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The National Missing and Unidentified Persons database (NamUS) reveals that over 600,000 individuals are reported missing annually in the United States. Although most cases are resolved swiftly, some remain unresolved for extended periods, leaving families in a state of anguish and uncertainty. These families endure an emotional ordeal, clinging to hope for any updates, though the outcomes are not always positive.
Even when a missing person is found deceased, the resolution may not provide the closure families seek, particularly when the circumstances surrounding the disappearance are baffling. In certain instances, the tragic outcomes of these cases continue to perplex investigators.
This compilation recounts ten harrowing missing persons cases where the truth was stranger than fiction. From bizarre statues to confined spaces and oceanic mysteries, these stories led to unsettling, astonishing, and sorrowful discoveries. Below are ten tragic missing persons cases with resolutions in the most unexpected locations.
10. Ornamental Dinosaur Sculpture
On May 22, 2021, a father and son in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a suburb of Barcelona, Spain, detected an unusual odor emanating from a paper mache Stegosaurus statue. Peering through a crack in the dinosaur’s leg, the father discovered a body and immediately alerted the authorities.
Three fire brigade teams were dispatched to the location to assist in cutting open the statue and extracting the body. Investigators believe the 39-year-old man, whose identity remains undisclosed, had entered the statue headfirst to retrieve a dropped cell phone. Tragically, he became trapped in the statue’s leg and was unable to free himself.
The man, a Spanish national, had been unreachable by his family for several days. He had been reported missing just hours before his body was found. The decorative statue, which once promoted an old cinema, has since been removed from its location outside the city’s Cubic Building.
9. Behind a Cooler in a Closed Supermarket
On November 28, 2009, 25-year-old Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada fled his home in Council Bluffs, Iowa, during a snowstorm after becoming distressed. Despite the freezing temperatures, he left wearing only blue jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, with no shoes, socks, or coat. His mother, Ana Moncada, and a friend searched for him but found no trace. Ana reported her son missing the following day, November 29, 2009.
Prior to vanishing on November 27, 2009, Murillo-Moncada came home from his job at the No Frills Supermarket appearing confused, prompting Ana to take him to a doctor. He was prescribed antidepressants for anxiety, but his parents suspected the medication triggered his erratic behavior. Ana recounted, “He heard voices telling him to ‘eat sugar.’ He believed his heart was racing and thought consuming sugar would calm it.”
Tragically, it would take almost a decade before Murillo-Moncada was located.
On January 24, 2019, a contracting crew dismantling shelves and coolers at the No Frills Supermarket, which had shut down in 2016, stumbled upon a body behind a cooler and notified the police. The clothing matched what Murillo-Moncada had worn when he disappeared, and DNA testing using his parents’ samples confirmed his identity.
Authorities theorize that after fleeing, Murillo-Moncada entered the supermarket’s storage area and climbed onto a cooler. Former employees mentioned that workers often accessed the top of the coolers for storage purposes and sometimes used the space for informal breaks.
It is believed that after climbing the 12-foot (3.6-meter) cooler, Murillo-Moncada fell into an 18-inch (45-cm) gap between the cooler and the wall, becoming trapped. The noise from the coolers’ compressors likely drowned out any cries for help. An autopsy revealed no signs of trauma, and his death was ruled accidental.
8. Inside a School Shark
Shortly before midnight on February 18, 2023, 32-year-old Diego Barría was riding his ATV back home in Chubut, Argentina’s Patagonian region. He paused to chat with some fishermen and texted his partner, Virginia Brugger, informing her he would be delayed. Tragically, Barría never made it home and stopped responding to calls and messages. His family reported him missing on February 20, 2023.
During the search on February 20, 2023, authorities found Barría’s wrecked ATV and a broken helmet on a beach near Rocas Colorados. Despite the discovery, Barría himself remained missing. (Link 12)
On February 26, 2023, two fishermen informed the coastguard they had caught three school sharks—also known as tope or soupfin sharks—near the beach where Barría’s ATV was found. While cleaning the sharks, they discovered human remains inside one. Barría’s family identified him through a tattoo visible in the remains.
Officials pledged to continue investigating Barría’s disappearance. Given the strong tidal surge during the weekend he vanished, police theorize Barría may have crashed his ATV into a rock, with his body subsequently swept out to sea.
