Buzz
The sudden and unexplained disappearance of an individual is profoundly disturbing, especially when accompanied by strange and inexplicable events. This collection highlights ten of the most perplexing vanishings, each shrouded in bizarre circumstances, with many remaining unsolved to this day.
10. Jackie Sutton
Jackie Sutton, a dedicated former BBC journalist, worked with War and Peace Reporting to support local journalists in conflict zones. In October 2015, the 50-year-old arrived in Turkey from London around 10:00 PM, with a connecting flight to Erbil, Iraq, set for 12:15 AM. Reports indicate she spent time at a café, casually sipping a beer and eventually dozing off. Around 12:30 AM, Jackie approached the counter, seemingly calm, only to be informed she had missed her flight. Distraught, she reportedly broke down, claiming she couldn’t afford another ticket. Shortly after, she entered the restroom, where two Russian women later discovered her lifeless body in a stall, having taken her own life.
While some accept the suicide ruling, others suspect foul play. Friends describe Jackie as a vibrant and passionate individual, unlikely to end her life over a missed flight. Adding to the mystery, 2,300 euros were found in her bag, contradicting her claim of financial distress. Jackie had previously expressed fears of being targeted by the Islamic State, especially after her predecessor, Ammar Al Shahbander, was killed in a Baghdad car bombing in May 2015.
9. The Toronto Trio
Philip Sit's body was discovered in a wooded area of York Region on August 9, 2006, after he went missing in September 2005. His murderer remains unidentified. The case becomes even more perplexing with the disappearance of his three friends—Eve Ho, Kevin Lim, and Jackie Li—on August 14, 2006. Eve had planned to meet her best friend at the Eaton Centre but never arrived. Jackie was last seen by his mother when he left their Scarborough apartment for work. He called her later that day, but it was the last time she heard from him. Kevin was last spotted by his grandmother as he headed to a store to buy a drink. Eve and Jackie were in a relationship, and Kevin was Eve’s childhood friend, all connected through Philip. The strangeness deepens as Philip’s murder was publicly announced on August 25, just 11 days after the trio vanished. They are not suspects in Philip’s murder, and no clues about their disappearances have ever surfaced.
8. Craig Frear
Craig Frear, a 17-year-old high school soccer player with a strong build, disappeared after entering the woods on July 27, 2004. Earlier that day, Craig had been at the Cambridge Manor apartments, where his girlfriend lived. His mother, Veronica, went to the Price Chopper, where Craig worked, only to learn he had stopped showing up weeks prior. Confused, she contacted Craig, who promised to come home and explain. Instead, he went to the Cambridge Manor Apartments. Two middle school boys last saw him at 2:00 PM on July 27, 2004, walking along railroad tracks. Witnesses reported he made a “shh” gesture with his finger before vanishing into the woods. Despite over 500 interviews, numerous searches, and extensive investigations, no trace of Craig has ever been found.
7. Timmothy Pitzen
On May 11, 2011, Amy Fry-Pitzen checked her 6-year-old son, Timmothy, out of Greenman Elementary School, citing a ‘family emergency.’ Three days later, Amy’s body was discovered in an Illinois hotel room, an apparent suicide. A note found with her claimed Timmothy was safe with caretakers and added, ‘you’ll never find him.’ Timmothy has not been seen since. His father, Jim Pitzen, remains hopeful for his son’s safety. Amy had a history of depression and prior suicide attempts, but there was no indication she would vanish with Timmothy. Phone records revealed brief calls from an unknown location, including one to her mother, where both Amy and Timmothy sounded normal. Surveillance and receipts showed the pair enjoying visits to zoos and waterparks. However, on May 13, the day before Amy’s death, she was seen at a Winnebago grocery store without Timmothy, whose whereabouts remain a mystery.
6. Iwona Wieczorek
In 2010, Iwona Wieczorek, a recent high school graduate, planned a trip to Spain while awaiting university acceptance. On July 16, she attended a party with friends before heading to a Sopot club with her friend Adria and three boys she had recently met. Initially, she was supposed to stay at the party but changed her mind. At the club, an argument broke out among the group, though its cause remains unknown. Iwona was seen fleeing the club, visibly upset, and heading toward the Seaside Promenade. She had no money, and her phone battery was nearly dead.
