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

Melinda Marie McCollom

McCollom, date, approximate 1989
Date Missing 02/12/1989
Missing From
Seal Beach, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 06/25/1963 (59)
Age 25 years old
Height and Weight 5'5, 110 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, brown eyes. McCollom has a two-inch scar on her left wrist. Her nickname is Mindi.
Details of Disappearance McCollom was last seen near her Old Town neighborhood in Seal Beach, California on February 12, 1989. She lived with her boyfriend, Harvey Anthony Caron, in the 100 block of 13th Street.
Prior to her disappearance, she had gotten $20,000 in a real estate deal. She has never been heard from again and the money disappeared with her and was never recovered. McCollom's mother believes McCollom's signature was forged on real estate checks made out to her.
Caron is considered a suspect in McCollom's . In 1993, he pleaded no contest to the murder of another woman, 45-year-old Estella Dian Vaughan, whose body was found in Roseburg, Oregon more than two years after she disappeared.
When questioned about McCollom's disappearance, Caron told authorities she had died of an accidental drug overdose and he disposed of her body in a trash bin near Ximeno Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach. His story has not been verified and authorities stated they believed McCollom had been murdered.
Caron is also a suspect in the disappearance of Dennis Kaye Woods. He had lived in an apartment in the 4100 block of east Eighth Street in Long Beach for nine years by the time he disappeared sometime in early 1988.
In September 1987, McCollom had moved into the same apartment complex; two months later, Caron moved in with her and he met Woods at this time. Caron and McCollom moved away in March 1988, and Woods was reported missing in April, after mail his mother sent him was returned to her home stamped "addressee unknown."
Witnesses saw Caron removing Woods's belongings from his apartment after his disappearance, and when Woods's family members went to Caron's new apartment to speak to him, they saw Woods's red 1984 Camaro parked out front.
Caron told Woods's family that Woods had gone on vacation and asked Caron to keep an eye on his things, and he never came back. He said he'd bought Woods's car from him in January, but he was unable to produce the pink slip, and it was proven that Woods renewed his car insurance in February of that year.
In April 1990, Caron was convicted of stealing the car, but he was never charged in Woods's disappearance.
Woods's date of birth is September 30, 1942; he was 45 years old at the time of his disappearance. He's described as Caucasian, 5'10 to 5'11 tall and 170 pounds, with short brown hair and blue eyes. He has a tattoo of his initials "DKW" on his left arm and he was last seen wearing several gold rings on both hands. Photographs of him are unavailable. Both Woods and McCollom's s are unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Seal Beach Police Department
562-594-7232
Other
California Attorney General's Office
The Long Beach Press-Telegram
The Salem Statesman Journal
NamUs

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