Buzz
The idea of a couple vanishing to start anew is often romanticized, but reality paints a darker picture. Such disappearances typically involve unsettling and mysterious events, leaving families in distress. Below are ten couples of varying ages who vanished without a trace, their fates still unknown.
10. Camden Sylvia & Michael Sullivan
Michael Sullivan, 54, and his 36-year-old partner, Camden Sylvia, shared a Manhattan loft before they went jogging on November 7, 1997. When days passed without contact, Camden’s mother visited their home. The couple was gone, and aside from their running shoes, a set of keys, and Camden’s bag, everything remained untouched. Their landlord, Robert Rodriguez, became a suspect due to his financial struggles and his push for a steep rent hike.
Rodriguez had warned tenants about cutting off the building’s heating unless they agreed to a rent hike. On the day she vanished, Camden handed him a signed petition from tenants vowing to withhold rent if he carried out his threat. Shortly after Camden and Michael disappeared, Rodriguez vanished for two weeks without explanation. He was later imprisoned for six years on charges of larceny, tax fraud, and credit card fraud. Though released since, rumors link him to the couple’s disappearance, but no evidence exists to confirm this, and he denies involvement. The fate of Michael Sullivan and Camden Sylvia remains a mystery.
9. Glen & Bessie Hyde
Glen and Bessie Hyde, newlyweds from Twin Falls, Idaho, embarked on a rafting honeymoon along the Green and Colorado Rivers in October 1928. On November 15, they stopped at photographer Emory Kolb’s home to replenish supplies. After departing, they vanished. A rescue team discovered their abandoned boat in December, fully stocked with supplies and personal items, but no trace of the couple. The tow line was snagged underwater, adding to the mystery.
Without life jackets, it was speculated the Hydes drowned or perished while hiking out of the Grand Canyon. Over time, their disappearance fueled urban legends, including tales of murder. In 1971, Elizabeth Cutler claimed to be Bessie Hyde, alleging she killed her husband and started anew, but later retracted her story. After Kolb’s death, skeletal remains with a skull bullet wound were found on his property, initially thought to be Glen’s but later disproven. Nearly 85 years later, the fate of Glen and Bessie Hyde remains unresolved.
8. Edward & Stephania Andrews
On May 15, 1970, Edward and Stephania Andrews, a couple in their sixties, attended a cocktail party at Chicago’s Sheraton Hotel. As the evening progressed, Edward seemed unwell. The parking garage manager reported seeing Edward stagger to his Oldsmobile, with Stephania tearfully pleading for him not to drive. After accidentally hitting the garage door, Edward was last spotted driving the wrong way on Michigan Avenue.
Initially, authorities speculated Edward might have driven into the Chicago River due to disorientation. Despite thorough searches, no sign of the couple or their car was found. In 1980, twelve vehicles were recovered during a river cleanup, but the Oldsmobile wasn’t among them. In 1994, an informant alleged the couple was murdered by gang members, who disposed of their bodies and car in a Green Oaks pond. However, searches yielded no evidence. Over four decades later, the fate of Edward and Stephania Andrews remains unresolved.
7. Christopher Mittendorf & Kristina Branum
On July 27, 2006, Christopher Mittendorf, a 21-year-old from Hardin County, Tennessee, went on a shopping trip with his 17-year-old fiancée, Kristina Branum. The couple lived with Christopher’s mother at the time. When she returned home later that day, she found new clothes laid out on a bed, but Christopher and Kristina were missing.
Five days later, their car was discovered abandoned in a rural area roughly 50-60 miles away. A cell phone was left inside, and a witness reported seeing them exit the vehicle and enter a white car, which then drove off. Christopher’s mother suspects George Baugus, a career criminal, may be involved. She found a lock box in their apartment containing Baugus’s belongings and speculated the couple might have taken them, making themselves targets. However, Baugus was killed by his wife in 2010 before any connection to the disappearances could be proven. With this lead gone cold, the fate of Christopher and Kristina remains unknown.
6. Claude & Martha Sue Shelton
Claude Shelton, 37, and his 27-year-old wife, Martha Sue, lived with their three children in a Corbin, Kentucky trailer park. On May 21, 1971, after putting their kids to bed, the couple drove off in their Ford Galaxie and were never seen again. Authorities were puzzled, as it was unthinkable they would abandon their children, leaving no clues behind.
One child recalled Claude asking Sue, “Are you coming with me or staying here?” and mentioning a trip to King’s Truck Stop, five miles away. However, no one at the truck stop remembered seeing them. The couple had saved over $600, kept in a kitchen bowl, which also vanished. Two months later, an unidentified woman’s body found in Oregon resembled Sue, but 2009 DNA tests ruled out a match. The Sheltons’ fate remains unknown.