Around 4:00 AM, as the sun rose, Iwona began her 4-mile walk home barefoot along Seaside Boulevard, her feet sore from new heels. She texted Adria, expressing frustration that Adria hadn’t followed her out of the club. Adria later stated they resolved the argument during a phone call. Shortly after 4:00 AM, Iwona called Adria again, mentioning her dying phone battery, her location (matching CCTV footage), her slight intoxication, and her plan to head to Adria’s house. She hesitated to meet Adria’s mother while drunk, but Adria assured her the house was empty and promised to leave keys outside. Adria was near Iwona’s apartment during this conversation.
Iwona’s stepfather reportedly overheard the conversation as her phone was on speaker. CCTV footage from Jelitkowo beach captured Iwona walking, followed by an unidentified man in a plaid shirt carrying a towel. Investigators later ruled him out as a suspect. It’s believed Iwona reached her neighborhood but never arrived at Adria’s house. That morning, her mother assumed she was at Adria’s, while Adria thought she had gone home since the keys were untouched. By 5:00 PM on July 17, both realized Iwona was missing. Police have questioned over 100 individuals and offered a 1,000,000 Polish zloty reward ($270K), but no trace of Iwona has ever been found.
5. Brandon Lawson
Brandon Lawson, a 26-year-old father of four from Texas, made a harrowing 911 call in the early hours of August 9, 2013. After running out of gas near Bronte, Texas, he began walking through fields along Highway 277. In the call, he frantically stated, 'Yes, I’m in the middle of a field (inaudible) pushed some guys over, right here going towards Abilene, on both sides. My truck ran out of gas, there’s one car here, the guy’s chasing (inaudible) to the woods, please hurry!' When asked if he needed an ambulance, he replied, 'No, I need the cops.' His voice was filled with panic, but the exact events of that night remain unclear. Since his disappearance, there has been no activity on his cellphone or bank accounts.
4. Robert Hourihan
Robert Hourihan, a 33-year-old electrician from Virginia, left his home at 6:00 AM on April 8, 2011, for work. Two hours later, his wife’s coworker spotted his white Chevy Cavalier with the license plate 'TARAMAE' heading north on SR53, far from his usual route. Concerned, his wife, Tara, tried calling him repeatedly but only reached his voicemail. This was unusual, as he always informed her of any schedule changes. He never returned home and has not been seen since. Former coworkers reported seeing him eating breakfast at the EW Thomas grocery store in Palmyra around 8:00 AM, marking the last confirmed sighting. Strangely, Hourihan wasn’t scheduled to work that day but left home in full uniform. Seven weeks later, his car was found in a Target parking lot in La Plata, Maryland, with his expensive tools still inside. Police discovered he had planned to meet someone in Palmyra but never arrived. Hourihan, who had a heart condition requiring daily medication, missed his dose that day, and there’s no record of the prescription being refilled. His doctor stated he would have died within a week without it. The case remains unsolved, with no leads since 2011.
He never returned home and has not been seen since. Former coworkers did see him eating breakfast at the EW Thomas grocery store in Palmyra around 8:00AM, but that was the last time he was seen. What is even more odd is that Hourihan was not even scheduled to work that day, but left his house in his full uniform. Seven weeks later, his Chevy Cavalier was found in a Target parking lot in La Plata, Maryland, with all of his expensive tools still in the car. Police learned that he planned to meet someone in Palmyra that day, but never arrived. Hourihan was diagnosed with a heart condition, which he took daily medication for. He had missed his dose, and there is no indication that the prescription was ever refilled, but his doctor said he would’ve died in a week without it. To this day, the police are no closer to solving the case than they were in 2011 and Hourihan has yet to be seen or heard from.
3. Juan Martinez
On June 25, 1986, at 6:00 AM, a Volvo F12 truck transporting pure sulfuric acid was speeding down the Somosierra Mountain Pass in Madrid, Spain. The truck aggressively passed other vehicles, even knocking off a mirror from one. Suddenly, instead of overtaking a third truck, it began pushing it from behind, forcing it off the road. Witnesses realized the Volvo’s brakes had failed. Moments later, the Volvo collided head-on with an oncoming truck at nearly 87 mph, causing it to flip and spill sulfuric acid across the road. Rescuers arrived to find a man and woman in the Volvo’s cabin, dead and covered in acid. They worked to save other drivers and neutralized the acid with sand and lime. After three hours, the victims were identified as Andres Martinez, the truck’s owner, and his wife, Carmen Gomez, who often traveled with him. That afternoon, Carmen’s mother in Murcia was informed of the tragedy. Shockingly, she responded, 'And the boy? Please tell me the boy is alright!'
