Buzz
Disappearances rank among the most intriguing unsolved mysteries. It’s fascinating to speculate about the fates of those on this list. Was a former NBA player executed by a firing squad in Uganda? Did Percy Fawcett lose his mind in the Amazon? Could Nelson Rockefeller’s son truly have been consumed by cannibals? These questions may remain unanswered forever. Below is a collection of individuals, both famous and obscure, who vanished without a trace. The list is unordered.
10. John Brisker
John Brisker was a professional basketball player in the ABA and NBA during the early 1970s. Known for averaging over 20 points per game and strong defensive skills, his career was marred by a fiery temper and frequent altercations, leading to his release from the Seattle Supersonics after the 1975 season.
A teammate once described Charlie Williams as, “A phenomenal player, but if you said the wrong thing, you’d feel like he might pull a gun from his bag and shoot you.”
In 1978, Brisker traveled to Uganda, informing his family he was venturing into the import/export trade. What followed remains one of the 1970s’ greatest mysteries. The leading theory suggests Brisker went to Uganda not for business but as a guest of dictator Idi Amin. When Amin was overthrown in 1979, Brisker was reportedly executed by firing squad. His remains have never been found.
9. William Morgan
William Morgan, an aspiring author, vanished near Batavia, New York, in 1826. His disappearance is notable due to the involvement of local Freemasons in a plot to silence him. After failing in business, Morgan tried to join the Freemasons in Batavia but was rejected. Enraged, he vowed to expose the group’s secrets in a book. This angered local Freemasons, who published newspaper ads attacking him and even tried to burn down his newspaper office. Morgan was later arrested for alleged debts and imprisoned in Canandaigua, New York.
That same night, a stranger arrived at the jail, claiming to be a friend of Morgan. He offered to settle the debt and secure Morgan’s release. Morgan left with the man and was never seen again. Three Freemasons were later convicted of kidnapping Morgan, though his body was never recovered. The prevailing theory is that Morgan was drowned in the Niagara River. Freemasons, however, deny this and insist Morgan was paid $500 to leave the country. In 1827, a decomposed body was discovered on Lake Ontario’s shore, suspected to be Morgan’s, but no definitive identification was made.
William Morgan’s disappearance sparked significant anti-Masonic sentiment, leading to the formation of the Anti-Masonic Party, which even nominated a presidential candidate in 1832.
8. Bobby Dunbar
On August 23, 1912, Lessie and Percy Dunbar experienced every parent’s worst fear when their four-year-old son, Bobby, vanished during a fishing trip near Swayze Lake in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. Eight months later, Bobby was discovered in the custody of William Cantwell Walters, who was convicted of kidnapping. Bobby was eventually returned to his family.
However, the story took a twist when Julia Anderson came forward, insisting it was a case of mistaken identity and that “Bobby Dunbar” was actually her son, Charlie Bruce Anderson. Her claims were dismissed, and Bobby was returned to the Dunbars. Decades later, one of Bobby’s grandchildren sought to solve the mystery. DNA tests between Bobby Dunbar Jr. and Alonzo, the Dunbars’ other child, revealed no biological connection. The boy raised as Bobby Dunbar was not their son!
It is now believed that the real Bobby Dunbar either drowned in the swamp or was killed by an alligator. The identity of the boy raised as Bobby Dunbar remains unknown.
7. Percy Fawcett
Percy Fawcett, a British archaeologist and the real-life inspiration for Indiana Jones, vanished in 1925 during an expedition into the Amazon. Accompanied by his eldest son Jack and Raleigh Rimell, Fawcett sought a mythical lost city he called “Z.” The trio was last seen crossing the Upper Xingu River, a tributary of the Amazon. It’s believed they were either killed by indigenous tribes or perished in the harsh environment. Some wilder theories suggest Fawcett went insane and became the leader of a cannibal tribe. In 1927, a nameplate belonging to Fawcett was found, and in 1933, a compass matching his was discovered by Colonel Aniceto Botelho.
More than 100 individuals have lost their lives in various expeditions attempting to uncover what happened to Fawcett and his team. In 1951, bones believed to be Fawcett’s were found, but DNA tests confirmed they were not his. The final fate of Fawcett, his son, and Rimell will likely remain a mystery forever.
6. Charles Nungesser and Francois Coli
Charles Eugène Jules Marie Nungesser (pictured above) and Francois Coli were French World War I aviators and competitors of Charles Lindbergh in the race to complete the first non-stop transatlantic flight. On May 8, 1927, they departed Paris in a modified Levasseur PL.8 biplane, the White Bird. Their planned route took them over southwestern England and Ireland, across the Atlantic to Newfoundland, and then south to a water landing in New York.