7. Hotel Pool Pipe
Jose Daniela Jaico Ahumada booked a room at the Doubletree by Hilton Houston Brookhollow Hotel in Houston, Texas, for a family swimming day, a favorite activity of her eight-year-old daughter, Aliyah Jaico. Sadly, what was meant to be a joyful outing turned into a heartbreaking missing persons case with a tragic outcome.
On March 23, 2024, Aliyah was playing in the hotel’s “lazy river style” pool with her family. Ahumada briefly stepped away, and just before 5 pm, Aliyah vanished in an instant. Ahumada searched desperately for about an hour and asked hotel staff to check CCTV footage, but they refused, stating police presence was required. At approximately 5:45 pm, Ahumada reported Aliyah missing to the authorities.
Upon arrival, police reviewed security footage showing Aliyah submerging and not resurfacing. The pool was drained, and Texas EquuSearch was called to inspect the pool’s pipes. At 11:30 pm, Aliyah’s body was discovered 20 feet (6 meters) inside the piping, and it took crews nearly 13 hours to retrieve her. She was pronounced dead at the scene due to drowning and mechanical asphyxia.
An investigation by the City of Houston’s Health Department found that the hotel failed to obtain a pre-opening inspection after a pool remodel. The new piping was malfunctioning, sucking water in instead of pushing it out. The pool also violated federal laws designed to prevent drain entrapment and child drowning, among other safety breaches.
Ahumada has since initiated a $1 million lawsuit against Hilton, the parent company of Doubletree, and Unique Crowne Hospitality, the local operator of the hotel.
6. Laundry Cart
On January 18, 2023, 21-year-old Rosa Chacon left her home in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood and entered an Uber. She left without her coat or ID, telling her mother only, “I’ll be back, Mom. I have rides arranged both ways.” Tragically, Chacon never returned.
After Chacon was reported missing, the Chicago Police Department issued a media bulletin on January 23, 2023. Chacon’s mother stated that Uber declined to provide details about the ride’s requester or destination. She also claimed authorities offered minimal assistance, prompting the family to hire a private investigator after months of distributing flyers and searching independently.
On March 15, 2023, around 10:45 am, Chacon’s body was discovered in a laundry cart just 2 miles (3.2 km) from her home. The medical examiner’s office has yet to determine the cause of death, and the case remains unresolved.
5. Department Store Bathroom
Bessie Durham, a 63-year-old from Columbia, South Carolina, was employed by KBS, a cleaning service contracted for the Columbiana Mall. On September 15, 2022, she clocked in at 7 am and entered a family restroom in the Belk department store. However, she never clocked out that day.
After four days without contact, Durham’s family reported her missing. Columbia Police contacted the store, but on September 19, 2022, employees discovered her body locked inside the bathroom she had entered to clean. An autopsy later confirmed she died from a cardiac event.
On September 19, 2023, exactly one year after her death, Durham’s family filed a lawsuit against Belk and her employer, alleging negligence. They questioned why no store employees found it unusual that her cleaning cart remained outside the restroom for four days while the store operated normally. They also cited a 2022 store policy, implemented after a mall shooting, that required restroom doors to be locked, which they claimed worsened the situation.
4. Community College Ventilation System
On October 25, 2023, 36-year-old Jason Anthony Thompson from Clinton Township, Michigan, informed his family and girlfriend that he was evading the police. He claimed to be hiding on the roof of a building at Macomb Community College. However, his text messages ceased, and by November 1, 2023, he was reported missing.
On November 7, 2023, Sterling Heights police requested Macomb College police to inspect the performing arts center’s roof for signs of entry into the ventilation system, but no evidence was found. On November 17, 2023, they asked again to review video footage, but the area lacked camera coverage.
Over a month after Thompson’s disappearance, on November 26, 2023, police were called to investigate a foul odor emanating from a campus building. The odor was traced to a restricted mechanical room. Using X-ray equipment and a small camera, the Michigan State Police Bomb Squad identified an inverted body in the vent, later confirmed to be Thompson.
Investigators believe Thompson entered the ductwork from the roof and moved deeper into the HVAC system. He became trapped headfirst in a narrowed vertical duct. His death was ruled accidental, caused by asphyxia, entrapment, and environmental suffocation.
