, WI

Published: 1/27/12 3:25 p.m. CST      Updated: 1/17/12 1:56 p.m. CST

Michael Philbin

Michael Philbin, 21, son of Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator, Joe Philbin, disappeared at around 2 a.m. on Sunday, January 8 after spending time at a bar with some friends who are students at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Philbin lived 20 miles away in Ripon, Wisc., and planned to stay the night at a friend's residence in Osh Kosh. Friends reported missing at 8:13 p.m. Sunday when he still hadn't returned. His car was still at the friend's residence.

According to the Post Crescent, "Philbin arrived Saturday, Jan. 7, about 8 p.m. He went with a group to a house party on the corner of Wisconsin Street and Scott Avenue where a birthday party was in swing. About midnight, the group left the house party and went to Kelly's, a bar at 219 Wisconsin St." While they were there at the bar, a 20-year old blonde woman Philbin did not know came up to Philbin and asked him to walk her to her friend's house, according to the paper. Philbin agreed and left the group about 11:30 p.m. He had GPS on his phone, but they became lost while looking for the friend's house. The pair then went to Topper's Pizza on Wisconsin Street, but she left with a friend before the pizza was ready. Philbin walked back to Kelly's Bar.

"At the time the woman was with Philbin she told police he did not seem intoxicated. He had no trouble walking and his speech was not slurred," said the paper.

According to the paper, Philbin arrived back at Kelly's bar, but around 12:30 a.m., "his friends left go to Polito's, a pizza place on High Avenue near campus. Philbin chose to stay behind at Kelly's with members of the birthday party." The birthday party group then moved to Molly McGuire's, a bar near campus. Phillbin was identified on surveillance tapes there, but he apparently didn't stay long.

Shortly thereafter, Philbin was seen on surveillance tapes at Kelly's Bar. At 1:23 a.m., the tapes show him exiting Kelly's on the east side and going into the parking area. He then went back inside the bar two minutes later.

At 1:42 a.m., surveillance shows Philbin leaving the north exit of the bar escorted by a bouncer. Bar staff told police they asked Philbin to leave because he was bothering a group of women. The video reportedly shows him stumbling inside the bar. Police noted that for the last half-hour to an hour the video shows he had very little contact with anyone inside the bar.

Philbin left the bar alone, and walked in a northwest direction toward the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus. Although he passed out of the view of the camera, his shadow lingered and showed him turning to the west, in the direction of Rockwell Avenue. It was the last time he was seen on camera.

According to the Post Crescent, "The last call or text coming from Philbin's phone occurred at 2:10 a.m. from the area of the 800 block of Algoma Boulevard. He texted a friend "Uh." The friend told police he called Philbin at that time and asked him if he needed directions back to the house on Frederick Street. Philbin said he was fine and knew how to get back to the house.

At 2:36 a.m., not long after the call, a security guard at Axle Tech on High Avenue called 911 to report that he someone was in the Fox River, about 30 yards out near a section of thin ice, calling for help.

According to the Post Crescent, "Initially the guard thought the hollering was college kids in the area just yelling or talking loud. He leaned against the window and listened. He heard the sound again. He grabbed his flashlight and jacket and went outside and walked down Rockwell Avenue toward the water. He panned his light over the icy water and saw a hand or foot sticking out of the water and saw splashing and realized it was a man struggling to stay above the surface. He estimated he saw the man for 30 seconds at the water's edge before he went under. He called 911 on his cellphone."

The 911 call prompted Oshkosh Fire Department divers to begin search and rescue operations, but the search team did not find anyone. The search for the man in the river continued until 3:30 p.m. that day without success.

The following morning, county divers returned to the scene with scent dogs and sonar scanners to resume their search; they discovered a body around 3 p.m. The body was later identified as Michael Philbin.

Police officer Joseph Nichols told USAToday.com that temperatures had been unseasonably warm in the Oshkosh area -- 50 miles from Green Bay -- and that there was only a little bit of ice around the edge of the river.

On Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 police ruled out foul play; the preliminary autopsy report indicated a freshwater drowning and the body bore no signs of a struggle.

In March, Philbin's death was formally ruled an accidental drowning. According to the Post Crescent, "Blood tests indicated he had marijuana and alcohol in his system at the time of his death. Philbin's blood-alcohol level was 0.176 percent."


Unanswered Questions

On March 16, 2012, the Post Crescent reported that the final police report shows that there were some unanswered questions in the investigation. First, the police were not able to account for Philbin's whereabouts during the last half hour of his life before he drowned. The time period that was unaccounted for was between the phone call with his friend and the security guard hearing him yell for help--about 35 minutes.

Second, said the paper, "the distance between the bar and the area at the foot of Rockwell Avenue where Philbin fell through the ice is less than half a mile. How he got there and why he headed in that direction after leaving the bar just before 2 a.m., rather than heading toward his friend's residence on Frederick Street where he had been staying, are questions that may never be answered."


About Michael Philbin

Michael Philbin, a student at Ripon College, is the son of former Green Bay Packers coach Joe Philbin, who was recently named head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He was the second oldest of six children. He had just turned 21 on Dec. 28.

According to the Post Crescent, "Philbin had been coming to Oshkosh about every other weekend during the past school year. They did the typical things college students do: Meet friends, go to bars, eat pizza. The weekend of Jan. 7 and 8 was no different."


Case Details

Name/age: Michael Philbin, 21
Last seen: 01/08/12, Kelly's Bar, Wisconsin Street, Oshkosh, WI
Recovered: 01/09/12. Fox River
Residence: Ripon, WI
College: Ripon College

Sources

Davis, Nate (2012, January 10). Timeline: The death of Michael Philbin. USA Today. Retrieved January 27, 2012.

Wolff, Patricia (2012, March 15). Investigation fails to account for last half-hour of Michael Philbin's life before he drowned. Post Crescent. Retrieved March 17, 2012.

01/14/01: Immanuel Tharrington, 32, Philadelphia, PA

Manny Tharrington

Immanuel “Manny” Tharrington, 32, was last seen on Jan. 14, 2001. Tharrington, a sales associate for Kenneth Cole clothing, was planning to move to Las Vegas to start a new job at Saks Fifth Avenue. On the night he disappeared, he dined with friends at the Dandelion Restaurant at 18th and Sansom Streets. Afterward, he headed to Club Whisper alone. The VIP club is located on Walnut Street in a busy area of downtown Philadelphia. Tharrington left the club alone around 2:15 a.m., and it was the last time he was seen.

On Jan. 15, 2011, police pulled Tharrington’s ice laden 2003 Jeep Cherokee from the Schuylkill River near the Columbia Bridge. The vehicle’s gearshift was in neutral, and the driver’s door was open, but there were no signs of injury or foul play.

