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

James Robert Hysong Jr.

Hysong, date, approximate 1993
Date Missing 03/15/1993
Missing From
Toledo, Ohio
Missing Classification Lost/Injured Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 05/08/1972 (50)
Age 20 years old
Height and Weight 5'10, 140 pounds
Associated Vehicle(s) Two-seater 1974 Piper Cherokee Arrow plane wtih the tail number N15206
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes.
Details of Disappearance Hysong was last seen at 10:15 a.m. on March 15, 1993, when he took off from Toledo Suburban Airport, flying a two-seater 1974 Piper Cherokee Arrow which he had rented.
Hysong is an accomplished pilot and had attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida for a year, but he did not meet the requirements for graduation. He did get some flying experience at Embry-Riddle, however, and began flying out of Toledo Suburban Airport on January of 1993.
The day of his disappearance he said he planned to fly fifty-five miles to Jackson, Michigan and take a test to become a flight instructor. Hysong did not file a flight plan for his trip.
The flight should have been routine and about twenty minutes long, but Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air logs show that, after climbing to 4,800 feet, Hysong's plane bypassed the airport in Jackson by several miles southeast.
The plane continued past the Michigan cities of Grand Rapids and Grand Haven and flew out over Lake Michigan, where it disappeared about an hour after takeoff. An extensive search that involved the use of sonar imagery turned up no signs of Hysong or the plane.
The National Transportation Safety Board could not find evidence of a crash or a reason for a crash but it nonetheless ruled that Hysong was presumed dead. The Piper Cherokee Arrow, worth $40,000, is listed on the FAA database as stolen, but not even parts of it have been found. Its tail number is N15206.
The FAA reported instances of pilots using that tail number on four occasions, either during radio checks or purchasing fuel, but nobody actually saw a plane with that tail number since Hysong's disappearance. The owner of the plane filed an insurance claim for the loss and was paid.
There are two main theories with regards to Hysong's disappearance. Many investigators believe he accidentally or intentionally crashed his plane into Lake Michigan and sank without a trace.
A private investigator employed by Hysong's parents, however, theorizes that he in fact stole the plane to sell on the black market, got mixed up with the wrong people, and met with foul play.
Hysong resided in Sylvania Township at the time of his disappearance. His parents now live in Florida but they are still searching for him and his disappearance is still being investigated by law enforcement. His remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Monroe County Sheriff's Office
740-472-1612
Other
The Doe Network
The Akron Beacon Journal

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