12 Unexplained Disappearances in the Modern Era
Over the past several decades, people have vanished under baffling circumstances, leaving behind more questions than answers.
- Daisy Montero
- 4 min read
This listicle explores dozen modern-era disappearances — ranging from lone travelers to entire families — whose stories continue to haunt investigators and the public. Some left a few cryptic clues, others virtually nothing, and in many cases, theories swirl but no resolution ever comes.
1. 1. D.B. Cooper
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wikimedia Commons
On November 24, 1971, a man using the alias D.B. Cooper hijacked a commercial flight, extorted $200,000, and parachuted out into the night — never to be seen again. Despite decades of investigation, no confirmed trace of him or where he landed has ever been found. The case remains one of the most infamous unsolved hijackings in U.S. history.
2. 2. Jimmy Hoffa
Garam on Wikimedia Commons
Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful Teamsters union boss, disappeared in 1975 after going to a meeting in suburban Detroit. He was legally declared dead in 1982, but his body was never found — sparking endless speculation about mob ties, betrayal, and buried secrets. Decades later, the mystery of what really happened to him continues to fuel books, films, and investigations.
3. 3. MH370
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing — vanishing from radar over the Indian Ocean. Despite massive search efforts, only fragments of debris have been found, and the exact cause or final location remains uncertain. The case is a stark reminder of how even modern technology can fail when confronted with nature’s vastness.
4. 4. Tiphaine Véron
famille Tiphaine Véron on Wikimedia Commons
In July 2018, Tiphaine Véron, a French tourist, checked out of her hotel in Nikkō, Japan — but her belongings stayed behind. Surveillance footage captured her having breakfast, but shortly after, she was never seen again. The case raised important questions about how missing-person investigations are handled differently across countries, and as of now, her fate remains unresolved.
5. 5. Facundo Astudillo Castro
Mathias Reding on Pexels
During Argentina’s strict COVID-19 lockdown, 22-year-old Facundo Astudillo Castro went missing after being stopped at a police checkpoint. Photos from that day show him handcuffed by police, but after that, he vanished and was later found dead in a river under disputed circumstances. His disappearance sparked widespread allegations of police misconduct and political cover-ups.
6. 6. The Jamison Family
Andriy Nestruiev on Pexels
In October 2009, Bobby, Sherilynn, and their young daughter Madyson Jamison set out in their truck toward rural Oklahoma, and then disappeared. Their abandoned vehicle was eventually found intact, with cash, IDs, GPS, and even their dog inside. Four years later, skeletal remains matching the family were discovered, but their disappearance remains a deeply unsettling mystery.
7. 7. The Yuba County Five
Chamberlain, William Henry, 1855-; Wells, Harry Laurenz, 1854-1940 on Wikimedia Commons
In 1978, five men with intellectual or psychiatric conditions left a basketball game and drove into the Plumas National Forest — only to never return. Their car was later found stuck in the snow, but food, maps, and supplies were left behind. Four of them were eventually found dead, but one was still missing. The strange sequence of events and survival clues has spawned countless theories.
8. 8. The Springfield Three
Tom Fisk on Pexels
On June 7, 1992, Sherrill Levitt, her daughter Suzanne Streeter, and friend Stacy McCall disappeared from Sherrill’s home in Springfield, Missouri. Their cars, cash, and identification were left behind. Bizarrely, there were no signs of forced entry or a struggle. Over thirty years later, no one knows what happened to them.
9. 9. Alaska Triangle
Paxson Woelber on Wikimedia Commons
The so-called Alaska Triangle, stretching between Juneau, Anchorage, and Barrow, has become infamous for a high rate of disappearances, strange UFO sightings, and even cryptid lore. Thousands of people — hikers, pilots, and local residents — have vanished over decades. Despite wild theories about Bigfoot or alien involvement, many of those cases remain unexplained.
10. 10. Missing 411 Phenomenon
Lennart Wittstock on Pexels
The Missing 411 cases refer to clusters of unexplained disappearances in U.S. national parks: people vanish without a trace, sometimes leaving shoes behind or bodies in unlikely places. Patterns include no signs of struggle, sudden weather changes, and sometimes recovered belongings in odd contexts — raising chilling questions about whether there’s a deeper mystery in America’s wilderness.
11. 11. Leanne Marie Hausberg
Francesco Ungaro on Pexels
In 1999, 14-year-old Leanne Marie Hausberg, who was part Native American, disappeared in New York City. For years, law enforcement labeled her a “runaway,” delaying serious search efforts. Her case highlights a broader problem: systemic neglect of missing Indigenous youth and the lasting pain of a family still waiting for answers.
12. 12. Conor & Sheila Dwyer
Martin.que on Pexels
On May 1, 1991, Conor and Sheila Dwyer, an older married couple from County Cork, Ireland, disappeared after reportedly heading to a local funeral. Their car, a white Toyota, was never found — and despite public appeals and alleged sightings, no trace of them has ever been confirmed. Their case remains one of Ireland’s most enduring and heartbreaking mysteries.