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.



Missing Person Photos

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

Joseph Gerald Riley
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
Riley, date, approximate 1995
Date Missing 07/08/1995
Missing From
Barstow, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 06/01/1965 (57)
Age 30 years old
Height and Weight 5'9, 185 pounds
Associated Vehicle(s) Maroon American model sedan
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Riley's nickname is Joe. One of his front teeth is chipped.
Details of Disappearance Riley was last seen at 1:30 p.m. in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart at 621 Montara Road in Barstow, California. He was accompanied by Mark Adamson at the time and they were getting into a maroon American model sedan, possibly accompanied by another individual.
Neither man has ever been heard from again. Adamson's roommate told police that Adamson left with Riley to buy a vehicle. Adamson reportedly had a large amount of cash on him.
In December 2012, Christian Leonard Bunty Sr. and James Linzy Franklin were charged with Adamson and Riley's murders. Franklin was already in prison serving a life sentence for another, unrelated home invasion robbery and murder. In December 2013, Franklin's nephew, Steven Michael Dondero, was arrested on identical charges.
Authorities theorized the suspects offered to sell Riley and Adamson $9,000 worth of ephedrine, one of the key ingredients in methamphetamine, and robbed and killed them when they showed up for the transaction. The charges against Bunty were dropped for lack of evidence in the spring of 2014.
In March 2015, Dondero pleaded guilty to harboring or aiding a felony suspect/accessory and was sentenced to two years in prison; the two murder charges were dropped. Franklin was convicted of both charges of murder in September 2015.
Riley and Adamson have not been located, but foul play is suspected in their disappearances due to the circumstances involved. Their bodies may be buried in the Mojave Desert.
Investigating Agency
Barstow Police Department
760-256-3531
Other
Barstow Police Department
WeTip
The Desert Dispatch
The Doe Network
KVTB
The Bonner County Daily Bee
The Desert Dispatch

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.



Missing Person Photos

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