Six weeks later, on Feb. 28, Tharrington’s body was found in the water near the Robert Gillin Jr. Boathouse at 2200 Kelly Drive, Philadelphia, PA. The Boathouse is the home to the Saint Joseph's University men's and women's rowing teams.

Tharrington lived on the 1100 block of West Erie Avenue. Kelly Drive is located between Club Whisper and and Tharrington's residence.

Club Whisper has since made surveillance footage available to investigators, but authorities have not released any information about his death.

03/05/11: Alexander Grant, 19, Saratoga Springs, NY

Alexander Grant

Alexander Grant, 19, a sophomore at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., was last seen on Sat., Mar. 5, 2011, after visiting a hometown friend who was a student at Skidmore College. Grant, who was on spring break, attended house parties at 146 and 150 Church Street in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. with upwards of 300 people in attendance. It is believed that Grant had been drinking. He left about 11:30 p.m., about a half an hour after he arrived. It is not clear where he was headed.

Police broke up the party at around 12:25 a.m. (Mar. 6) after receiving noise complaints from neighbors.

A break in and a missing young man

Philip Kamrass / Times Union

At around noon on Mar. 6, police responded to a report of a break in at a medical office building at 3 Care Lane, off Church Street. When police arrived, they found a window broken and a significant amount of blood inside, but nothing had been disturbed or stolen.

A surveillance tape showed that at 1:15 a.m. that same morning, a young white male broke into the office building by kicking a window. The footage showed the young man--wearing only a pair of shorts, a white long-sleeved shirt and one sock--kicking the window and making entry by climbing through. It was thought that he probably sustained a non-life threatening cut on his foot at this time. The young man stayed in the lobby and did not try to enter offices. He left the building at 2 a.m.
At 4:50 p.m., about eighteen hours after Grant had left the party three of Grant's friends arrived at the Saratoga Springs Police Department to report him missing. The description of Grant matched the individual in the surveillance video from 3 Care Lane. Friends watched the video and confirmed that the man was Alexander Grant.
City Police and Fire Department Personnel then returned to the medical building and expanded their search of the area. One sock and a pair of pants were later recovered about 150 feet from the building. The pants contained identification belonging to Alexander Grant. There was no other sign of the young man. While there was blood inside the medical office building, heavy rain had fallen for several hours before the break in was discovered, so any blood trail had been washed away well before the police arrived.


The search for Alexander Grant

On Sunday evening, Mar. 6, soon after authorities learned that Alexander Grant was missing, search crews began combing a wooded area north of Church Street behind Sunnyside Gardens along the railroad tracks. The search was conducted both on foot and on all-terrain vehicles.

According to a Saratoga Springs Police press release, "some footprints in the snow were noticed by searchers in the wooded area Sunday night however snow had begun falling so rapidly that the tracks were soon covered over by fresh snow."

Thermal imaging equipment was used without success. The search continued through heavy rain, wind, and snow until 11:30 p.m., when search conditions had deteriorated to the point where the search had to be suspended until the following morning.

On Mon., Mar. 7, nearly 50 emergency personnel from several different agencies looked for Grant from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., while a foot of snow blanketed the area. Attempts to locate Grant using tracking dogs, a state police helicopter, and global positioning via his cell phone failed.

On Tues., Mar. 8 at 11 a.m., firefighters using special equipment found Alexander Grant’s body at a sharp bend in Putnam Creek about 300 yards north of Sunnyside Gardens off Route 9N. The body was found entangled in underbrush and submerged below the water line in about four feet of open water. The location was three-tenths of a mile away from the medical office building where he was last seen. The creek was swollen and had a swift current at the time. Foul play was not suspected.

About two dozen members of the city police, firefighters, state forest rangers and state police were at the scene. At 12:28 p.m., city firefighters wearing special cold-weather gear recovered the body, which was clad only in shorts, a shirt and one sock. The body was removed from woods behind Sunnyside Gardens on Route 9N and taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital where an autopsy was performed by a forensic pathologist.

Photo Credit: Eric Miller, The Record

Autopsy and toxicology findings

An autopsy determined Grant died early on Sunday morning from drowning with hypothermia. The temperature outside when Grant left the party was between 28 and 30 degrees.

Saratoga County coroner John DeMartino told The Journal News that while Grant had lost quite a bit of blood at the medical office, it would not have been enough to cause his death, and "His disorientation would be more from hypothermia, or if he was taking drugs and alcohol."

The final autopsy and toxicology reports later showed no indication of narcotics in Grant's system. In order to be certain of the toxicology results, two tests were performed, both yielding negative results. Authorities are still investigating what affected his body or lead to the circumstances of his death.

Earlier authorities stated they believe Grant fell into the water upstream from where he was found while walking in the dark in knee-deep snow. His body then got tangled in underbrush beneath the water line.

"We’re pretty confident his demise occurred a couple of hours after he was seen on that video," Police Chief Christopher Cole told The Record in March. "There’s probably not much we could have done."

Grant's whereabouts from the time he left the party until the time he broke into the office almost two hours later are still unknown.

The Grant family said in a statement that his death was a "tragic accident."

The Saratoga County District Attorney's office is investigating whether anyone at the party had served alcohol to Grant. They may be charged with unlawful dealing or endangering the welfare of a child, both are misdemeanor offenses that carry punishments of up to one year in jail.



GOLD – Last Seen Location (146 Church St.)
GREEN – Dormitory area where he would have returned after party.
RED – Medical office
BLUE – Recovery Location, Putnam Creek



A celebration of life

On Mar. 10, 2011, more than a hundred Skidmore students, faculty and staff members attended a silent vigil to honor the life of the young men who had been visiting their campus. The vigil was held outside the Case College Center and leg by the Rev. Richard Chrisman, director of religious and spiritual life.

"The death of a student is a tragic event in the life of any college, and this is a grievous loss for two campus communities," said acting Skidmore president Susan Kress. "Our own community is still struggling with this very difficult news. While we must await the results of the investigation into whether alcohol or drugs played a role in this case, we fully acknowledge the seriousness of this issue on college campuses nationally and our responsibility to make absolutely clear to our students the very real dangers that abuse of these substances can present both to themselves and to others."

Boston College held a memorial Mass for Grant on Mar. 22 at Saint Ignatius Church at 7 p.m.


About Alexander Grant


Born in Lake Forrest, Ill., to Kenneth and Deanna Grant, Alexander Maxwell Grant graduated with high honors from Briarcliff Manor High School in Briarcliff, N.Y. in 2009. At Briarcliff High, Grant was a member of the international Tri-M Musical honors society, which "recognizes secondary music students for their musical ability, academic excellence, school involvement, and community service." (Menc.org). He also won the regional prize for Mathematics in the nationwide Intel Science and Talent Search. Grant's principal, James Kaishan, described him as "wonderful student, a really nice kid who did well academically, was involved in school activities and had a great sense of humor."

