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
Joaquin Coelho Esteves
Esteves, date, approximate 1988
Date Missing 12/13/1988
Missing From
San Jose, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 03/22/1924 (98)
Age 64 years old
Height and Weight 5'11, 170 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A striped shirt with a collar, a beige heavy cardigan sweater with orange and white horizontal stripes, dark-colored slacks, dark-colored shoes, a gold ring emblematic of the five wounds of Christ, a gold Seiko watch and leather driving gloves.
Medical Conditions Esteves's family stated he was mildly depressed at the time of his disappearance due to the recent death of his brother, but they did not believe he would have harmed himself.
Associated Vehicle(s) Mauve 1989 Buick Park Avenue with the license plate number 2KZV131 (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Esteves has a one-inch scar on his right index finger. He speaks Portuguese and is originally from the Azores Islands, an island chain in the mid-Atlantic off the coast of southern Europe; he emigrated to the United States as a child. Esteves wears gold-rimmed eyeglasses. He has a widow's peak.
Details of Disappearance Esteves said goodbye to his family at his San Jose, California home at 8:20 a.m. on December 13, 1988, and left the house. He apparently arrived safely at his real estate office in the 1200 block of east Santa Clara Street; the office door was later discovered unlocked and his wallet, which included money and identification, was there. He was last seen at 11:30 a.m., driving away from his office. He was reportedly driving normally.
Esteves never arrived home and has never been heard from again. He is described as an extremely reliable person who followed a consistent daily schedule; his family became worried after he did not come home for lunch. His loved ones stated it is uncharacteristic of him to leave his office unlocked or to leave his wallet unattended.
Esteves was a relatively known public figure at the time of his disappearance; he had programs on Portuguese-language radio and television. He also owned several San Jose apartment buildings in 1988 and worked as a court interpreter.
He was married at the time of his disappearance and has six children. Due to his regular habits and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, the authorities suspected foul play immediately.
Esteves's vehicle, a mauve 1989 Buick Park Avenue with the license plate number 2KZV131, disappeared with him. The car was found in January 1989 on Redmond Avenue in the Almaden Valley, being driven by Orlando Cruz Vasquez, who was arrested and charged with auto theft, receiving stolen property, and parole violation.
Vasquez told police he had purchased the car from an unidentified person just a few days before for $150, but neighbors stated they had seen him with the vehicle shortly after Esteves vanished and weeks before Vasquez says he bought it.
The sweater and wristwatch Esteves was wearing at the time of his disappearance were found in Vasquez's house; he claimed he had found them in the trunk of the car when he purchased it. Vasquez was also wearing Esteves's ring when he was arrested.
When investigators examined Esteves's car, they found scratch marks in the trunk and signs that someone had tried to pry open the trunk lock from the inside.
Several months after he came to the attention of the police, Vasquez was charged with murdering Esteves. Authorities believe he may not have acted alone, but no one else was charged; one possible suspect hanged himself just as police were about to search his home.
Vasquez's lawyers argued that Esteves planned his disappearance and was still alive. The jury was unable to reach a verdict at the 1990 trial and a mistrial had to be declared.
After a second trial in 1991, Vasquez was found guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Esteves's body has never been recovered. Foul play is suspected in his due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
San Jose Police Department
408-277-4141
Other
California Attorney General's Office
The San Jose Mercury News
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