5. Danielle Imbo & Richard Petrone
On February 19, 2005, Danielle Imbo and Richard Petrone, a Philadelphia couple in their thirties, enjoyed drinks with friends. Around 11:30 PM, they left in Richard’s Dodge Dakota pickup and disappeared without a trace. No activity has been detected on their bank accounts, credit cards, or cell phones since. Both had children from previous relationships, making it unlikely they would abandon them willingly.
Speculation arose that the couple might have driven into the Delaware River by accident. Despite searches uncovering several submerged vehicles, Richard’s pickup truck was not among them. Authorities turned their attention to Danielle’s estranged husband, Joe Imbo, who had reportedly exchanged threats with Richard. Danielle had also expressed a desire to end her relationship with Richard, though she went out with him that night. These suspicions have strained relations between their families, but no evidence of foul play has been found. Eight years later, Danielle Imbo, Richard Petrone, and their vehicle remain missing.
4. Hue Pham & Hue Tran
In May 2005, Hue Pham and Hue Tran, a Vietnamese-American couple married for 49 years, set off on a seven-day Caribbean cruise aboard the Carnival Cruise Line ship, “Destiny.” They were accompanied by their daughter, Sharon, and granddaughter. Around midnight on May 8, Sharon received a call asking her to collect items from the reception desk—her parents’ flip-flops and her mother’s purse. These were found on a deck the couple often visited, but Hue and Hue were nowhere to be found.
Sharon immediately alerted the crew and began searching for her parents, but it took hours for an official announcement and Coast Guard notification. The deck where they vanished had a 70-foot drop into the ocean, yet the ship continued its course without searching the area. The cruise line suggested suicide, but the family dismissed this. The FBI later ruled out suicide but found no evidence of foul play. The Pham family has criticized Carnival Cruise Line’s handling of the incident and advocated for improved cruise ship safety measures. Despite their efforts, the fate of Hue Pham and Hue Tran remains unresolved.
3. William & Margaret Patterson
On the evening of March 5, 1957, William Patterson, 52, and his wife Margaret, 42, disappeared from their El Paso, Texas home. Their cars, cat, and a disorganized house were left behind. Initially thought to be on an extended Florida vacation, a neighbor reported them missing five months later. The neighbor, who had visited the Patterson home that night, recalled the couple appearing deeply distressed.
A suspicious letter from William surfaced, detailing how his businesses and properties should be distributed to three employees. Authorities doubted its authenticity, especially after one employee was seen working on William’s boat before the disappearance. In 1984, a cleaner hired to tidy the Patterson home claimed to find blood under the water heater and a piece of human scalp on the boat’s propeller. He also witnessed one employee removing bloody sheets but delayed reporting it for 27 years due to his immigration status. The Patterson case remains unsolved, and their old home is rumored to be haunted by their spirits.
2. Conor & Sheila Dwyer
In 1991, one of Ireland’s most perplexing missing persons cases unfolded when Conor and Sheila Dwyer, an elderly couple, disappeared from Fermoy. Their last confirmed sighting was at St. Patrick’s Church on April 30. After weeks of silence, Sheila’s sister visited their home on May 18. Receiving no response, she alerted the police, who broke in but found no trace of the Dwyers.
The Dwyers’ Toyota Cressida was missing, but their home appeared undisturbed. No signs of struggle, theft, or forced entry were found. Their belongings, including clothing and glasses, remained untouched, and their passports and over £1000 in cash were stored in a tin. Investigators discovered Conor had vanished for a few years in the 1980s, returning without explanation. This time, however, he and Sheila did not reappear. With no evidence to explain their disappearance, the case remains one of Ireland’s most baffling mysteries.
1. Mitchel Weiser & Bonita Bickwit
On July 27, 1973, 16-year-old Mitchel Weiser met his 15-year-old girlfriend, Bonita Bickwit, at her workplace in Narrowsburg, New York. The pair planned to hitchhike 75 miles to a concert festival in Watkins Glen. After catching a brief ride with a truck driver, they were last spotted hitchhiking on State Route 97. It remains unclear if they ever reached the concert. While authorities initially speculated they had run away, their families dismissed this theory.
In 2000, the case took a curious turn when Allyn Smith came forward, claiming he had shared a ride on a Volkswagen bus with two teenagers who might have been Mitchel and Bonita after the concert. Smith recounted that during a swim in a river, Bonita struggled in the water, and Mitchel jumped in to rescue her. Both were swept away, and the bus driver allegedly promised to call the police at the next phone, though no such call was recorded. Authorities find Smith’s account plausible but question why he didn’t assist the couple and waited 26 years to report the incident. With no evidence to verify Smith’s story, Mitchel and Bonita remain officially missing.
