12 People Who Vanished Without a Trace—and Were Never Found
Throughout history, there have been many instances of people who just vanished without leaving any trace. Even now, some of these disappearances are still a mystery, leaving detectives stumped and families without any closure.
- Tricia Quitales
- 5 min read
In this article, we explore 12 famous and scary disappearances of people who were last seen but never seen again. From little kids to adults, these people went missing in a variety of strange and unexplained ways. There have been a lot of searches and investigations, but no answers have been found. These situations still bother the people who are left behind.
1. The Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart on Wikimedia
Amelia Earhart, a pilot, went missing in 1937 while trying to fly around the world. Many rescuers searched the Pacific Ocean, but no wrecks or bodies were found. Many conspiracies have been put forward about what happened to her, ranging from the idea that she crashed into the ocean or was captured by the Japanese forces.
2. The Vanishing of Jimmy Hoffa
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There was a labor union leader named Jimmy Hoffa who went missing in 1975 outside of the Michigan restaurant Machus Red Fox. No one saw him again after the last time witnesses saw him getting into a car with two guys. There are a lot of theories about what happened to him, some of which involve the mob, but no one knows where he is.
3. The Case of the Sodder Children
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On Christmas Eve 1945, five of the Sodder children were not with their family. Their West Virginia home had been destroyed by an unknown fire. Even though the whole house was on fire, no bodies were found. People thought that the kids might have been taken away because of this. Many investigations were done, but the truth about their disappearance has still not been found.
4. The Disappearance of Dorothy Arnold
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An important woman in New York in 1910, Dorothy Arnold, went missing after leaving her home to go shopping. She was last seen going down a busy street, but she never returned home, and no clues were ever found about where she was. The case is still one of the most mysterious disappearances in New York.
5. The Vanishing of the Beaumont Children
Lewis Hine on Wikimedia
Three kids named Jane, Arnna, and Grant Beaumont went missing in 1966 while they were playing at Australia’s Glenelg Beach. There was no sign of the children, even after many searches and investigations. Their absence is still one of Australia’s biggest mysteries. Their fate is still unknown because the case has never been solved.
6. The Disappearance of Brian Shaffer
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In 2006, Ohio medical student Brian Shaffer was last seen in a bar with friends. He was never seen leaving. There was security video of him inside the bar but no video of him leaving the building. Despite many searches, Shaffer hasn’t been seen or heard from since he went missing. Theories range from foul play to a voluntary absence.
7. The Vanishing of Agatha Christie
Joop van Bilsen / Anefo on Wikimedia
In 1926, famous author Agatha Christie went missing for eleven days, which led to a huge search. She was found staying at a hotel with a different name. No one knew why she had disappeared. Some say it was because of personal problems, while others think it was just a PR stunt. The real reason is still unknown.
8. D.B. Cooper
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The mysterious hijacker who boarded a plane in Portland, Oregon, extorted $200,000 and parachuted out of the plane over Washington. Despite extensive searches, neither Cooper nor the money was ever recovered. The case remains one of the most famous unsolved disappearances in American history.
9. The Case of the Missing Roanoke Colony
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People who lived in the Roanoke Colony in what is now North Carolina disappeared in 1587. Three years later, when a supply ship came back, the settlement was empty, and there were no signs of the people who had lived there. The only sign was the word “Croatoan” carved into a post, which led to many ideas about what happened to them.
10. The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway
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Natalee Holloway, then 18 years old, went missing in 2005 while on a trip to Aruba after her graduation. She was last seen leaving a nightclub with a group of men, but she was never found, even after much searching and public attention. There are still a lot of questions about the case because the main suspect was never found guilty.
11. The Vanishing of Lauren Spierer
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In 2011, college student Lauren Spierer didn’t show up for work after going out with friends in Bloomington, Indiana. No sign of her has ever been found, even after searching the area and looking at security video. She was last seen walking home by herself. Her disappearance is still a mystery, with speculations ranging from murder to her choosing to go missing.
12. The Disappearance of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse Keepers
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Three lighthouse workers went missing from their post on the Flannan Isles, which are off the coast of Scotland, in 1900. When the supply ship arrived, the lighthouse was empty, and there was no sign of the men. The men were seen last in good health. There were many speculations about what happened to them, from a freak accident to foul play and even magical causes. However, no one really knows what happened to them.