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

Edward Lee Vannatter Jr.







Vannatter, date, approximate 2003; John Caputo in 2012
Date Missing 10/01/2003
Missing From
Eastlake, Ohio
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 07/04/1971 (51)
Age 32 years old
Height and Weight 5'5, 160 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description Possibly blue jeans, a t-shirt and a gray pullover sweatshirt.
Medical Conditions Vannatter is addicted to methamphetamine.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Vannatter's nickname is Eddie.
Details of Disappearance Vannatter was last seen in early October 2003. He was living with a roommate, John Caputo, in a rental home on east 345th Street in Eastlake, Ohio. A photograph of him s posted with this summary.
Caputo said Vannatter came home with a man named Mark, whom Caputo hadn't met before, and the two men had drugs and drug paraphernalia. Mark's last name is unknown.
Caputo was on probation and didn't want drugs in the house. There was a minor physical altercation between the three men, and Vannatter and Mark left the residence. Vannatter has never been heard from again.
Vannatter's family was unconcerned by his absence at first. He had dropped out of sight before for as long as a month at at time due to his drug addiction, and his relatives believed he was probably staying with friends temporarily.
When Thanksgiving came and went without his loved ones hearing from him, his mother and stepfather reported him missing. His mother stated it would be uncharacteristic of him to run off with someone he'd just met.
After Vannatter's disappearance, Caputo quickly disposed of all his belongings; he later said he'd done it because he was angry at Vannatter. Police believe Caputo may know more about Vannatter's disappearance than he's disclosed, but no suspects have been named in the .
In 2012, Caputo called Vannatter's mother and left a message on her machine saying he was going to commit suicide and wanted her to know he had had nothing to do with her son's disappearance.
Caputo did not, in fact, take his life; instead, a week later, he turned himself into the police to face charges that he had robbed four banks in Lake County, Ohio. He is still incarcerated for that.
Captuo has a lengthy criminal record for crimes including burglary, kidnapping, theft, stalking, receiving stolen property, and drug and weapons offenses. Not long after Vannatter disappeared, he told his ex-wife he'd committed a crime that had no statute of limitations.
He has ties to West Virginia and investigators think he could have disposed of Vannatter's body there; he had once said West Virginia would be a good place to hide a body. At one point, Caputo tried to negotiate through his attorney to lead police to Vannatter's remains, but the deal never went through.
Vannatter's family describes him as a good-hearted man who loved animals and children. Foul play is suspected in his disappearance; it remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Lake County Sheriff's Office
440-350-5521
440-350-5533
Other
The News-Herald
ONN TV
Ohio Attorney General's Office
The Bluefield Daily Telegraph

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