Grant subsequently enrolled at Boston College where, according to the college, he was "a gifted and popular student in his class." He had been recently nominated for induction into the Golden Key National Honors society and was also a founding member of the university’s first fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. He was majoring in economics, and had worked for the last three years as an intern at Risk Resources, LLC, a financial advisory company in New York City.

Grant was involved in philanthropic activities for City Meals on Wheels, the Robin Hood Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, Friends of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, and did fundraising for cancer research on behalf of his friend Demitri Demeropoulos, who preceded him in death. A talented keyboardist, he and his band, the Jays, performed in venues in and around New York City.

He is survived by parents Kenneth and Deanna, sister, Brianna, two sets of grandparents, and aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends.

In a statement issued by the Grant family, Alex's father, Kenneth, thanked the community for their outpouring of support, sympathy, and loving thoughts for the "lad of great promise, humor, warmth and sensitivity."

"We loved him deeply," said Kenneth Grant, "and believe that everyone he encountered felt the same...I will say that not only was he my son, but he was my brother and my best friend. Our hearts are broken and we don’t particularly want them to heal, but we will carry him with us always...on behalf of my wife Deanna, my daughter Brianna and the rest of our family, we ask that you remember Alex in your thoughts and prayers."

On Fri., Mar. 11, a Rabbinical Service was held at the Beecher Funeral Home in Pleasantville, NY, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial on Sat., Mar. 12 at St. Theresa's Roman Catholic Church in Briarcliff Manor, NY. Burial followed in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Shiva was held on Sunday and Monday in Briarcliff Manor, NY. Kenneth Grant is Jewish and Deanna Grant is Roman Catholic, and the family held two services.

The Grant family is in the processes of establishing the Alexander Maxwell Grant Foundation, which will fund musical scholarships for talented and underprivileged young musicians. Those who would like to donate may contact Gina Gill at Risk Resources, LLC, at 646-840-4961 or gina.gill@riskresources.us.


Case Details:

Name/age: Alexander Maxwell Grant, 19
College: Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Physical Description: 6'2", 190 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes.
Last seen: 03/05/11, Skidmore College, 146 Church Street, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Recovered: 03/8/11, 12:28 p.m., Putnam Creek, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Investigating Agency: Saratoga Springs Police, 518-584-1800.

Published: 03/21/11. Revised 09/22/11, 7/15/12.

01/31/10: Brandon Graves, 24, Sumter, SC

Brandon Graves - MISSING

Brandon Graves is missing.

On January 30, 2010, Brandon Graves and a friend left Myrtle Beach, SC, on a spur of the moment trip to join members of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Inc. for a homecoming event at Morris College in Sumter, SC. The twenty-four year old called his girlfriend along the way, and then called friends when he arrived.

His fraternity won first place at homecoming’s step competition.
At around 11 p.m., Graves went with two friends to Sebastian’s Night Life at 3289 Broad St., in Sumter County, but he was apparently asked to leave the club just before midnight.

Surveillance video taken outside the club shows Graves being turned away by a bouncer, before leaving. He appeared upset.

According to WLTX.com, the club’s night manager, “was standing just a few feet away when Graves came up to the club.” The manager told WLTX.com that Graves, “was intoxicated, we think, but not out of hand, but we didn't want any trouble so we told him he had to leave for the night.”

After being ejected from the club, a friend saw Graves him in the parking lot talking to a group of people. Witnesses say Graves then left in a white car, possibly to head to another club with someone.

A few hours later, Graves placed three cell phone calls. The first was at about 1 a.m., when Graves called a friend for some phone numbers. At 3 a.m., he called his cousin but got no answer, so he left a message. The last call he made was at about 4 a.m. to a friend in Myrtle Beach; he said he would see him later that day. It was the last time anyone heard from Graves.

Graves was reported missing Feb. 1, according to a police report.
Sumter County police have said that Graves has no police record, was not known to associate with drug dealers, and was a well-liked, athletic individual. His family told the media that it is unlikely that Brandon would be carrying any cash (SCNow.com, 4/29/10).

The Sumter County Sheriff’s Department initially said there was no reason to believe anyone would want to hurt Graves, but on February 6, police said they had suspicions that a crime may be involved in the disappearance.

In February 2010, authorities were able to identify a man from Claredon County who may have been the one to leave with Graves in the white car, but they said he was not a suspect.


About Brandon Graves

Brandon’s aunt and adoptive mother, Lois German, raised him since he was 3 after the death of his mother, who is her sister. She considers Brandon to be like her own child, and notes that he was always respectful as a child.

Graves, who earned the nicknamed “Peanut” because of his small stature, is described by his family as a very family-oriented person who always stayed in close contact.

At the time of his disappearance, Graves was living an hour and a half away in Myrtle Beach, and he returned to his hometown of Little Rock, SC, every weekend to be with his family and go to church.

Graves’ older sister, Vassie Lloyd, said it is not like him to leave and not contact his family or to contact his girlfriend of 7 years.

"It’s not like him to not have a called somebody.”
- Brandon Graves's sister

“We don’t know where he’s at and that’s out of character for him,” Lloyd said Wednesday from her Charlotte, N.C., area home. “He’s a quiet laid back type of person. He’s a very friendly person, most times you see him he’s always smiling. He’s easy to get along and it hurts my heart that someone would want to hurt or harm him. It’s not like him to not have a called somebody.”

His brother, Lorenzo Graves, says Brandon is a" very good person” who was outspoken and friendly. “Everybody he met became his friend,” he said.

Graves attended Morris College for a year before transferring to Coastal Carolina University (CCU), where he graduated in December 2008. While at CCU, he worked as a student trainer on the CCU football team. He had just gotten a new job in Myrtle Beach two weeks before his disappearance.

If you have any information about Brandon Graves, call Sumter police at 843-436-2700 or make an anonymous call to Crimestoppers at 1-800-CRIME-SC.


Facts in this Case:Name/age: Brandon Rodriguez Graves, 24
Last contact: 1/31/10, 4 a.m., Sumter, SC
Physical Description: 5'4” 150 pounds, long black hair in dreadlocks, brown eyes.
Last seen wearing: Blue T-shirt with a black thermal shirt under it, black jeans and black baseball cap.
Notes: Graves suffers from asthma, and his family is concerned that without proper medication, his health could suffer.
Investigating Agency: Sumter police at 843-436-2700

02/05/11: Alan Lin, 22, Newport Beach, CA

Alan Sun-Long Lin

Alan Sun-Long Lin was last seen around 1 a.m. on Saturday, February 5 at Rudy's Pub and Grill at 3110 Newport Blvd. in Newport Beach, California. A surveillance tape showed him leaving the pub alone.

