The Mystery of the Missing Person

I love a mystery, always have, always will.  I started reading Nancy Drew as

a young girl and she lead me on a life long path of getting to the bottom of

suspicious activity.  If something strange or mysterious happens, I am like 

a pit bull and can't let go until I have the answers.  

The other night I could not sleep.  I am not sure why.  Perhaps I had too

much coffee too late in the day.  I sometimes do that, and I blame it on the

Donut Shop Keurig coffee I love so much. Whatever the reason, I was 

awake.  I didn't want to read because I thought if I turn turn on a lamp,

the light stimulus would threaten any sleep potential, so I turned on the

radio to an overnight talk show I sometimes listen to.   That show is

Coast to Coast AM.  It's so entertaining.  Sometimes the guests talk about

extraterrestrial beings, or ghosts, or big foot.  It's often over the edge and I

end up laughing.  On this particular night, the guest was talking about

missing persons.  The kind of missing persons who leave no trace and

often no reason for their disappearance.  

The guest explained that there are often patterns regarding the type of 

person that goes missing. They are often quite religious in their beliefs, and

are often very well educated.  He mentioned a particular German scientist

who went missing following a hike in the mountains in the western US.

In fact, the guest said that missing persons are often of German descent.

This struck a chord with me.  I have a dear friend who told me about

his great grandfather who was a prominent Lutheran pastor.  He went 

missing and no trace of him was ever found.  He left behind a wife, and

family, and loyal parishioners.  No one ever really learned why he 

disappeared nor what happened to him.  I cannot imagine how difficult

and heartbreaking that must be for the family and friends.   There are 

many legal issues also associated with such a disappearance which add

to the pain and stress of the loss.

I started to do some research as to how many people just disappear and 

what the circumstances could be that would prompt the situation.  We

all know that children can and do disappear every year.  According to 

statistics, approximately 33,000 children are missing on any given day.

That is a huge number.  I had no idea it was that large.  The thought of

children being away from home is so terrifying to me.  The situations they

may encounter are too frightening to think about.  What can be done to

prevent this tragedy from occurring and how can we find these kids?

The number of missing persons is higher for adults.  It's approximately

50,000 at any given time.  Adults may, or may not leave willingly.  

The causes for slipping away unannounced are many.  Drug and alcohol

abuse is a prominent factor as is dementia.  There are also some who

are unhappy and choose to leave their spouse and or family without a

trace.  Financial problems, depression or anxiety can facilitate a 

person's decision to flee.  Perhaps crime is the basis for their choice.

As I was listening to the show, I wondered how many scientists who are

close to solving, or have already solved a problem that could be of benefit to

humanity?  Could their disappearance be considered a case of foul play?

When my friend's great grandfather disappeared without a trace, the

realm of forensics was far less sophisticated than it is today.  That being

said, how would one walk out the door one day and just vanish with

no trace of them to be found?  Have they altered their appearance?  Are

they leading a double life?  Were they kidnapped?  Were they abducted by

alien beings and are now living on a ship out in space?  Or if you follow

the concept of rapture, have they been whisked away and we are the

ones who have been left behind?  Something to ponder.  If I could

consult Nancy Drew, I would.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley