Tag: mysterious disappearances

Mystery as body is found in ventilation system of Michigan community college’s performing arts center after students complained of a ‘foul odor’

A month-long search for a missing father of two is over after his decomposing body was found inside the ventilation system of a Michigan community college theatre.

Police were called to Macomb Community College in Detroit after staff realized the odor permeating the school’s performing arts center might have a sinister cause.

They traced the smell to a vent where they found the body of Jason Thompson, 36, who had vanished from his sister Shelby’s apartment less than a mile away on October 25.

His family had plastered the city’s Clinton Township district with fliers appealing for information before the grisly discovery on Sunday night.

‘Jason was loved by many people and his family have been through a lot over the past month while he has been missing,’ wrote his cousin Carissa Thompson on a Gofundme page.

‘Jason was a father to two beautiful children, Killian and Kiara. He was a son, uncle, brother, cousin but most important he was loved by his family and friends and will be missed.’

A security camera in Shelby’s apartment caught the moment he disappeared, stepping out in Sterling Heights wearing black pants, adidas shoes and a hoodie.

His family reported him missing on November 1 and began a series of daily calls to hospitals, the medical examiner’s office, jails and police departments in a bid to find him.

‘Never in his life has he ever gone without contact with our family for more than 24 hours, not once,’ wrote Shelby on Facebook.

‘This is completely unusual for my brother, someone knows something- what will it take for you to speak?’

College police are awaiting a cause of death from the Macomb County medical examiner, but Macomb College Police Chief William Leavens said there was ‘no reason to suspect foul play’.

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NEW suspect in case of DB Cooper is named as Pittsburgh engineer Vince Petersen – 52 years after hijacker got away with $200,000 ransom by parachuting out of the plane

A sleuth has named a new suspect in the case of DB Cooper – the hijacker who got away with a $200,000 ransom by parachuting out a plane 52 years ago never to be seen again.

Eric Ulis, a citizen investigator who sued the FBI for access to the case’s files and evidence, claims the man behind the November 24, 1971, mystery was engineer Vince Petersen from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

Petersen worked as a Boeing subcontractor at a titanium plant and fits the evidence left behind by the infamous hijacker, the DB enthusiast told told The U.S. Sun. He would have been 52 at the time of the crime and has been long dead.

Ulis – who was five when the plane-jacking occurred – first landed on Petersen’s name after analyzing microscopic evidence left on the clip-on black tie DB left before he parachuted out of the plane.

Several of the particles found were consistent with specialty metals used in the aerospace sector, such as titanium, high-grade stainless steel and aluminum, Ulis explained.

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The mystery of missing ‘French Madeleine McCann’: Estelle Mouzin disappeared aged nine on her way to school amid fears she was snatched by ‘Ogre of Ardennes’ killer… but her body has never been found

Over a span of more than 15 years, a series of killings of women and young girls haunted parts of France and Belgium, but perhaps none more than the murder of nine-year-old Estelle Mouzin – France’s Madeline McCann.

Between 1987 and 2003, at least 11 people disappeared across the region, with several of the cases seeming – at least at first – to be unconnected.

The first woman disappeared in Auxerre, in December 1987. The second vanished 90 miles away in Vitry-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris, in 1988. 

Another woman went missing in Auxerre that same year, but then more vanished further north in Châlons-en-Champagne (1988) and Charleville-Mézières (1989. Then one in Saint-Servais in Belgium, then another in Rezé, over in the West of France.

After a flurry of eight disappearances from 1987 to 1990, there was a ten-year pause, but they restarted in 2000, in Charleville-Mézières again, then another in Sedan in 2001, and one more in Guermantes in 2003.

Of the places where the women went missing, only two appeared on the list more than once: Auxerre (three women) and Charleville-Mézières (two). When plotted on a map, the locations are spread across a vast area of 21,500 square miles.

It is easy to see, therefore, why authorities struggled to connect them to the culprit: dreaded serial killer Michel Fourniret, known as ‘the Beast of Ardennes’.

Finally arrested in 2003 in Belgium, Fourniret was convicted to life in prison in 2008 for the murder and rape or attempted rape of seven teenagers and young women, after he admitted to killing several women and girls.

Fourniret would go on to be convicted again after confessing to more killings, and he confessed to three more he was never convicted of – including 20-year-old British tutor Joanna Parrish, who was killed in Auxerre in 1990.

But of all of Fourniret’s horrific killings, one stood out in particular: That of nine-year-old Estelle, who went missing in 2003. The whereabouts of her body remain a mystery to this day, and is a secret that Fourniret took to his grave.

