Missing
Todd Jay Hanson
Hanson, approximately 1989; Chad Birkeland
Date and time person was reported missing : 05/02/1993
Missing location (approx) :
St. Paul, Minnesota
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 03/19/1968 (53)
Age at the time of disappearance: 25 years old
Height / Weight : 5'8, 155 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Hanson has a scar on his right forearm and wrist.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Hanson and a friend, 22-year-old Chad Birkeland, disappeared from south St. Paul, Minnesota on May 2, 1993. They were driving a gold Toyota Tercel at the time. On May 13, Birkeland's body was found in the Mississippi River near Hastings, Minnesota. A photo of him is posted with this case summary. Hanson has never been located.
In 1995, eight men were arrested on methamphetamine charges at a home in Diamond Bluff, Wisconsin. Diamond Bluff borders the Mississippi River and is near the Minnesota state border. Investigators excavated the yard of the property. They were reportedly looking for Hanson's body and other evidence, but all they found was two vehicles.
Authorities stated the focus of the search was not for Hanson's body, but for evidence in the drug investigation. His disappearance remains unsolved. Newport, Minnesota police are investigating.
Other information and links : ncy
Newport Police Department
651-459-9933
September 2021 updates and sources
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune
The St. Paul Pioneer Press
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.
5 October 12, 2004. February 3, 2014; Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: updated.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map