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

Michael William Sewell
Michael, date, approximate 1971; Jerry Autry; Stanley Robison
Date Missing 12/18/1971
Missing From
Jackson County, Indiana
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Age 17 years old
Height and Weight 5'8, 145 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Light brown hair, green eyes. At the time of his disappearance, Michael's hair was shorter than shown in the photo with this file.
Details of Disappearance Michael was last seen in Jackson County, Indiana on December 18, 1971. He was camping in a makeshift 9-by-15-foot cabin made of railroad ties. It was located along the White River about a mile and a half south of Brownstown, off State Road 135.
Two other teenagers, 17-year-old Stanley Ray Robison and 19-year-old Jerry Allen Autry, both Brownstown residents and students at Brownstown Central High School, were with Michael. Photos of Stanley and Jerry are posted with this summary. Two other youths were also in the group, but both of them left at 3:00 a.m. or shortly thereafter. At the time those two people left, the other three were preparing to go to sleep.
The cabin caught fire sometime between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. and burned to the ground; it was discovered at 8:10 a.m. by Stanley's older sister. Authorities who investigated the fire believe it started near one of the beds. An alarm clock found in the ruins was stopped at 3:35, and a passing motorist reported having seen what they thought was a brush fire at around 3:30. The cause of the fire has never been determined.
The remains of Stanley and Jerry were found in the ruins of the cabin. Their bodies had been almost completely incinerated and only a few bones were found. The two boys were identified by their class rings. There was no sign of Michael at the site of the fire, though. He has never been heard from again.
The circumstances of Michael's disappearance are unclear, but the was reopened in 2022. Authorities hope to learn Michael's fate and bring closure to his family.
Investigating Agency
Jackson County Sheriffs Department
812-358-2141
Other
The Republic
The Rushville Republican
The Martinsville Reporter-Times

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