The youngest of Fourniret’s victims, Estelle’s disappearance has been likened to that of Madeleine McCann‘s, the three-year-old British girl who went missing in 2007.

As with McCann, who vanished in Portugal, Estelle disappeared without a trace, leaving investigators stumped while capturing the attention of the public and media.

The girl had been returning from school on January 9, 2003 in the commune of Guermantes, some 15 miles east from the centre of Paris.

The nine-year-old was last seen that winter’s day in front of a bakery, en route to the house belonging to her mother, Suzanne Mouzin.

Suzanne, who was in the middle of a divorce from Estelle’s father Eric, raised the alarm with the local police station at around 7pm that evening.

Little did she know, in going to the police she had lit the touch paper on an investigation that would span seventeen years, spark huge media coverage in France, and yet would never truly discover what had happened to her little girl.

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The baffling disappearance of the anthropologist Sam Dubal on Mt. Rainier

Dr. Sam Dubal, 33, left for Mt. Rainier National Park on Friday, October 9, 2020, for a solo hike and was supposed to return the next day. He was spotted that day on the Mother Mountain Loop trail near Lake Mowich in the Park. Sam was reported missing on October 12 after he didn’t return home.

He was well equipped for the overnight hike, with a tent, a sleeping bag, snow gear, rain gear, a cellphone, and a charger. Sam was also an experienced hiker under challenging conditions. After an extensive search, Sam was unable to be located.

Mt. Rainier is considered one of North America’s most dangerous mountains due to its high chance of volcanic eruption. Still, it has also had a heavy toll of hiking deaths, with many visitors dying on its icy slopes because of accidents, misadventures, foul play or reasons unknown.

As of November 2023, the only clue has been a water bottle found in October near the Loop trail. No other sign of Sam has been located despite many searches in the park. The nature of this disappearance is very puzzling, as he was experienced, and the Mother Mountain trail is not difficult nor dangerous.

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The puzzling disappearance of Jared Negrete from Mount San Gorgonio

12-year-old, Jared Michael Negrete (born September 11, 1978), was a Boy Scout who was on his first overnight backpacking trip. He was last seen on Friday, July 19, 1991, at about 6 pm, when he fell behind his fellow Scouts on a hike to the summit of 11,500-foot Mt. San Gorgonio in San Bernardino National Forest, Southern California.

An extensive search turned up only some candy wrappers and a camera with a haunting image of Jared on it. Thirty years later, despite the large search and follow-up hikes into the area by amateur investigators, no remains have been found.

Many are asking why would a Scout Leader leave Jared alone on his first trip, whilst he and the other scouts completed their hike?

San Gorgonio Mountain, also known locally as Mount San Gorgonio, or Old Greyback, is the highest peak in Southern California and the Transverse Ranges at 11,503 feet (3,506 m). It is in the San Bernardino Mountains, 27 miles (43 km) east of the city of San Bernardino. It lies within the San Gorgonio Wilderness, part of the Sand to Snow National Monument managed by the San Bernardino National Forest.

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Police searching for four missing teenagers on a camping trip in North Wales find the Silver Ford Fiesta they were travelling in as village is cordoned off and air ambulance lands nearby – as boy’s worried mother says she ‘didn’t know he was going camping’

Police searching for four missing teenagers who went on a camping trip in North Wales have found the silver Ford Fiesta the group were last seen travelling in and sealed off the area around it.

Sixth form students Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Henderson and Hugo Morris  were last seen in the Porthmadog area of Gwynedd on Sunday morning.

The teenagers, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, were due home on Monday but none of them have made contact with friends and family or been active on WhatsApp. 

On Tuesday afternoon, the A4085 which runs through the village of Garreg was cordoned off following information from a member of the public. An air ambulance and forensics van are also on the scene. 

North Wales Police have not said whether the boys have been found or given an update on their condition, but are set to give a press conference later today. 

Locals reported that it had rained at the weekend, leading to rising river levels and ‘poor visibility’ in the mountainous area. One resident, Emyr Owen, told the BBC there had been ‘atrocious weather’ on Sunday, the day the boys went missing.

Crystal Owen, the mother of Harvey, a 17-year-old student at Shrewsbury College doing A-levels, said she was unaware her son had gone camping and thought he was staying at a friend’s grandfather’s house for the night. 

She said: ‘If I’d have known [where he was going] I wouldn’t have let him due to the winter weather conditions. They are all sensitive, intelligent lads and we are just hoping they parked up, got lost and are OK.’

