Missing
Duwane Roy Dreher
Dreher in the mid-1940s (approximately ten years prior to his disappearance; more recent photos are unavailable)
Date and time person was reported missing : 11/07/1955
Missing location (approx) :
Mason City, Iowa
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
Age at the time of disappearance: 33 years old
Height / Weight : 5'11 - 6'0, 150 - 200 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A short blue zip-up jacket, blue pants and brown oxford shoes.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Graying black hair, blue eyes. Dreher may spell his name "Dwane" or "Dwayne". His face is slightly pockmarked.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Dreher was last seen in Mason City, Iowa at 7:30 p.m. on November 7, 1955. He may have been seen at 12:00 p.m. the next day, walking north on south Federal. He reportedly said he was going to Chicago, Illinois.
On November 10, his maroon 1950 Hudson was found parked downtown by Willow Creek, with all his belongings inside. The vehicle had a parking ticket on it, dated November 8. Authorities dragged Willow Creek, but found no sign of Dreher.
He served on several ships in the Navy during World War II, including in the Soviet Union, before returning home to Mason City, where he married local woman in 1945 and had a son. Divorcing in 1947, he remarried and had two more children before he went missing.
Since Dreher's disappearance, his Social Security number has been inactive; he never claimed unemployment benefits or veteran's benefits after 1955. His oldest son spent his whole life trying to find his father before his death in 2014. His case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Mason City Police Department
641-421-3636
September 2021 updates and sources
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Mason City Globe-Gazette
The Des Moines Tribune
NBC News
October 12, 2004. September 1, 2018; .
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