Juan Pedro Martinez, the 10-year-old son of Andres and Carmen, had occasionally joined his father on shorter trips but never one this extensive. Andres had promised Juan he could come on this journey to Basque if he achieved good grades, which he did. Carmen accompanied them to supervise Juan while Andres unloaded the truck, after which they planned a short vacation. On June 24 at 7:00 PM, the family departed for Cartagena with the loaded truck.
After the accident, investigators found child-related cassettes and boys' clothing in the truck’s cabin but no trace of Juan. Community members joined the search, scouring the area, including the sand and lime used to neutralize the acid, but found nothing. While some speculated Juan was entirely dissolved by the acid, chemists argued this was impossible, as the acid couldn’t have destroyed his body so quickly without leaving traces. Tests confirmed that even in a ditch acting as a container, soft tissue would take 24 hours to dissolve, and bones would require five days, with hair, nails, teeth, and some clothing remaining.
The truck’s tachometer revealed it had made scheduled stops, including at a gas station and the Aragon inn. A waiter recalled the family’s uneventful visit. However, after the inn, the truck made 12 brief stops during the mountain ascent, with the shortest under a second and the longest near the peak lasting 20 seconds. Experienced truckers noted that such frequent stops were unusual, as one or two stops were typical. There was no traffic to justify the stops. Examination of the truck showed no brake damage, indicating Andres’s speed was intentional.
The truck driver forced off the road reported seeing a white Nissan van stop near his vehicle shortly after the crash. A man with a mustache and a foreign accent exited the van with a blonde woman, who assured him she was a nurse. She briefly checked his injuries before moving to the truck that had collided with the Volvo, after which she vanished. Additionally, two shepherds claimed to have seen the white van stop by the Volvo, with a Nordic-looking man and woman in medical attire stepping out. They allegedly retrieved a package from the wreckage and disappeared. Police tried to locate these shepherds but found no one in the area who witnessed the incident. To this day, no trace of Juan Pedro has ever been found, leaving countless theories unresolved.
2. Lars Mittank
In July 2014, 28-year-old Lars Mittank from Germany traveled to Golden Sands, Bulgaria, for a summer getaway with friends. Known as a lively party destination, Golden Sands attracted young tourists from Germany and England. During his stay, Lars got into a physical altercation over a football dispute, resulting in a ruptured eardrum. A doctor advised him against flying until it healed, so Lars stayed behind while his friends returned to Germany. He booked a room in a budget hostel in a less affluent part of town. After one night, Lars became intensely paranoid and fearful. He sent his mother a frantic text, urging her to cancel his credit card and warning that four men were following him.
The next day, Lars visited the doctor’s office but abruptly fled upon arrival. He then went to the airport, where surveillance footage captured him walking with his luggage. Suddenly, he dashed off-screen, reappeared running in the opposite direction without his bags, leaped over a fence, and vanished into a nearby forest. Lars was never seen again. His family confirmed he had no history of mental illness and were baffled by his erratic behavior. Despite an extensive search, no clues about his disappearance have ever been found.
1. Kayelyn Louder
Kayelyn Louder, a 30-year-old social worker from Utah, planned to spend her September 2014 weekend updating her resume and tidying her condo. Surveillance footage captured her walking her pug, Phyllis, that afternoon. Later, she was seen running out of her home barefoot in the rain, carrying nothing. This was the last time anyone saw or heard from her. The night before, she had made a strange 911 call reporting a violent fight involving guns at her condo’s clubhouse. However, police found only a peaceful wedding reception upon arrival.
An hour after her first call, Kayelyn phoned 911 again but hung up abruptly. When dispatchers called back, she mentioned that a friend had accused her of being delusional and paranoid. On the morning of her disappearance, she made another 911 call, claiming an intruder was in her home and she could hear two people talking, despite her roommate confirming the door was locked and no one else was present. Weeks later, her body was discovered floating in the Jordan River. Unfortunately, the autopsy results were inconclusive.
