Missing
Joel Allen Amundson
Amundson, approximately 1996
Date and time person was reported missing : 10/18/1996
Missing location (approx) :
Williston, North Dakota
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 05/20/1970 (51)
Age at the time of disappearance: 26 years old
Height / Weight : 5'8 - 5'9, 160 - 180 pounds
Medical conditions : Amundson may be suffering from amnesia as a result of his previous head injuries.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Amundson has a vaccination scar on his shoulder. His left ear is pierced. He has minimal body hair. Amundson sustained two skull fractures in the past, one when he was two years old and one when he was nineteen.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Amundson was last seen in Williston, North Dakota on October 18, 1996. He disappeared during a bow hunting trip, early in the morning. His boat had been launched from a ramp in McKenzie County that day.
It was found at noon on the north side of the Missouri River in Williston County, North Dakota, three miles east of Lewis and Clark Bridge. His bow was inside the boat. There were indications that the vessel had struck something, perhaps a log. Amundson was reported missing at 6:00 that evening.
Authorities believe Amundson fell out of his boat and drowned, but his body has never been recovered. He is a good swimmer and was in excellent physical shape in 1996. His parents hope he is still alive and does not remember his identity.
He worked as a salesman at a sporting goods store in Williston at the time of his disappearance. Amundson's case remains unsolved. McKenzie County police are investigating.
Other information and links : ncy
McKenzie County Sheriff's Office
701-444-3654
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 Bismarck Tribune
The Grand Forks Herald
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
