When we talk about the 10 baffling disappearances that continue to haunt investigators, we’re stepping into a realm of unanswered questions, lingering hope, and unsettling mystery. As we usher in a new decade, these cold cases remind us that some stories refuse to find closure, leaving families and detectives alike chasing shadows.
Exploring the 10 Baffling Disappearances
10 Boris Weisfeiler
In December 1984, the 43‑year‑old professor Boris Weisfeiler, weary of Pennsylvania’s relentless snow, booked a trip to Chile hoping to soak up Andean sunshine and trail‑blaze through the mountains.
During one of his hikes, witnesses believe he attempted to ford a river. The only trace of his presence was a lone backpack discovered on the riverbank, and authorities in Chile later surmised he may have drowned, though no body was ever retrieved.
Sixteen years later, declassified U.S. documents added a dark twist: they suggested Weisfeiler was possibly murdered in Chile, with a witness reporting he was interrogated at an agricultural commune and shot at close range.
This revelation sparked a fresh investigation. In 2012, eight individuals—including police and military personnel—were charged with his kidnapping, but the case was closed in 2016 and the suspects released.
To this day, Weisfeiler’s sister remains devastated, and without a recovered body, his ultimate fate continues to elude resolution.
9 Patricia Meehan
On April 20, 1989, 37‑year‑old Patricia Meehan found herself driving the wrong way on Montana Highway 200, colliding with a vehicle driven by off‑duty police dispatcher Carol Heitz.
After the crash, Meehan approached Heitz, stared silently for a moment, then turned, climbed over a nearby fence, glanced back once more, and vanished into the night, never to be seen again.
Thousands of alleged sightings popped up afterward—some saying she was hitchhiking, others spotting her at diners—primarily throughout Montana and Washington. Investigators learned she suffered from depression and held odd jobs on a Montana ranch before her disappearance.
Her family launched a massive personal search, distributing 2,000 flyers and employing horses and a helicopter to scour the rugged terrain, yet despite these exhaustive efforts, Patricia Meehan remains missing.
8 Mayumi Arashi
Twenty‑seven‑year‑old Mayumi Arashi left her Tokyo home on September 2, 1994, telling her sister Yoko she was meeting a friend. When Mayumi failed to return by the next day, Yoko called the supposed friend, who denied any plans.
Later that day, Yoko discovered a note in her wardrobe: “I was going out with A but was betrayed… I’m sorry,” with A’s phone number scrawled below. When Yoko called, “A” claimed he had met Mayumi the previous day and hoped any punishment would land him in prison.
Yoko hired a private detective, who tracked “A” for months but could only confirm he entered the woods on March 9, 1995, carrying two drinks. A police search turned up nothing. Years later, a TV interview revealed a cryptic note on a shelf behind Yoko’s father that read, “Don’t believe what Yoko says,” sparking further speculation, yet Mayumi’s fate remains unknown.
7 Hannah Upp
On August 28, 2008, Hannah Upp vanished after a jog along Riverside Drive near Hamilton Heights in New York. Roughly three weeks later, she was found floating in New York Harbor, unable to recall how she arrived there or what transpired during her disappearance.
Medical examinations diagnosed her with dissociative fugue, a rare amnesic disorder causing loss of personal identity that can persist for years. She disappeared again for two days in September 2013, and yet again on September 14, 2017, a week after Hurricane Irma struck the Caribbean, where she was employed at a school.
On September 16, 2017, construction workers discovered her car abandoned on a beach, containing clothes and her keys. That same day, Hurricane Maria began forming, adding further devastation to the region. Despite these clues, Hannah Upp remains missing.
6 Patrick Warren And David Spencer
Following a joyful Christmas Day in 1996, best friends Patrick Warren (11) and David Spencer (13) spent Boxing Day playing in Chelmsley Wood’s Meriden Park. Afterward, they asked their parents if they could visit Patrick’s brother that evening.
Patrick set off on his brand‑new bicycle while David walked beside him. They were last seen heading toward a local gas station, then toward a shopping centre, according to an attendant.The next day, Patrick’s brother searched for them, discovering Patrick’s bike abandoned behind the gas station. Their faces appeared on milk cartons in a desperate attempt to locate them.
In 2003, a suspect was arrested but later released without charge. Notable criminal Brian Field, responsible for a 1968 child murder and a 1986 teen imprisonment, was also considered a person of interest. A 2006 search of Field’s former dump site yielded no remains. As of early 2020, Patrick and David remain missing, with little hope of resolution.
