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
John Warren Deetz
Deetz, date, approximate 1988; Ralph Benson
Date Missing 12/30/1988
Missing From
Spokane County, Washington
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 05/01/1950 (72)
Age 38 years old
Height and Weight 5'5, 175 pounds
Associated Vehicle(s) Brand new tractor-trailer truck (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Black hair, brown eyes.
Details of Disappearance Deetz was last seen on December 30, 1988. He lived in Fulton, Illinois and was employed as a truck driver for Westside Transport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His last delivery was at the West Coast Grocery Co.
Deetz called his employer from the Broadway Truck Stop in Spokane County, Washington on December 30, 1988, after he made his delivery. He also called his wife to say he would be home soon. He has never been heard from again. His trucking supervisor reported him missing.
Less than two years after Deetz disappeared, Ralph Howard Benson was sighted driving his truck, which was brand new and worth $100,000. It had been repainted. Benson was a self-employed long-distance trucker who traveled across the country.
In early 1991, Deetz's truck was found on Benson's property in the Los Angeles, California area. The 1988 license plate was in Benson's home south of Davenport, Washington; it appeared new and unweathered.
Authorities believe Benson operated a "chop shop," taking apart stolen tractor-trailer rigs and selling the parts. He was never charged in connection with Deetz or his vehicle, however.
In 2003, Benson was convicted of murdering a Washington state fuel tax auditor; he'd shot the man in the head and dismembered his body. Investigators stated he's a person of interest in Deetz's disappearance and other missing persons s and homicides.
He died in prison in September 2004, at the age of 64, less than one year into his sentence. A photo of Benson is posted with this summary.
Deetz is described as a responsible man who was dedicated to his family and his job. He was carrying company credit cards at the time of his disappearance, but never used them. He left behind three children.
He has since been declared ly dead and his wife has remarried. Foul play is suspected in his , which remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Spokane County Sheriff's Office
509-625-4041
Other
The Doe Network
The Idaho Spokesman-Review
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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
