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

Michael John Olson


Olson, date, approximate 1979
Date Missing 12/01/1979
Missing From
West Palm Beach, Florida
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 11/09/1959 (62)
Age 20 years old
Height and Weight 5'8, 165 pounds
Associated Vehicle(s) Maroon 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, hazel eyes.
Details of Disappearance Olson was last seen in West Palm Beach, Florida on December 1, 1979. He is from Edina, Minnesota and had been a student at the University of Minnesota, studying business, but he was taking time off school when he disappeared. Several weeks before his disappearance he traveled to Florida and got a job as a bag boy at the President Country Club in West Palm Beach. He was staying temporarily at the Howard Johnson's hotel on Okeechobee Boulevard, he called his parents in Minnesota once a week.
Friday, November 30, was Olson's day off from work. He played golf then went to a rental agency trying to find a permanent place to live. At 6:00 p.m., he went to the dog track with coworkers, a mile from his hotel, to watch some races. It is known he placed some bets but it isn't clear how much he won or lost.
Olson and his friends went to a bar after the track closed and watched a boxing match on television there, then went to two other bars, staying until closing time at 4:00 a.m. on December 1. His friends stated he didn't drink very much. At 5:00 a.m., Olson dropped one of his friends off and said, "I'll see you at work in the morning," then drove away, presumably back to his hotel. He has never been heard from again.
When Olson missed work later that Saturday, his friends called his hotel and got no answer. They drove to the hotel that night and his car, a maroon 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix, wasn't there. Sunday morning they spoke to the hotel desk clerk, who confirmed he hadn't checked out. The clerk thought Olson might have decided to leave without settling his bill, and called the police. The next day, Monday, Olson's boss called his parents and told them Olson was missing.
Olson was apparently happy with how things were going in Florida and his parents didn't believe he would have walked out of his life, especially without taking his clothes or other belongings with him.
Because he had just cashed his paycheck and a $700 check his parents sent him, he may have been carrying up to a few thousand dollars when he disappeared. He wasn't involved with drugs and his family stated even if he had gotten in trouble, such as by gambling away all his money at the dog track, he wouldn't have been afraid to come home and ask them for help.
Olson's family theorizes he was murdered, either because he accidentally witnessed criminal activity, or because thieves wanted to steal his new car and the cash he had on him. The Grand Prix has never been recovered and there has been no sign of Olson since 1979.
Investigating Agency
West Palm Beach Police Department
561-822-1900
Other
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
West Palm Beach Police Department
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune

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