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 Case Updates with Photos

Derek Joseph Lueking
missing 2023 updates
missing 2023 updates
missing 2023 updates
missing 2023 updates
missing 2023 updates
missing 2023 updates
missing 2023 updates
missing 2023 updates
missing 2023 updates
missing 2023 updates
Lueking, date, approximate 2012; Lueking's tattoo
Date Missing 03/17/2012
Missing From
Cherokee, North Carolina
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 05/13/1987 (35)
Age 24 years old
Height and Weight 5'10 - 6'0, 215 - 225 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A gray hooded sweatshirt, dark-colored track pants with a white stripe down the side of each leg, dark-colored sneakers and possibly a waterproof watch. Possibly carrying camouflage-print Realtree rain gear and a black or dark blue bookbag-type day pack.
Associated Vehicle(s) White Ford Escape (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Lueking's nickname is Drock and he may go by his initials, DJ. He had a half-inch beard at the time of his disappearance and he may wear prescription eyeglasses with metal rims for diving. He has stretch marks on his lower back and a tattoo of Japanese characters meaning "live" or "life" on his left upper chest. A photo of the tattoo is posted with this summary.
Details of Disappearance Lueking was last seen leaving the Microtel Inn and Suites in Cherokee, North Carolina at 4:00 a.m. on March 17, 2012. He has never been heard from again.
His white Ford Escape was found at the Newfound Gap area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near the Tennessee/North Caroline state line at 8:30 a.m., but no one recalled having seen Lueking himself at the park, and his family had been trying to find him since before he would have arrived there. Inside the vehicle was a note saying simply: "Don't follow me."
Lueking had purchased maps of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a sleeping bag and a tent, as well as the following supplies: a Gerber ax, part of a military survival manual, a knife sharpener, a Coleman combination compass and thermometer, 100 feet of black paracute cord, a headlamp, a pocket knife, granola bars, an iPod pouch, and a Bear Grylls survival tool pack including a small flashlight, a fire starter and a multi-tool. He left many of these items in his car, however, including the tent and sleeping bag.
He was born in northern Virginia. He graduated from Johnson University and previously worked as an aide for the Peninsula Behavioral Health Center in Tennessee.
His family stated he was an avid camper and a fan of a survival television show, and they think he may have gone into the park intentionally to spend some time alone. The circumstances of his disappearance are unclear and his remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
National Park Service
828-497-1940
Other
NamUs
The Daily Times
The Smoky Mountain News
The Knoxville News Sentinel
Facebook Page for Derek Lueking
National Park Service

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 Case Updates with Photos