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

Steven William Branston


Branston, date, approximate 1996
Date Missing 10/01/1996
Missing From
Honolulu, Hawaii
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 03/11/1976 (46)
Age 20 years old
Height and Weight 6'0, 170 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description Possibly a black and white or tie-dyed shirt, jeans or cut-off shorts, sandals and a scarf-type headband.
Medical Conditions Branston suffers from schizophrenia and was also severely depressed at the time of his disappearance; he may have been suicidal. He was supposed to be taking Risperdal, an anti-psychotic medication, but he quit taking it before he went missing. Branston also has a history of drug abuse. He is classified as disabled.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Branston may have a light brown, curly beard. His hair was long at the time of his 1996 disappearance, and he normally wore it pulled back into a ponytail. He smokes cigarettes.
Details of Disappearance Branston was a resident of Lakeport, California in 1996. He told his sister that he imagined traveling to Hawaii and dying during the summer of that year. His family became concerned that he was suicidal. He had had a normal childhood, but in his teens he became troubled, was a poor student and started using drugs. He was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and began seeing a psychiatrist and taking medication for his condition.
Branston last saw his family on August 1, 1996, just before his parents went to Wyoming for the summer. On August 5, he arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was apparently homeless and living near the Honolulu Airport. He opened a bank account and arranged to have his Social Security payments sent there, and he rented a storage locker at Hy-Pac Self Storage, where he stored his identification, medication, and clothing.
Branston deposited his Social Security checks for August and September in his Hawaiian bank account. A teller at the Bank of Hawaii in Kaunakakai, Hawaii says Branston tried to cash a check there in October 1996, but wasn't allowed to because he didn't have any identification. His parents reported him missing with the Lakeport Police Department on October 5.
Hy-Pac Self Storage contacted Branston's parents in November 1996, after he stopped paying the fees for his locker. His parents monitored his bank account for at least a year after his disappearance, but no one deposited or withdrew any funds. There were possible sightings of him on the islands of Oahu, Molokai and Kauai until June 1997, but none of them were confirmed.
Branston's remains unsolved. Both Hawaii and California police are investigating.
Investigating Agency
Lakeport, California Police Department
707-263-2331
Honolulu, Hawaii Police Department
808-529-3111
808-529-3394
Other
California Attorney General's Office
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin
The Doe Network

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