The 22-year old mechanical engineering student at the University of California Riverside (UCR), lived with three roommates in Riverside, California during the week, and stayed with his family in Irvine on weekends.The family became worried when he didn't come home for the weekend, or show up for school or work Monday.

His aunt, Cynthia Kao, said there had been no activity on Lin's iPhone or bank cards. His family and friends set up a Facebook page and an e-mail account, helpfindalan@gmail.com, seeking leads.

On Sunday, February 13, a passerby notified police at 7:16 a.m. after spotting a body floating in the Rhine Channel near the 600 block of Lido Park Drive in Newport Bay. The body was found 200 yards from Rudy’s Pub, where Lin was last seen. Sgt. Steve Burdette of the Newport Police told the media that the body appeared to have been in the water for a week and that there were no obvious signs of foul play. The body was later positively identified as Lin.

The coroner also aid that Lin had died from saltwater drowning, and that there was no significant trauma to his body, such as marks or bruises. Toxicology tests are pending.

About Alan Lin

Alan Sun-Long Lin was described as a popular student at UCR and a good friend. He was set to graduate in June with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Jun Wang, an adviser for UCR's mechanical engineering department, told The Press-Enterprise that Lin was involved in a number of student organizations, one of which was designing a formula racing car. He described Lin as a “role model student” who wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. (The Press-Enterprise, 2/16/11).

According to the paper, Lin’s father, “Hong Zong Lin, earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley and co-founded a risk assessment company called PredictionProbe based in Irvine, where the family lives.”

Lin will be remembered during a memorial service held each May for campus community members who have died.

A message on Lin’s Facebook page on Sunday, read:

"Alan was found this morning 2/13/11. Thank you everyone who was a part of Alan's life and all the concerned people on Facebook. Alan was a great kid and he loved everyone. May he rest in peace. I love you Alan and you will be missed dearly.''

Facts of Interest:

Name/age: Alan Sun-Long Lin, 22
Last seen: 2/5/11, Rudy’s Pub and Grill, 3110 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach, CA
Physical Description: 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and a small mole on his left cheek. Last seen wearing dark jeans, a black shirt, and a tan blazer.
Recovered: 2/13/11, Rhine Channel near the 600 block of Lido Park Drive in Newport Bay, CA
Investigating Agency: Newport Beach police, Det. Scott Smith, 949-644-3762.

02/20/10: Eugene Losik, 25, Boston, MA

Eugene Losik

 Update 11/29/10: It is with deep sadness that I must report that a body found earlier this month in Boston Harbor was been identified as Gene Losik. The medical examiner was not able to determine a cause and manner of death.

Gene's body was recovered from Rowe's Wharf on Nov. 8.

According to the family's official Web site, a "Celebration of Life service will be held December 3, 2010, from 4-7 pm, at the Indian Ridge Country Club, 73 Lovejoy Road, Andover, MA." A virtual memorial has also been created for Gene.

I will continue updating you with more information, if it becomes known, but please keep Gene and his loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.

Gene's Story
Eugene "Gene" Losik, 25, of Lawrence, was last seen in the early morning hours of Saturday, Feb. 20 near the Marriot Long Wharf at 296 State St. in Boston. At 2:24 a.m., Losik was spotted on camera stepping out through the back door of the hotel. He has not been seen since.

Gene Losik had gone to the city to celebrate a friend's birthday at Sissy K's Bar in Faneuil Hall. They spent the evening drinking and dancing. At around midnight, Losik, his girlfriend of four years, Caitlin McGovern, and some friends went back to the Marriot Long Wharf where they were staying. McGovern turned in for the night, while Losik decided to stay up with friends. McGovern said that Losik did not seem overly intoxicated when she went to bed at midnight. Keilty, who saw him two hours later, agreed. He reported that he was in quite alert, speaking clearly, and in good spirits. "There was nothing out of the ordinary. If he had been too intoxicated I wouldn't have left him."

One friend, Rick Keilty, told police that the two men went for a walk. The family's website indicates that Losik and Keilty were seen on surveillance cameras returning to the hotel at about 1:15 a.m. They then played cards in another friend's room. It has been reported that Losik had his wallet, cell phone and keys. At about 2:10 a.m., Keilty left to take a cab home.

At 2:24 a.m., Losik was seen on camera leaving the hotel through the back entrance without his coat or hat. See map. Friends believe he may have been stepping outside for a cigarette when he wandered off.  "The back entrance puts you into Christopher Columbus Park," McGovern said, "near Tia's restaurant. But there are tons of people going in and out of the hotel until 4 a.m. If something had happened there, someone would have seen him."

McGovern said that her boyfriend's cell phone had run out of charge and he only had about $20 in his wallet. He was also not familiar with the area.

Losik's girlfriend noticed he had not returned when she woke up at 6 a.m. Saturday and filed a missing persons report at about 11:30 a.m. Phone calls to his cellphone have gone unanswered, she told police. She is hoping that he simply got locked out of the hotel or maybe took the train back to Lawrence. A friend is staying in the couple's apartment in case Losik shows up."I don't know what happened," said a teary and emotional McGovern in an interview with The Eagle-Tribune last night. She said she sort of hopes he is in an area hospital, perhaps suffering from memory loss or lying unconscious in a hospital bed, where staff may not know his identity.  

About Gene Losik
Losik is described as "extremely bright, very rational and very resourceful" and "had no enemies at all." He is a graduate of UMass-Amherst works as an electrical engineer at Raytheon in Andover and was up for a promotion. He is a 2003 graduate of North Andover High School. He lives with Catlin McGovern, his girlfriend of four years, in the Washington Mills apartment complex on Canal Street in Lawrence. Losik had told his father he planned to marry McGovern in the next year.

The Search for Gene Losik

While the police are treating it as a missing persons' case, a Boston police dive team initially searched the waters around the hotel. They found no indication he might be there.

A large scale search was conducted on March 2 that included over 50 divers, search boats, sonar equipment, underwater cameras, and helicopters. The search turned up no trace of Gene or any evidence that he was ever in the water.
On March 4, it was reported to the media that Losik's sent was found near the water. According to the dog handler, "Clothing belonging to Gene were given to the handler. Scent pads were made from gauze pads placed inside of Gene's clothing, which later were used as Gene's scent articles for my K9. Later, at the door where Gene exited the hotel, the K9 was given Gene's scent article. The K9 immediately took trail and went from the back door of the hotel, onto the large docks and to one small dock, where the K9 indicated that the person had gone into the water. After this LIVE SCENT trail ended, the K9 was changed to work 'cadaver' and an alert was given right there, as well as multiple places leading outward towards the bay. This entire process was repeated multiple times (7 times), with the exact same results, even when the K9 worked the entire trailing and cadaver process(es) off lead."

