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

Herbert Leroy Allen

Allen, date, approximate 2006
Date Missing 11/23/2006
Missing From
Cleveland, Ohio
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 09/08/1928 (94)
Age 78 years old
Height and Weight 5'9, 160 pounds
Associated Vehicle(s) Silver 1995 minivan (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Allen's nickname is Herb.
Details of Disappearance Allen was last seen in the 1300 block of Clearaire Road in Cleveland, Ohio on November 23, 2006. He has never been heard from again. No one realized he was missing until December 12, when his silver 1995 minivan was found in New Mexico in the possession of Terry Chase White. White was one of Allen's former tenants; Allen had evicted him the week before he went missing. White had used Allen's credit cards to pay for his trip across the country.
While White was pumping gas at a truck stop, the employees became suspicious of his behavior and called the police. White drove off before the police arrived, but he was stopped a few miles away. He gave his real name to the officer, admitted the van was Allen's and claimed Allen had lent it to him.
When the investigators searched the van, they found a .22 caliber rifle in the back and bloodstains on the rear sliding door. When the police went to Allen's home on east 340th Street in Cleveland, they found a note on his refrigerator. It said he was going on a trip and asked one of his tenants to take care of his landlord duties. Authorities aren't sure whether or not Allen actually wrote the note.
Allen graduated from Collinwood High School in 1946 and spent 20 years working as a tool and die maker for General Motors. His wife claims he frequently beat her during their 44-year marriage. She divorced him in 1994. In 1996, Allen was charged with grand theft; he'd allegedly stolen $16,000 in life insurance from his brother, who had dementia.
Allen claimed his brother had given him the money. Court officials thought he might be mentally ill and ordered a psychiatric exam. He was declared competent, but never stood trial; instead, the was dropped after he repaid some of the money to his brother's estate and entered a diversion program. Most of his friends and neighbors thought of him as a quiet, reclusive man and had no knowledge of the problems in his life.
White was subsequently sentenced to 18 months in jail for weapons possession and using Allen's credit cards without permission. He was never actually charged in Allen's disappearance, however.
At the time of his disappearance, Allen attended Bethlehem Lutheran Church and was a regular patron of Springvale Ballroom in North Olmsted, Ohio. He usually went to breakfast with his friends at the Vasa Lodge once a week. His body has never been found, but his is considered to be a homicide.
Investigating Agency
Cleveland Police Department
216-623-5262
Other
Ohio Attorney General's Office
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland Police Department

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