Missing
Timmy Gene Thompson
Thompson, approximately 2002
Date and time person was reported missing : 08/03/2002
Missing location (approx) :
Phelan, California
Missing classification : Lost/Injured Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 10/03/1965 (55)
Age at the time of disappearance: 36 years old
Height / Weight : 5'9, 180 - 190 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A brown button-down shirt, Levi's jeans, and brown lace-up work boots.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Thompson's nickname is Tim. He has a tattoo of a California brown bear on the back of his left shoulder; the face of the bear is not colored in.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Thompson was last seen at his residence, which is located in the vicinity of the 5000 block of Hess Road, off Highway 138. He left intending to go on a three-day camping trip in the Salton Sea area, traveling on the Colorado Aqueduct to the Colorado River where he had a houseboat in the Park Moabi area, approximately 10 miles southeast of Needles, California. Thompson apparently never arrived there, however.
On September 23, six weeks after his disappearance, Thompson's car, a light golden-brown 1986 Buick Skylark, was found disabled in the middle of the desert, four miles off Highway 177 on Phelan Pass Road, seventeen miles north of Desert Center. There was no sign of Thompson in the vicinity.
Authorities speculate he may have camped there for the night. A campsite was found about three miles east of the vehicle. At the site authorities located a full can of beer, Thompson's knife, and an unopened pack of cigarettes.
Thompson is described as an enthusiastic outdoorsman who has enjoyed camping in the desert wilderness since his childhood. His family says, however, that it is uncharacteristic of him not to contact them. He had worked as a foreman at a telecommunications company in Los Angeles, but quit a few days before leaving his home which was behind his mother's residence.
Since Thompson's disappearance there have not been any unusual calls detected on his phone bills, nor has there been any sign of him at his houseboat or any activity on his driver's record or Social Security number. He was not depressed at the time of his disappearance.
His case remains unsolved. Some Age at the time of disappearance: ncies state that he disappeared from San Bernardino, California.
Other information and links : ncy
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
909-387-3699
909-387-3687
Riverside County Sheriff's Department
760-921-7900
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.
California Attorney General's Office
Missing Persons Throughout the World
The Desert Sun
The Press-Enterprise
October 12, 2004. November 27, 2006; picture and alternate height added.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