Although Thompson was a fugitive with five arrest warrants, authorities clarified there was no evidence of an active pursuit at the time.
3. Convention Center Walls
On the evening of August 22, 2020, 40-year-old Joseph Edward Mejica vanished in Oakland, California. His mother, the last person thought to have seen him, reported him missing. Mejica, who was homeless, often stayed in unsheltered encampments. His family offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts.
Mejica’s remains were discovered on March 9, 2022, when a construction worker dismantled a wall inside the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, closed since 2005. Initially unidentified, the coroner matched a serial number from a leg implant to records at Highland Hospital, where Mejica had surgery nearly 20 years earlier. DNA testing later confirmed his identity.
Mejica’s mother mentioned he often stole copper wiring from construction sites for money. Authorities theorize he may have fallen from the roof area, and over time, his body settled at the bottom of a cavity. His death was ruled accidental.
2. Asian Restaurant
Mingming Chen, 29, and her husband, Liang Zhao, 34, had a daughter named Ashley Zhao. Instead of raising her themselves, Zhao’s mother cared for Ashley until she was four, allowing Zhao to focus on his business, Ang’s Asian Cuisine in North Canton, Ohio. However, after taking over Ashley’s care, Chen grew increasingly frustrated with her daughter’s disobedience.
On January 9, 2017, Chen lost her temper after Ashley had an accident, striking her multiple times on the head. Zhao attempted to revive Ashley, but instead of seeking medical help, the couple drove to their restaurant and concealed her body in a salt container inside the freezer.
Twelve hours later, Zhao reported Ashley missing to the police, claiming they last saw her sleeping near the restaurant’s back door. Investigators initially believed Ashley had wandered off. After an intense search, her body was discovered in the restaurant on January 10, 2017.
On January 11, 2017, Chen was charged with first-degree murder and felonious assault, while Zhao faced charges of complicity to commit murder and felonious assault. In January 2018, Chen pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges, receiving a 22-year prison sentence. As an undocumented immigrant, she will be deported to China after serving her sentence. Zhao was sentenced to 12 years for obstructing justice and corpse abuse.
1. Truck Bed Toolbox
Jannell Martensen, 49, from Spokane, Washington, battled drug addiction and had a turbulent relationship with Colton Russell, 37. Their relationship was marked by violence, including an incident in 2021 when Russell drove Martensen to a remote area, brutally assaulted her, and abandoned her. Fortunately, a passerby found her and brought her home.
In June 2023, the couple ended their relationship. Martensen moved in with a friend, while Russell began dating 23-year-old Kiara Morgan-Weiland. Despite the breakup and Russell’s new relationship, Martensen continued to stay in contact with him.
On November 18, 2023, Martensen went camping with Russell and Morgan-Weiland. Early on November 19, she sent desperate texts to her cousin, Alisha Galbreath, and friends, including messages like “Please come get me, I’m scared to death” and “I’m afraid he’s going to kill me.” However, since Martensen had made similar pleas in the past but refused to leave Russell, no one intervened.
When Martensen missed Thanksgiving with her family and stopped responding to calls, Galbreath reported her missing. Friends questioned Russell about her disappearance, but his story kept changing, with conflicting accounts of her last known whereabouts. Russell and Morgan-Weiland became suspects, but before they could be questioned, both were found dead on December 8, 2023.
On December 9, 2023, police searched Russell’s home and found blood splatter on the walls, a bloody sponge in the trash, and sections of carpet with possible blood stains. Detectives also discovered that Morgan-Weiland had searched for terms like “serial killer couples” and “how to dispose of dead bodies” on YouTube.
On December 14, 2023, detectives confiscated Russell’s truck and a truck bed toolbox, which had been left on a residential property after reportedly breaking down. Tragically, Martensen’s body was found inside the toolbox. The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma.
On December 16, 2023, Brandon Kenny, a friend of the couple, confessed to shooting Russell and stabbing Morgan-Weiland 51 times. Kenny claimed Russell admitted to “accidentally killing” Martensen and then threatened him at gunpoint, forcing him to help move her body.
Kenny stated he “had to kill” Morgan-Weiland because she was the only other person aware of the situation. Kenny now faces two counts of first-degree murder.