The family has created a website, http://www.findgenelosik.com/ which will be posting updates on the search effort and had offered a $12,000 reward in his disappearance.


Quick Facts
Name/age: Eugene Losik, 25
Physical description: white male, 5 feet 11 inches tall with a muscular build, close-shaved blond hair, and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a grey T-shirt, blue jeans, and black dress shoes. Very early reports also mentioned that he was wearing a black mid-length jacket, but this seems to have been ruled out by surveillance tapes and witness statements.
Residence: Washington Mills apartment complex, Canal Street in Lawrence, MA.
Last seen: 2/20/10, Marriot Long Wharf at 296 State St. in Boston at 2:24 a.m.
Recovered: 11/8/10, Boston Harbor near Rowe's Wharf
Investigating Agency: 1-617-343-4248
Family Web site: http://www.findgenelosik.com/
Originally posted 02/20/10. Updated 11/29/10.

10/02/10: Arsim Leku, 29, James Bay, BC, Canada

Arsim Leku

Arsim Leku, 29, was last seen by his brother, Arber, on Oct. 2 at 10:30 p.m. who lives on Michigan Street in James Bay, British Columbia. Leku had stopped at his brothers for pizza and beer, and decided to stay the night, as he often does. When Arber got up in the morning, Arsim was gone. His cellphone went to message mode.

"That's very unusual," Arber told The Times Colonist. "He never turns his cellphone off."

The family checked with the police and the hospital, and found nothing.

Arber and another brother, Arton, then spotted their brother's 1995 dark green Neon on the side of the road. The car, which has an "N" on the rear window, was on the 500 block of Beach Drive, near Transit Road in Oak Bay, B.C. It was empty and unlocked, and all that was found in the car was a pack of cigarettes.

A closed-circuit surveillance camera showed Arsim leaving Arber's apartment building at 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 3. It is unknown why Leku left or what occurred after that.

"He just vanished," said Arber.

In early October, divers scoured the waters off Beach Drive near Kitty Islet in an unsuccessful search for Leku.

On Oct. 31, Ursu's body was discovered by boaters in the waters in Oak Bay near Cattle Point around 1:30 p.m. The Times Colonist reported, "Oak Bay police and two Canadian Coast Guard auxiliary vessels responded and were on scene for about two hours."

The clothes and shoes on the body are the same as the ones last worn by Leku--a black fleece jacket, blue jeans, white and yellow runners. His cellphone and keys were found in a pocket.


About Arsim Leku

Arsim Leku has been described as quiet, hard-working and even-tempered. He was a second-year plumber's apprentice working on the Royal Jubilee construction site. He had no history of drug use, history of mental illness, and had never disappeared before. He always kept in touch with his family and others in the tightly-knit Kosovar-Canadian community in the Victoria area.

"He led a very normal life," says Arber.

Arsim shared a home in Gordon Head, B.C., with his his parents, brother Arton and Arton's wife and child.

The family immigrated to the area after being expelled from the home in Pristina, Kosovo during the violence of the Kosovo Conflict. After spending a few months in a Macedonian refugee camp, the family was taken to Canada with just the clothes on their backs. Arsim, who was 18 at the time, ended up graduating from Vic High. He got a job at Victorian Epicure right out of school, where he worked while studying plumbing at Camosun College. He talked about saving enough money to visit Kosovo someday.

Leku's family says his disappearance doesn't make any sense.

"We can speculate all we want," said Arber, "but we have no clue. We just hope somebody saw him that night with the car."

If you have any information, call Sgt. Chris Horsley, Saanich Police, 250-475-4321.


Case Details 
Name/age: Arsim Leku, 29
Last seen: 10/2/10, Michigan Street, James Bay, BC
Recovered: 10/31/10, near Cattle Point, Oak Bay, BC
Residence: Cattle Head, BC, Canada
Physical Description: 5'8", 160 pounds, with short, dark brown hair. He was wearing a black fleece jacket, blue jeans, white and yellow runners.
Investigating Agency: Saanich Police, 250-475-4321, Sgt. Chris Horsley.

08/22/05: Mark Kraynak, 23, and Steve Wright, 20, Montreal, QC, Canada

Steve Wright (left)
and Mark Kraynak (right)

Mark Kraynak, 23, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and Steve Wright, 20, of Guerneville, California, spent the night of August 21, 2005 at Vatican, a downtown night club on Crescent Street in Montreal.

The two had traveled from Toronto with a friend and their employer for a weekend in Montreal.

After spending some time at Vatican, they called their employer around 3 a.m. to say they were in a cab heading to the Red Lite, an after-hours rave club, in the city of Laval, 30 minutes away. They had been in the club earlier with him before getting separated.

They arrived at the Red Lite at 3:32 a.m., but never made it inside.

Ten days later, their fractured and severely decomposed bodies were found in the Demix rock quarry more than 300 feet from the Red Lite. Canadian authorities initially described the deaths as "suspicious" because despite the injuries, autopsies did not show any traces of violence. Neither man seemed to be missing clothing, jewelry or money, which might suggest a robbery. And toxicology tests were inconclusive as to whether they might have ingested anything that might have led to their deaths. It was determined that the men had suffered a 50-foot fall into the quarry below.

Surveillance video outside the Red Lite shows Kraynak and Wright dashing into an alley as the taxi chased the men. The cabbie then backed up and left a few minutes later. Police in Laval said they are considering the possibility that Kraynak and Wright might have been looking for a place to hide after they had stiffed the cab driver out of the fare for the trip from Montreal to Laval, which would have been about $40.

Laval police spokesman, Guy Lajeunesse, declined to discuss with the media whether the video showed the men exiting the taxi, as police were hoping the driver would call with details. The surveillance photos show a vehicle with no identifying words or symbols. Authorities don't know the race or gender of the driver, let alone any distinguishing characteristics, but they think he might be hiding because he has a criminal record or is an immigrant.

Janice Kraynak doubts that such a person would draw attention to himself by chasing the men down the alley near the quarry.

The police theory is that Kraynak and Wright refused to pay the driver, so they ran and got through a
5-foot-high barbed-wire fence to enter the dark quarry and ran another 20 feet in the darkness and accidentally fell into the quarry. According to The Montreal Gazette, the quarry had warning signs, but they were written in French only.

"It looks like they died for $40," Lajeunesse told the Tribune-Review. "It's unpleasant, but sometimes you do crazy things."

