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

Lou Allen Goettsch
missing 2023 updates
missing 2023 updates
Goettsch, date, approximate 1981
Date Missing 03/31/1981
Missing From
Abilene, Texas
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 09/26/1959 (63)
Age 21 years old
Height and Weight 5'10, 150 pounds
Associated Vehicle(s) Pickup truck (accounted for)
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown or blue eyes. Goettsch may have a mustache, beard or a goatee. Some agencies may spell his middle name "Alan."
Details of Disappearance Goettsch was last seen in front of his residence in Abilene, Texas on March 31, 1981. He has never been heard from again.
Early in 1981, Goettsch received a $3,000 worker's compensation check for an injury he sustained working in the oil fields. This was the most money he had ever had since completing his military servince in 1980. He opened a checking account, repaid some loans, lent $300 to a friend and rented an apartment.
Goettsch was supposed to move his belongings from his trailer into his new apartment on the day of his disappearance, but he never did. He left behind all of his possessions, including his pickup truck, and $1,079 in his bank account.
Goettsch led a transient lifestyle at the time of his disappearance. As a result, his family did not report his disappearance for two months. He had a girlfriend in Australia, but he has not contacted her since March 1981.
Goettsch was involved with drugs in 1981 and had previously been arrested on a marijuana charge. In 1993, Roney Harper, one of Goettsch's associates, walked into a police station in Walker County, Georgia while intoxicated and confessed to murdering Goettsch.
He said he shot and beat him to death because he believed Goettsch was working as an undercover narcotics agent. He said he had left the body in a remote field and had not buried or attempted to conceal it. Haney led police to the field, but a search turned up no sign of any human remains.
Haney was charged with murder, but recanted his confession afterwards. Authorities could not find any evidence to corroborate his statement, although they believe he had in fact killed Goettsch. The grand jury found insufficient evidence to indict Haney for the murder, and he was released.
Investigators stated they would charge Harper with murder again if Goettsch's body or other corroborating evidence was located. Harper's current whereabouts are unknown.
Goettsch's disappearance remains unsolved. Foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
Abilene Police Department
325-673-8331
Other
Abilene Police Department
Texas Department of Public Safety
California Attorney General's Office
The Center on Religion and the Professions

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