When the plane failed to arrive, an extensive international search was initiated, but no trace was ever found. Two main theories exist about the fate of the White Bird and its crew. One suggests the plane was downed by a sudden storm over the Atlantic. The other proposes that Nungesser and Coli reached as far as Newfoundland or even Maine before crashing. This theory is supported by multiple eyewitnesses, including Anson Berry, who reported hearing a sputtering aircraft fly over his remote camp at Round Lake, Maine, on the evening of May 9, 1927.
Clive Cussler and the NUMA team joined the search, deploying divers to explore Great Gull Lake. While no definitive evidence has been uncovered, fragments of wreckage discovered in Maine hint that the plane may have reached the coastline.
5. Wallace Fard Muhammad
Wallace Fard Muhammad, the founder of the Nation of Islam, led a life shrouded in mystery. His origins are debated, with claims he was born in Afghanistan, Mecca, or New Zealand between 1877 and 1896. Even his true name is uncertain, with aliases such as Wallace/Wallie Dodd Ford, Wallace Dodd, Wallie Dodd Fard, W.D. Fard, David Ford-el, Wali Farad, and Farrad Mohammed.
What is known is that Muhammad preached in Detroit from 1930 to 1934 before disappearing during a trip to Chicago. Various theories surround his fate, including claims he was killed by police or his successor, Elijah Muhammad. Others suggest he returned to Mecca or was summoned to the so-called “Mother Plane.” Some evidence indicates he may have lived into the 1960s, with an alleged former lover stating he went back to New Zealand. Despite vanishing in 1934, the FBI kept an open file on Muhammad until 1960.
4. Heinrich Müller
Heinrich Müller, the head of the Gestapo, was a key figure in orchestrating the Holocaust. He was among the last loyal Nazis in the Führerbunker as Soviet forces advanced. Müller vanished on May 1, 1945, a day after Hitler’s suicide. As one of the highest-ranking Nazis to evade justice, the CIA conducted an extensive search for him post-war. However, no concrete leads emerged, and the search was hindered by the presence of multiple Heinrich Müllers in the Nazi hierarchy.
During the Cold War, some CIA officials speculated that Müller was under Soviet protection. However, after the Cold War, a review of Soviet records revealed no such evidence. While his fate remains unknown, it is now widely accepted that Müller likely died in Berlin shortly after the war.
3. “Sweet” Jim Robinson
“Sweet” Jim Robinson, a boxer, is primarily remembered as one of Muhammad Ali’s early professional opponents. Robinson was not a skilled fighter and often served as an easy victory for rising stars. He faced Ali in February 1961, losing in the first round. After seven years in the ring, he retired with a poor record of 5 wins and 23 losses.
In 1979, Sports Illustrated’s Michael Brennan interviewed Robinson at his Liberty City home in Miami. This was the last confirmed interview with the former heavyweight. ESPN’s Wright Thompson spent six years scouring Miami for any trace of the boxer, but to no avail. Even Stephen Singer, a renowned Ali memorabilia collector who has autographs from all of Ali’s opponents except Robinson, has failed to locate him. Though not officially listed as missing, Robinson’s current location remains a mystery.
2. Ray Gricar
Ray Gricar has been missing for just five years, but the details of his disappearance are among the strangest on this list. Gricar served as the District Attorney for Centre County, Pennsylvania. On April 15, 2005, he took a day off to visit Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and was never seen again. His car was found abandoned in a Lewisburg parking lot. Despite being a non-smoker, cigarette ashes and a faint smoke odor were detected in the vehicle.
Months later, Gricar’s laptop was recovered from the Susquehanna River, adding more mystery to the case. The hard drive had been removed and was irreparably damaged. In April 2009, police revealed that Gricar had searched online for ways to destroy a hard drive. The investigation continues, with authorities leaning toward the theory that his death was a suicide.
1. Michael Rockefeller
Michael Rockefeller, the youngest son of New York governor Nelson Rockefeller and a fourth-generation member of the famed Rockefeller family, developed a passion for archaeology while working at the Peabody Museum. In 1961, he joined an expedition to explore New Guinea, one of the world’s last uncharted regions.
On November 17, 1961, Rockefeller was aboard a 40-foot dugout canoe with Dutch anthropologist René Wassing when the vessel capsized. Wassing swam to safety, but Rockefeller was not as fortunate. Despite a thorough search, no trace of him was ever found. It is believed he either drowned or fell victim to a shark or crocodile. However, there is speculative evidence suggesting he may have met a far more bizarre and horrifying end.
Even in 1961, New Guinea was inhabited by headhunting and cannibalistic tribes, some residing near where Rockefeller vanished. It is plausible he was captured and killed in retaliation for tribesmen slain by a Dutch patrol three years prior. Author Paul Toohey claims Rockefeller’s mother hired a private investigator to uncover her son’s fate. According to Toohey, the investigator returned with three skulls, allegedly from white men killed by locals, one purportedly belonging to Michael. The Rockefeller family has never verified this account.
