Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Photos

Hang Lee




Hang, date, approximate 1993; Age-progression to age 45 (date, approximate 2020); Mark Wallace in 2016
Date Missing 01/12/1993
Missing From
St. Paul, Minnesota
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Asian
Date of Birth 10/09/1975 (46)
Age 17 years old
Height and Weight 5'0, 90 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A lightweight black leather jacket, a black t-shirt with "Skid Row" written on the back, black jeans or slacks, sneakers and several pieces of jewelry, including two silver bracelets.
Associated Vehicle(s) White pickup truck, Tan or silver 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Asian female. Black hair, brown eyes. Hang is of Laotian, or Hmong, descent, and speaks both English and Hmong. Her bangs were dyed red at the time of her disappearance.
Details of Disappearance Hang was last seen leaving her family's residence in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 12, 1993. She left home between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. with an eighteen-year-old friend, Kia "Nikki" Lee (no apparent relation). Kia returned home shortly alone afterwards.
Hang's parents, who are refugees from Laos and did not speak English at the time, reported her as a missing person to authorities a few days later. She left behind all her clothing, her college savings, a $100 paycheck and her purse, which contained a knife and a lead ball for personal protection. Just prior to leaving home, she had told her younger brother, "If I don't come back, come and look for me."
Nikki initially told authorities Hang had left with some unidentified young men. She later changed her story and said Hang had gone to a job interview with Nikki's own employer, Mark Steven Wallace, at Wallace's small painting and carpentry business on Iroquois Avenue.
Wallace had asked her if she had any friends who might want to work for him, and she referred Hang to him because Hang was looking for a new job, but she thought his request was odd because he didn't have enough work to take on another employee.
She said she had lied earlier because she believed Hang had run away and wanted to protect her, and also because her boss had told her not to tell anyone what really happened.
Nikki stated she and Hang had gone to meet Wallace together. He was driving a white pickup truck at first, but later, for unclear reasons, he switched to a tan or silver 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier. He dropped Nikki off and drove away with Hang in the front passenger seat of the Chevrolet.
This is the last time Nikki saw Hang. He was supposed to take her home; he later told police he dropped her off at Rice Street and Wheelock Parkway, near the Wong Cafe where she worked.
Wallace is the prime suspect in Hang's disappearance; he has been convicted of two particularly violent rapes committed in 1987 and is also a suspect in other sex crimes. He had lured one of his victims by promising a job interview. He has been uncooperative with the investigation into Hang's disappearance and has hired a lawyer. Nikki has also hired an attorney and stopped cooperating with police.
Wallace has never been charged in connection with Hang's disappearance. Investigators searched his former home in 2009 and drilled holes in his garage floor, but they didn't find any evidence. In 2016, he was charged with kidnapping, stalking and possession of methamphetamine. He was caught in a hotel in Woodbury, Minnesota with a 20-year-old woman, the friend of one of his daughter.
The woman was malnourished and bruised, and said Wallace had held her against her will, verbally and physically abused her and had threatened her life. The woman also said Wallace told her he had killed a woman in St. Paul, telling her, "She entered my business and never came out." A photo of Wallace is posted with this summary.
Hang is described as a sweet, naive teenager. She wanted to become a writer and enjoyed reading at the time of her disappearance. She was a senior in high school and planned to attend the University of Minnesota after graduating.
Hang's remains unsolved. Her father died in 2012, but her mother and thirteen siblings are all still alive and hope she will come home. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance.
Investigating Agency
St. Paul Police Department
651-292-3646
651-291-1111
651-292-3650
Other
Missing Children Minnesota
The St. Paul Pioneer Press
The Star Tribune
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
NamUs
MyFox Twin Cities
KAAL 6
St. Paul Police Department

Missing Person Photos

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 unknown. 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 to 5 percent 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. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images 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.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Photos