Mark Kraynak's mother, Janice, struggles to understand how the police could assume Kraynak and Wright had stiffed the cab driver before even interviewing him. She told the media that her son had paid his own way for much of his life, including earning money as a newspaper carrier to cover his expenses at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus where he attended school. She said the men were also carrying enough cash and credit cards to be able to pay the fare. That night Kraynak, Wright, and a third man had even left a $200 tip for a waitress at Vatican; this is evidence, she says, that her son would not stiff a cab driver for $40.

"They can theorize all they want," Janice Kraynak told the Tribune-Review. "All they're doing is defaming my son after his death."

Kraynak also says she has seen the surveillance tape, causing her to further dispute the police theory that the men were running to avoid paying a fare.  The video, she says, shows Kraynak running from an intersection outside the club toward an industrial park of office condominiums. Wright is about two car-lengths behind her son, while the cab is moving behind both. "He was on the track team and I know the way he was running, he was running for his life," Janice Kraynak said. "I just have reason to believe my son knew he was in danger and that's why he was running the way that he ran."

Janice Kraynak said she believes another person was in the taxi, and that might have been the reason the two men were fleeing.

Wright's mother, Cheryl Crockett, also reviewed the surveillance tapes three weeks after Kraynak.

Both Kraynak and Wright were models for the California-based French Connection Française (FCF) agency which provides modeling for adult entertainment. The agency has offices in Toronto, Atlanta and Santa Rosa, California. Kraynak and Wright were supposed to return to the United States that day, via Toronto, after spending the summer working for FCF.

When the two men did not return from their Montreal night out, their boss--owner and CEO of FCF--who was with them that night, called police. He said the young men were always prompt and it was unusual for them not to contact him.

Wright, described as a "party boy," Kraynak, and four other Americans had been hired the previous summer to work as dancers at Remington's, a strip club for gay men in Toronto, although neither Kraynak nor Wright were gay.

Kraynak's family said he was planning to return to Fayette County to begin his sophomore year at the local Penn State campus, where he was studying business management. He had served in the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003. He received a Purple Heart for shrapnel wounds he received when an improvised explosive device went off while he was under a bridge with a group of children. He became involved with the FCF Agency through an Atlanta office while he was serving with the 82nd at Fort Bragg, N.C. Janice Kraynak said her son's dream was to be a model in fitness magazines.

Kraynak had reportedly told his mother that he was in Canada to do construction work, hoping to hide his occupation from her. His boss told the media that that model had appeared in fitness magazines and in pornographic films with female partners. He had also auditioned for an independent horror film because was interested in acting. Janice Kraynak fears her son was forced or coerced into "something much more sinister," and believes she saw a contract with FCF that bound him to the agency through August 2006.

Kraynak's credentials were passed along by FCF to the producer of "Dead Boyz Don't Scream," and he was invited to audition for the role of a model who is murdered. Janice Kraynak told the Tribune-Review that the script apparently was a horror movie about male models who disappear during a photo shoot, and she says, contains "sexual type of abuse," murders, and a cover-up by a modeling agent. She said her son's receipt of the script in his Yahoo! e-mail account on Aug. 5 is "so bizarre that I have to believe it's tied" to his death.

"It describes how Todd, which is the role my son was asked to look at, was axed to death," Janice Kraynak said. "And it says, 'Todd is history.'"

She recalled that the police asked her to keep the script quiet, which she has done up until now, but she now feels that it is time for this possible connection to be made public.

"We sympathize with Mrs. Kraynak's loss and understand her grief," said Jerry Goldberg, the film's producer in a statement. "Her son was one of dozens of actors briefly considered for a role in a film we have been developing for five years. He was proposed to us by his theatrical agent, and our entire communication with him consisted of one e-mail and one phone conversation. We ultimately chose another actor for the role."

Regarding the deaths of his talent, Kraynak's boss said to the media, "There's no doubt in my mind, in my soul, that this was an accident."

He also stated that Kraynak had a day-to-day contract, though there was a written agreement through next August that required the model to notify the agency if he received work with another group. Otherwise, if Kraynak got a job, he received 80 percent of the payment and the agency got 20 percent.

But Janice Kraynak believes the people who were with Kraynak and Wright that weekend in Montreal know more than they've told police.

"I have my opinion that the (adult entertainment) industry is behind this in some way," she said. "That is my opinion, and I will do everything I can to prove that."

In 2005, Janice Kraynak said she had placed a call to Congressman John Murtha, D-Johnstown for help.

FCF Agency has faced scrutiny before. In March 2004, 23-year-old Toronto woman, Natel King, who had been represented by FCF was found dead in Montgomery County. Her photographer Anthony J. Frederick, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in 2005, saying he killed the woman after a dispute about money.


Sources
Foreman, Chris. (2005, October 14). Mom: Porn Industry Behind Son's Death. TribLive.com. Accessed 09/16/10 from: http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/fayette/s_384093.html#axzz372XzfU8e

Published: 09/16/10.  Updated: 07/10/14.

03/30/06: Manvir Sidhu, 17, Abbotsford, BC, Canada

"Munny Sidhu is still missing.

Seventeen-year old Manvir "Munny" Sidhu, disappeared from his family's home near Rotary Stadium in Abbotsford, British Columbia, on March 30, 2006. The W.J. Mouat Secondary school student had returned from hanging out with friends and spoke briefly with his brother A.J. and his wife, Tara, before asking his mom, Kashmir, to make him breakfast the next morning. He was last seen going to his second floor bedroom at 10:30 p.m. At approximately 7:30 a.m., Munny’s mother, Kashmir Sidhu, found his bed empty and his blinds and window open. The bed had been made up to look as though someone were in it.

His disappearance is a mystery to the Sidhu family. Sidhu’s brother, A.J., says the teen was a “good kid” who got along well with his family, respected his elders, and was not involved in any criminal activity. He also did not have a history of depression or mental illness.

One of the few clues in the case came in at 5:45 that same morning from a few of Munny’s friends and his girlfriend. All received text messages from Munny’s cell phone saying he was travelling to India with a woman. However, the writing tone and style were not typical of Munny, and it would be highly uncharacteristic of him to leave without notifying his family, A.J. says. Plus, Munny’s wallet and passport, along with his eyeglasses and contact lenses, were found in his bedroom the morning after he disappeared.

Additional clues have been slow in coming. "For the first week we felt like things were happening, but we haven't heard anything since then,” A.J. told The Province. A possible lead from a surveillance camera at the Abbotsford airport fizzled after police determined that a man on the video wasn’t Munny. A private investigator hired by the family also failed to turn up any clues.

The wait and anguish of not having any answers is taking a toll on the Sidhu family. A.J. told The Province that his parents "try to keep busy, but this has aged them five years in one.”