5 Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle
On March 26, 1993, 26‑year‑old New Yorker Annie McCarrick vanished from Sandymount, last seen outside a post office in Enniskerry. Her parents spent six months searching Ireland for their daughter, to no avail.
July 25, 1993, saw 39‑year‑old Eva Brennan disappear after leaving her parents’ home in Rathgar; her jacket was later found in her empty apartment. On January 3, 1994, 22‑year‑old Imelda Keenan told her boyfriend she was heading to the post office, only to be last seen crossing a road in Waterford City before disappearing.
Subsequent victims included Josephine Dollard (21, November 1995), Fiona Pender (25, August 1996), Ciara Breen (17, February 1997), Fiona Sinnott (19, February 1998), Deirdre Jacob (18, July 1998), and others, all within Leinster’s “Vanishing Triangle.” Police suspect convicted rapist Larry Murphy, whose imprisonment in 2000 coincided with the abrupt end of the disappearances, yet insufficient evidence has prevented charges.
4 Lauren Spierer
On June 3, 2011, 20‑year‑old Indiana University student Lauren Spierer spent an evening at a Bloomington bar with friends. Her boyfriend, Jesse Wolff, kept in touch via text before heading to bed.
Surveillance captured Spierer leaving the bar just before 2:30 a.m., accompanied by a visibly intoxicated friend, Cory Rossman. After briefly reaching her apartment complex, the duo walked through an alley, eventually arriving at Rossman’s residence where his roommate, Michael Beth, escorted Rossman to his room.
Spierer declined to stay, insisting on returning home. She later stopped by a neighboring apartment, where resident Jay Rosenbaum claimed to have seen her heading south on College Avenue at 4:30 a.m. Subsequent texts to Wolff revealed she’d forgotten her phone at the bar. Despite extensive investigation—including a link to the 2015 murder of Hannah Wilson—no suspects have emerged, and Lauren remains missing.
3 Ben McDaniel
Thirty‑year‑old scuba diver Ben McDaniel entered the Vortex Springs underwater cave on August 18, 2010, attempting to breach a restricted section by tampering with the safety gate.
Two staff divers observed his actions and, to prevent injury, allowed him deeper access. Two days later, they realized his truck had never left the parking lot, prompting an urgent police call. Recovery divers scoured every nook of the cavern but found nothing; veteran divers later noted his physique made it impossible for him to become trapped deeper inside.
McDaniel’s parents offered a $30,000 reward for anyone willing to risk their life to explore further. A diver reportedly accepted the challenge but later turned up dead inside the cave. Conspiracy theories abound—from claims he staged his death to escape personal woes, to suggestions of murder or a self‑inflicted drowning—yet his body remains unfound.
2 Anthonette Cayedito
On April 6, 1986, Penny Cayedito arrived home in Gallup, New Mexico, after a long workday. While she prepared for bed, her eldest daughter, nine‑year‑old Anthonette, answered a late‑night knock she heard, while her two younger sisters simply returned to sleep.
When the family awoke, Anthonette was gone. Police were called, and family members speculated an uncle might have been responsible, though he was later cleared. Neighbors reported a brown van parked outside and a man walking toward the house, but the vehicle was never located.
A year later, a mysterious phone call from a girl claiming to be Anthonette reported she was being held in Albuquerque, with a male voice in the background demanding, “Who said you could use the phone?” The line cut off, and the call could not be traced. Years later, a waitress in Carson City received a note from a teenager that read, “Help me! Call police.” Despite these leads, Anthonette remains missing, and her mother, Penny, passed away in 1999 without ever seeing her daughter again.
1 Mikelle Biggs
On January 2, 1999, nine‑year‑old Kimber Biggs and her 11‑year‑old sister Mikelle waited outside their Mesa, Arizona home for an ice‑cream truck. After Kimber told Mikelle to go inside, she returned moments later to find Mikelle’s bike abandoned on the road, front wheel spinning, and her sister nowhere in sight.
Within half an hour, over a thousand volunteers combed the streets, but no witnesses or solid leads emerged. Only neighbors and Mikelle’s father were questioned, and both were quickly cleared of suspicion.
Years later, on March 14, 2018, a reporter called Mesa police to report a dollar bill handed in with the message, “My name is Mikel Biggs. Kidnapped from Mesa. I’m alive.” Kimber doubted its authenticity due to the misspelled name, and the tip led nowhere. As of early 2020, Mikelle remains missing, and her sister continues to hope for her safe return.