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

Stephan Mitchell Adams




Adams, date, approximate 2004; Sketch of unidentified man; Truck similar to Adams's vehicle
Date Missing 12/13/2004
Missing From
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
Native American
Date of Birth 08/04/1978 (44)
Age 26 years old
Height and Weight 5'7, 164 - 200 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A black t-shirt and jeans. Carrying a dark-colored bookbag.
Medical Conditions Adams has severe asthma and may need an inhaler to control the condition. Both of his inhalers were left behind at his residence.
Associated Vehicle(s) White 1995 or 1998 GMC SCI one-ton truck with a short bed, chrome bedrails, no taillight covers, and the Oklahoma license plate number SEQ714
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Native American male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Adams usually has a full beard. His hair was collar-length at the time of his disappearance. Many accounts spell his name "Stephen" or "Steven."
Details of Disappearance Adams called his girlfriend on his cellular phone at 11:00 a.m. on December 13, 2004 and told her he was giving a man a ride to Keys, Oklahoma. He was in good spirits at the time of the conversation. Authorities later determined that at the time he spoke to his girlfriend, Adams had been south of Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
Someone tried to call his phone at 11:30 a.m. and it rang only once before going to voice mail; all calls after that were transferred immediately to voice mail. Between 11:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. he was seen at a convenience store in Cookson, Oklahoma. Adams appeared to be upset and agitated at the time. He purchased a soda, then stood outside the store for about five minutes before he left the vicinity in his pickup. He was apparently alone. He has never been heard from again.
Authorities consider Adams's disappearance suspicious and foul play is possible in his . His vehicle, a white 1995 or 1998 GMC SCI one-ton truck with a short bed, chrome bedrails, no taillight covers, and the Oklahoma license plate number SEQ714, is also missing. A photograph of a similar truck is posted with this summary.
Adams has not used his credit cards or cellular phone since his disappearance, and he left all of his personal belongings behind and money in his dresser. He was a student at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah at the time of his disappearance; he had previously attended Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas. Adams hoped to get an engineering degree and a job in management.
Investigators would like to identify and interview a possible witness in Adams's disappearance. He was seen at a Dollar General store on east Downing Street in Tahlequah, close to Adams's apartment, on the morning of December 13.
They describe the individual as a Caucasian male, 5'11 and 180 to 200 pounds, with brown and salt-and-pepper collar-length hair and about four days' growth of salt-and-pepper facial hair. He was between 40 and 50 years old in 2004 and was wearing a tan Carhartt jacket, faded blue or black jeans, a flannel shirt, a dark green stocking cap, and eyeglasses. He drove a charcoal-colored or faded black 2000 Ford Ranger pickup truck with a chrome toolbox. A sketch of the individual is posted with this summary.
Authorities stated that the individual arrived at the store at 7:50 a.m. and hung around in the parking lot for hours. He claimed he was waiting for someone, but no one appeared to meet him. He mentioned to a passerby that he worked at a construction site in Keys, which is just south of Tahlequah.
The man left the parking lot just before 11:00 a.m., around the time Adams disappeared. The person is not being called not a suspect in Adams's , but police feel he has information that may assist the investigation. He has yet to be identified.
Adams was involved in a very contentious custody battle with his ex-wife over their daughter at the time of his disappearance. He wanted custody of her or at least to be allowed to see her, but his ex-wife objected to this and refused to comply with the court's visitation order. Adams was charged twice with molesting the child, but in neither instance was there enough evidence to take him to trial.
The custody matter had been going on for over two years and there was an important hearing about it scheduled in Muskogee County District Court for a few days after Adams vanished. Authorities do not believe the timing was a coincidence.
A few weeks after Adams disappeared, his family received a telephone threat from an unidentified individual who stated that they would be harmed if the investigation into Adams's disappearance did not end. The caller has not been identified.
Adams resided in the 400 block of east Downing Street in Tahlequah at the time of his disappearance. His remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Tahlequah Police Department
918-456-8801
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
800-522-8017
Other
NamUs
KOTV
The Muskogee Phoenix
The Sequoyah County Times
The Times Record
The Tahlequah Daily Press
The Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Foundation
Federal Bureau of Investigation

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