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Headless corpse with no arms washes up on NYC beach – two weeks after missing Irish filmmaker, 44, was last seen on nearby stretch of sand

An investigation has been launched after a headless body was discovered on a beach in the Rockaways in New York City. 

The NYPD were on the scene at  Breezy Point Beach just after noon on Friday after reports of human torso came in to 911.

Officers with the 100th Precinct responded to the gruesome sight which saw a human torso with legs still attached but without arms, was found lying on the sand.

The discovery comes only weeks after a talented Irish film maker named Ross McDonnell disappeared from his New York home with his bike later being found at Fort Tilden Beach near Roxbury – just three miles away from Breezy Point Beach. 

Emmy award winner McDonnell, 44, was last spotted late on the night of Saturday, November 4 at Fort Tilden Beach near Roxbury, where his bicycle was found locked up three days later.

Earlier this month, friend Gene Gallerano, told The Irish Times that McDonnell appears to have been on the beach but ‘went out into the ocean’ before disappearing.

The identity of the body found on Friday will not be released until the family is notified. 

The NYPD has not revealed whether the body had washed up on shore or been dumped on the beach. 

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Police hunt for Washington couple who vanished in ‘suspicious’ circumstances after wife’s co-workers raise alarm when she didn’t show for work

Fears are growing for a popular chiropractor and her husband who disappeared suddenly from their Washington home at the weekend and have not been seen since.

Police arrived to carry out a welfare check at the Lacey home of Karen Koep and her husband Davido when she failed to turn up for work in the center of town on Monday.

The couple, who have two adult children, were not there, but their silver 2015 Toyota Yaris was found abandoned five miles away later that day at the Chehalis Western Trailhead in East Olympia, a popular starting point for hikers.

‘Deputies responded to the residence located in Lake Forest Development and found that the husband and wife were missing and the circumstance surrounding their disappearance is suspicious,’ said Thurston County Sheriff’s Office in a statement on Tuesday.

‘The couple’s vehicle was missing from the residence and was later located by law enforcement near 67th Avenue SE and Ranier Road SE.’

‘To ensure the integrity of the investigation we have not released many details.’

Local TV channel KING 5 Seattle reported that police initially arrested a suspect near the O’Reilly Autoparts store in the north-east of the city but he was later released without charge.

Davido is landlord to several properties in the area and police have been interrogating his tenants for clues to his disappearance.

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Former Scientologist Mitch Brisker lifts lid on church leader David Miscavige’s relationship with Tom Cruise, luxurious lifestyle and the woman who took wife Shelly’s place

David Miscavige, leader of the Church of Scientology, is a reclusive man with a penchant for designer clothes, a hunger for gifts, fast cars, and superbikes and a fondness for thumping music.

And, according to one of his closest lieutenants, he ‘exiled’ his wife Shelly seemingly without a second thought because he was ‘done with her.’

This is the picture of the enigmatic man painted by Mitch Brisker, 74, former Senior Director and Creative Executive of Scientology’s Golden Era Studios.

For 30 years Brisker was, by his own admission, Chief Architect of Scientology’s Propaganda and a trusted right-hand man to its leader, Miscavige, 63.

Once a member of the church’s upper echelons, he left the church just over a year ago after clashing with Miscavige and losing faith in what it stood for.

Now, he is speaking out for the first time in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com giving his unique insight into Miscavige, his personality, his ‘missing’ wife, his infamous friendship with Tom Cruise and the luxurious lifestyle of the man whom, he says, conducts himself like a ‘super celebrity.’

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Hiker Rich Moore, 71, missing for three months is found dead in Colorado with his white Jack Russell dog still alive next to his body

A 71-year-old hiker missing since August has been found dead in the Colorado mountains with his loyal dog, who miraculously survived two months in the wilderness, by his side. 

Rich Moore and his white Jack Russell, Finney, had set out for a hike on August 19 to Blackhead Peak, located in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. The missing man’s body was discovered by a local hunter on October 30 in the Lower Blanco drainage basin.

The hiking route to Blackhead’s 12,500-foot summit is approximately three miles with an elevation gain of 2,500 feet. The road to the peak is described as ‘rough, rocky, and steep, but the last stretch is an unmaintained ‘social trail, The Mercury News reported.

The day after Moore’s body was found, members from the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office and search and rescue were flown into the area to recover the victim. 

Moore’s loyal dog, who miraculously survived, was transported to a local veterinary hospital, and was later reunited with her family.

Moore’s cause of death has not been disclosed, but authorities said that foul play was not suspected, The Denzer Gazette reported.

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