A.J., 31, has also been haunted by his brother’s disappearance. He runs an independent record label, Thuggish Records Inc., and had plans to help Munny record a rap album after he graduated in 2006. He now tries to deal with his brother's disappearance through his music and has also tattooed his brother's name on his back. “I miss hanging out with him. I miss having him at my side,” he said. “Instead, I wonder if he's still alive."

He added that every time he hears a body has been found, his “heart sinks” and he wonders if it could be his brother. "I just want police to hurry up and do the autopsy and find out if it's him,” he said. “When it's not, we wait for the next body…..not knowing just kills a person."

At this point, the family just needs some answers.

"In my heart, there's a slim chance for him to turn up alive, but if he does, that would be the best gift in the world," said A.J. (Abbotsford News, 03/30/10).

Munny Sidhu is described as 5’10,” 155 pounds, 2” scar on back of head, wearing a brown hoodie with “Carolina Tar Heels” in white.

The Abbotsford Police Department has said that they believe people are out there who have information regarding Munny’s disappearance. Police are urging them to come forward. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Wanda Lane of the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-864-4748. The family has also set up a Facebook page that lists the phone number of a hotline at 604-859-5225.

Quick Facts:
Name/age: Manvir "Munny" Sidhu, 17
Last seen: 3/30/06, Abbotford, BC, Canada near Rotary Stadium
Physical Description: 5’10,” 155 pounds, 2” scar on back of head, wearing a brown hoodie with “Carolina Tar Heels” in white.
Munny is described as "good kid" who respected his elders, had an optimistic attitude, enjoyed playing basketball and football with this friends, and was a gifted writer of rap music and poetry.

01/17/10: Sylvester McCurry Jr., 18, Superior, WI

Slyvester McCurry Jr.,18, was last seen at the Stargate Night Club in Superior, Wisc., on January 17, 2010. According to the Duluth News Tribune, McCurry was kicked out of the no-alcohol club for being intoxicated.

McCurry, a senior at Duluth East High School, had been living with his best friend Keegan Couillard and his parents in the Chester Park neighborhood of Duluth, Minn., since August. The two buddies told Couillard's parents Paul and Jennifer they were going to a birthday party. They instead went to the Stargate Night Club in Superior, Wisconsin, just across the river.

Because Monday was a school holiday, they had plans to stay at the Superior Inn after going to the club. Keegan Couillard said he arrived at the Superior Inn at noon, and McCurry was dropped off at 3 p.m. They had planned to have friends come to their room, but it fell through. McCurry couldn’t swim because he had sustained a severe cut to his finger that day at his job as a line cook, and his finger was bandaged and in a splint. Yet, Couillard says, "He was in a good mood, Couillard said, but was tired and napped for a while. They walked to Stargate around 10 p.m. and separated inside." (Duluth News Tribune, 1/30/10.)

The Stargate was packed that night with 16- to 20-year olds. McCurry, who was called "Sly" by friends and family, had bumped into friends at the club. He last spoke to Keegan Couillard around 10:45 pm Sunday. That was his last contact with anyone. He apparently then left the club without telling anyone he was leaving or mentioning where he was going. Friends and family say this is unusual behavior for McCurry.

Surveillance video from the club shows McCurry leaving alone through the back door about 11 p.m. Authorities told WDIO News that he was likely "very intoxicated." The Duluth News Tribune later reported that McCurry did not have any alcohol at the Stargate, but had been drinking it at the hotel. Police have not said where it came from. Wisconsin Public Radio reported that McCurry had ejected from the club out of the back door and was left alone in the alley. Neither the police nor his family were called.

Keegan Couillard was unaware McCurry had left but then later assumed he would see him back at the hotel room. Couillard heard from a friend that night that McCurry's injured finger had begun to bleed through the bandages. When McCurry didn't show up to the hotel room, Couillard thought perhaps his girlfriend or other friends had picked him up, maybe even taken him to the hospital. Couillard told his parents about McCurry's disappearance on Monday night (1/18) and they filed a report Tuesday morning (1/19).

The Search for Slyvester McCurry
According to the Duluth News Tribune, poli
ce dogs tracked McCurry’s scent to an outer door of the Superior Inn, then the trail ended. Police said early on that they didn't suspect foul play and that they did not believe McCurry ran away, but they also admitted they didn't have a lot to go on. On January 21, just four days after his disappearance and two days after police were notified, the official search was called off. The family, hoping that he would be found, posted a $50,000 reward for information. Friends also started a Facebook page.

 On Saturday, May 22, workers at the Midwest Energy Coal Dock in Superior spotted the body in Lake Superior. McCurry's family has told the media that Sly was found in the same clothing he was wearing when he disappeared, and that his wallet was in his pocket. The family has reported in being in "complete shock" over the location where McCurry was found and the many unanswered questions that remained.

An autopsy was conducted on May 24 by the Douglas County Medical Examiner's Office. Police said there are no signs of traumatic injury or assault that would indicate foul play.

On August 13, 2010, the Superior Police Department announced that the death of Sylvester McCurry had been ruled an accident resulting from cold-water immersion and drowning. Police said that during the investigation conducted by the Superior and Duluth Police Departments, with the assistance of numerous other agencies, there was no evidence of foul play being involved in the death of McCurry. McCurry's blood alcohol content (BAC) was reported as approximately .08. However, due to the amount of time that McCurry's body was in the water and the fact that ethanol is a natural by-product of decomposition, McCurry's BAC at the time of his death cannot be readily determined.

The Forensic Pathologist's summary in the final autopsy report noted the following: 

• "No significant antemortem traumatic injuries were identified."
• "No deep tissue, bony, or internal traumatic injuries were identified."
• "The death could be attributed to probable cold water immersion and drowning."
• "If thorough investigation of the events surrounding death shows no indication of foul play or suicidal ideation, the manner could be listed as accident."
• The only drugs detected in toxicology screening was Hydrozyzine (a prescription antihistamine). 

According to the Duluth News Tribune, a Superior police report said "information received from the beginning of the case indicated that McCurry was intoxicated on the night he disappeared. As a result, investigators have considered the possibility that McCurry attempted to cross the St. Louis River or harbor in an attempt to get back to Duluth."

About Slyvester McCurry

Friends and family say it was out of character for McCurry to be missing and not using his cell phone. He spoke regularly with his family and talked to his girlfriend, Grace Buck, at least twice a day on the phone. “He’s not the kind of person to take off,” Jennifer Couillard said. According to cell phone records, his phone was not been used since the night of his disappearance.

McCurry has also been described by friends and family as an intelligent, outgoing, positive man. McCurry’s half-sister, Ana Gamber, 22, said McCurry had some previous troubles with school and his family, but had been getting it together. According to the Duluth News Tribune, McCurry "works at Fitger’s Brewhouse, made the B honor roll in the fall, and recently played Harry in the Duluth Gospel Tabernacle’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life. He enjoys attending church services, Jennifer Couillard said, and is an avid snowboarder with a Spirit Mountain season pass." Gamber who saw him at Christmas said he seemed happy.

Couillard agrees, “He is one of the few teenagers who will wake up in the morning smiling and happy,” she said. “He’s been such a good friend to my son and us. Anything he can to do to help, he wants to help.”

A funeral for Slyvester McCurry was held on June 1 at the Duluth Gospel Tabernacle at 11 a.m. at 1515 Superior Street, Duluth, MN. Friends of the family are collecting donations to help defray funeral expenses. Donations will be accepted at any US Bank in the name of the "Tammy Jo Carter Fund" or by e-mailing sylvestersmemorialfund@yahoo.com.

Our thoughts are with Slyvester's McCurry's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 1-218-730-5400, search headquarters at 612–965–1121.You can remain anonymous.

Case Details
Name/age: Sylvester McCurry, 18
School: Duluth East High School
Residence: Duluth, MN
Last seen: 1/17/10, Stargate Nightclub in Superior, WI
Physical Description: 5'11", 150 pounds, black male, light complexion, short brown hair, brown eyes. Last seen wearing blue jeans and white Nike shoes.
Links: Facebook

Originally posted: 1/20/10. Updated 5/27/10, 9/7/10.

03/19/08: Kellen McElwee, 25, Langley, BC, Canada

Help bring Kellen McElwee home
Kellen Charles McElwee, 25, was last seen March 19, 2008 about 9 p.m. after leaving the Keg restaurant in Langley, B.C., east of Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. He had been having dinner with some friends. He was parked at the nearby Colossus movie complex and spoke to friends by cellphone as he drove off.

Several days later, McElwee's bronze 2006 Honda Civic, 4 door was found abandoned on a quiet residential street---the 5100 block of Halifax Street--in Burnaby, British Columbia, a couple of miles from his apartment.

09/30/06: Aaron Derbyshire, 22, Kelowna, BC, Canada

Aaron Derbyshire is missing.

Aaron Charles Derbyshire, 22, was last seen on Saturday, September 30, 2006 at approximately 1:40 a.m. at Level Night Club (formally known as Splashes Night Club) located on Leon Avenue in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.

Derbyshire was at the club with a group of friends who last saw him went they went outside to investigate a fight outside the club. Derbyshire remained inside, and he has not been seen since.

Police have since said that they have received no credible tips placing Derbyshire at any other location after the bar.

Derbyshire's family reported him missing when he failed to show up for a planned rafting trip.

The Search for Aaron Derbyshire

"Any lead, no matter how small it may seem, could end up being important when added to what is already known."
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

According to The Province (12/26/06), "police have said they have no explanation for his disappearance and that he was not known to be involved with any illicit business. Also perplexing is that Aaron left his cellphone in his truck, which he parked at home, before going to the Level nightclub in downtown Kelowna. His mom said it was unusual for him to leave his phone behind since he always carried it with him. Aaron was carrying a bank draft for $6,500 made out in the name of a man from whom he was going to buy a Ski-Doo. But the draft was never cashed. His bank account has not been touched either."

In 2009, club owner Karli Wilson told Kelowna.com that staff members working on the night of Derbyshire's disappearance were never formally interviewed by police, making it impossible to know for sure what they may have seen. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Const. Steve Holmes confirmed that no such interviews took place, but said that Wilson was given a photo of Derbyshire and asked to show it to staff to see if anyone recalled seeing him. “None of them recognized Aaron from the picture,” Holmes related. “None of them had any information, so none of them were interviewed.” Holmes said Wilson was told to phone police if any tips came in. None were reported. Wilson says she does not recall this exchange.

Wilson also says police never took the bar’s surveillance tapes from that night. But this is disputed by Holmes. “Our guy talked to the manager and we confirmed their video surveillance was not working, because they were in the process of upgrading it. So we had nothing to go on for video surveillance.”

According to the Kelowna.com article, "Wilson insisted the footage existed, but noted it would have automatically been erased after four days. Holmes said investigators went to the club on Oct. 3, 2006, the day they learned Derbyshire had been at the bar, which is at the limit of the four-day grace period."

The article notes that Wilson had been trying to battle "negative perceptions about her club in the wake of the missing persons investigation."

According to reports, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) members from the Serious Crimes Unit have investigated nearly 270 witnesses in the case. Any lead, no matter how small it may seem, could end up being important when added to what is already known. If you or someone you know saw Derbyshire around the time of his disappearance, call the anonymous Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or email a tip from http://www.solvecrime.ca/. Your information will be kept strictly confidential and could lead to a reward of up to $2,000.

About Aaron Derbyshire

"If you have any information about Aaron Derbyshire, call the RCMP at(250)762-3300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477."

Aaron Derbyshire is the second of four boys in a tight-knit family. His mother, Glenda, told the Kelowna Capital News that she and her husband were high school sweethearts, both from large families themselves, who got married and started a family right away. "Our children, we believe, are a blessing to us," she said. She described Aaron as an amazing young man with a wonderful future ahead of him, and said she and his family miss him every day. She added that it is out of character for their son to go missing and, "there's no reason that anybody would want to hurt him."

Aaron is described as "a vibrant, handsome and loving young man who has everything in life going for him. He is an avid snowboarder, golfer, bmx biker, soccer player, and technologist working as a land surveyor."

According to a Facebook page about Aaron, "Aaron Charles Derbyshire was a happy, young boy when he became very sick at the age of 8. In and out of Children's Hospital frequently, Aaron was eventually diagnosed with Crohn's Disease (severe inflammation of the intestinal tract). This disease limited his ability to grow up healthy, enjoying all the activities that most children do on a regular basis. Aaron almost died during this time. Aaron was homeschooled most of his life, however, he became well enough to go back to high school in grade 11. At this point, he started recovering quite well and fit in right away with everyone he met. He graduated from Civil Engineering 3 years ago at this time and was heading into a very promising life. However, this was all shattered when he went missing from Kelowna on September 29th, 2006. Words cannot explain our loss, and for anyone who knew Aaron or had the chance to run into him at some point in their lives, it is a complete shock to have him gone. (December 19, 2007)."

Aaron Derbyshire is described as Caucasian, 160 lbs, 5'10", clean shaven, short brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a dark blue shirt (possibly plaid) and dark jeans.

Facts of Interest:

Name/age: Aaron Derbyshire, 22

Date of birth: 05/13/84 (Mother's Day)

Last seen: 09/30/06, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

Major: Civil Engineering grad, 2004

Physical Description: Caucasian, 160 lbs, 5'10", clean shaven, short brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a dark blue shirt (possibly plaid) and dark jeans.