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

Patrick Terrence Whalen



Whalen, date, approximate 2000
Date Missing 11/02/2000
Missing From
Glacier National Park, Montana
Missing Classification Lost/Injured Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 09/30/1967 (55)
Age 33 years old
Height and Weight 6'0, 155 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description Possibly a short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.
Medical Conditions According to his family, Whalen was displaying signs of mental illness, including obsessive behavior and paranoia, at the time of his disappearance.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Blond hair, hazel eyes. Whalen wears wire-framed eyeglasses. He may have a beard. His nickname is Pat.
Details of Disappearance Whalen was last seen in Glacier Park, Montana on November 2, 2000. He was originally from Cleveland, Ohio, but lived in Portland, Oregon at the time of his disappearance. He was a registered nurse and planned to become a naturopathic doctor.
Described as a survivalist who had hiked for thousands of miles on the Pacific Crest Trail and spent hundreds of hours in national parks, Whalen frequented Glacier National Park, the Blackfeet tribal lands and the Columbia Falls area of Montana for several weeks during September and October 2000.
Whalen's vehicle was later located at the Lake McDonald Lodge Restaurant in the vicinity of U.S. Highway 89 and State Highway 49 at the eastern edge of Glacier National Park, near the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
On May 27, almost seven months after Whalen's disappearance, a park ranger found an abandoned camp at the Atlantic Creek Backcountry Campground, along the north fork of Cut Bank Creek near Bad Marriage Mountain and Medicine Grizzly Peak.
Personal belongings of Whalen's were identified at the campsite, but there was no indication of his whereabouts at the scene and it appeared that the campsite had been abandoned since the previous autumn.
An extensive search turned up no sign of Whalen. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance are unclear.
Investigating Agency
Glacier County Sheriff's Office
406-873-2711
Other
NamUs
Montana Missing Persons Clearinghouse
Death in Glacier National Park: Stories of Accidents and Foolhardiness in the Crown of the Continent by Randi Minetor

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