Missing
Ralph Alan Newcombe
Newcombe, approximately 1989
Date and time person was reported missing : 04/17/1989
Missing location (approx) :
Seattle, Washington
Missing classification : Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 10/13/1953 (67)
Age at the time of disappearance: 35 years old
Height / Weight : 5'11, 170 - 185 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Newcombe wears eyeglasses or contact lenses, but both of those were left behind.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Newcombe moved from Kodiak, Alaska to Seattle, Washington in December 1988. He had worked as a carpenter in Alaska, building and remodeling houses, and was trying to set up a business in Seattle. He'd gotten licensed there as a builder and contractor
He was last seen at his Seattle home by his wife when she left for work. By the time she returned home, he was gone. He has never been heard from again.
Newcombe's pickup truck was found parked across the street from the Alaska Ferry Terminal the next morning. His carpentry tools, wallet and identification were inside it. He also left behind his eyeglasses, contact lenses and an uncashed check.
Newcombe began working in Alaska during the summer while he was at college, and moved there after graduation. He is an avid salmon fisherman, hiker and wilderness camper and also enjoys foot racing. His family stated he was very distressed by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska and may have returned there.
There are indications that Newcombe was in Wyoming and Montana after his 1989 disappearance. Authorities believe he may have left of his own accord and established a new identity under a new name.
Newcombe is a native of Missouri, and got a degree in microbiology degree from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. His case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
King County Sheriff's Office
206-205-7810
September 2021 updates and sources
King County Sheriff's Office
Washington State Missing Persons Information
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Daily Sitka Sentinel
October 12, 2004. January 10, 2017; Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
