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 Case Updates with Photos
Catherine A. Runte
Catherine, date, approximate 1979; Robert Runte, date, approximate 1984
Date Missing 05/22/1979
Missing From
Palatine, Illinois
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 10/21/1950 (71)
Age 28 years old
Height and Weight 5'5, 112 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A denim skirt with a slit up the back, a navy blue top and a white jacket with soft gray stripes.
Medical Conditions Catherine may suffer from mental illness.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, blue eyes. Catherine has scars on her abdomen, the bridge of her nose, and her upper lip. She wore braces on her teeth at the time of her disappearance. Her nickname is Cathy.
Details of Disappearance Catherine had an argument with her husband of six years, Robert Runte, in their home in the 900 block of Sanborn Drive in Spinnakers Cove subdivision of Palatine, Illinois at 12:30 a.m. on May 22, 1979.
A photo of Robert is posted with this summary. He stated Catherine scratched him, kicked him in the jaw and broke it, and slashed his hand with a kitchen knife, then ran away from the house. She has never been heard from again.
She was carrying only her purse, credit cards and a small amount of cash at the time of her disappearance, and Robert stopped her from taking the car. He believed she had gone away to calm down and would return within hours, but she never did and has never been heard from again.
Robert stated Catherine had mental problems and was afraid of being hospitalized, but her family and coworkers said she was in good spirits at the time of her disappearance and was looking forward to her mother's upcoming second marriage.
She was employed part-time as an interior designer for Cathy Metzler Interiors in Barrington, Illinois in 1979, and apparently liked her job. She also gave tennis lessons.
Eight months prior to Catherine's disappearance, a man and a woman armed with pistols forced their way into her home, handcuffed her to a beam in the basement, ransacked the house for several hours and stole more than $5,000 worth of jewelry. They left without harming Catherine, and her stepdaughter found her when she got home from school.
The burglars were never caught. It is uncertain whether the home invasion is related to Catherine's later disappearance.
After Catherine's disappearance, Robert divorced her on grounds of desertion and moved to Florida.
Before he left Illinois, he filed for bankruptcy for his coin-operated games manufacturing business, which was $200,000 in debt. In 1984, he was pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell stolen goods across state lines; he had attempted to sell $350,000 worth of art that had been stolen in 1981.
None of the credit cards Catherine took with her were used after she went missing, and area taxi drivers all denied having given her a ride that day. She had previously left her husband for periods ranging from a few hours to several days, but always kept her family informed of her whereabouts and always returned home eventually.
None of Catherine's loved ones have heard from her since 1979. Authorities believe she is probably dead. Robert is considered a possible suspect in her disappearance, but he has never been charged.
Another resident of Spinnakers Cove, Stephanie Lyng, disappeared in 1977. Her husband was later convicted of her murder, but Lyng's body was never found. Catherine's disappearance is not believed to be connected to Lyng's presumed murder. Catherine's remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Palatine Police Department
847-359-9000
Other
The Daily Herald
The Doe Network
The Rolling Meadows Review
Porchlight International for the Missing & Unidentified
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 Case Updates with Photos