Missing
Vincent Frank Adamczak
Adamczak, approximately 1995; Peter Peterson; Robert Knauss; Rosemary Skrzycki
Date and time person was reported missing : 08/13/1995
Missing location (approx) :
Wellston, Michigan
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
Native American
DOB : 06/01/1954 (67)
Age at the time of disappearance: 41 years old
Height / Weight : 6'0, 185 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Native American male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Adamczak has a mustache. He has a tattoo of the word "Hell" on his left forearm. He is a member of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Adamczak was last seen in Wellston, Michigan on August 13, 1995. He has never been heard from again. His vehicle, a red or burgudy 1985 Plymouth Reliant with the Michigan license plate number JHH981, was later found near his home. It was impounded sometime that same year. There is no record of the vehicle being used after it was impounded. Adamczak's disappearance wasn't reported until 2002.
In September 2011, sixteen years after Adamczak's disappearance, Rosemary Stephanie Skrzycki was charged with his murder. In January 2012, she pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of being an accessory after the fact, admitted she'd witnessed the murder, and agreed to cooperate with authorities in the investigation. Skrzycki was sentenced to five years in prison. Later that year, Peter Lee Peterson was charged with Adamczak's murder.
Investigators believe Adamczak was shot to death during a gathering at Peterson's home. Investigators found a bone fragment, later identified as human, when they searched the residence. The murder charge against Peterson was later dropped, but in October 2014 he and another man, Robert Scott Knauss, were charged with first-degree murder in Adamczak's case. Photos of Skrzycki, Peterson and Knauss are posted with this case summary.
Authorities subsequently found human remains on Peterson's property, but they could not be positively identified as Adamczak's. At trial, both defendants maintained their innocence and Peterson's attorney suggested Knauss had deliberately framed him. Both men were convicted in June 2015.
Adamczak has never been found, but foul play is suspected in his case due to the circumstances involved.
Other information and links : ncy
Michigan State Police
231-723-3536
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.
ABC 29 & 8
The Ludington Daily News
The Traverse City Record-Eagle
The Northern Express
9 & 10 News
CBS Detroit
The Manistee News Advocate
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
