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

Terry Steven Fox

Fox, date, approximate 1988
Date Missing 07/03/1988
Missing From
Sacramento, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 03/26/1950 (72)
Age 38 years old
Height and Weight 5'3 - 5'6, 105 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Blond hair, blue eyes. Fox may have a tattoo of the name "Betty Lee" on the left side of his chest. He has a receding hairline and may have facial stubble. He was in a car accident two months before his disappearance and broke both legs; he an intramedullary rod implanted in one or both hips as a result. Fox has two holes in his penis as the result of a birth defect. His teeth were in very poor condition in 1988 and many were chipped or cracked.
Details of Disappearance Fox was reported missing by two friends who stated they last saw him in Sacramento, California on July 3, 1988, but others reported seeing him on July 10, a week later. He has never been heard from again.
Fox had cared for his elderly, disabled father, and the two men shared an apartment until they were evicted. They then moved to transient camps. Two days before Fox's disappearance, his sister sent him $100 via Western Union.
Rickie John Mersman is considered a suspect in Fox's disappearance. He, his wife and another man were charged with murdering another transient man in December 1989.
In 1987, one of Mersman's relatives went to the police and said he'd killed two fellow transients. She stated she got the information from her brother, who heard the story from Fox and another man. One of the two witnesses said Mersman had personally shown them the victims' bodies and described how he'd murdered them.
Investigators were able to locate the bodies of the two murder victims, but could only identify one of them. Fox was considered a witness in the murder.
However, no charges were filed against Mersman in the 1987 murders. He was arrested six months later and imprisoned an unrelated parole violation in Oregon. Shortly after his release, Fox disappeared.
While visiting relatives in Oregon after Fox's disappearance, Mersman bragged about killing him and disposing of his body. One of his relatives secretly taped his statements and gave the recordings to the police, but they stated they were unable to corroborate the confession.
Mersman later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the 1989 homicide and was sentenced to 22 years in prison. His male accomplice pleaded guilty to the same charge; his wife was apparently not convicted, and died in Oregon in 2009.
Investigators believe Mersman may have murdered as many as five transient men during the late 1980s, but he has not been charged in any other murders. Fox's body has never been found. Foul play is suspected.
Investigating Agency
Sacramento Police Department
916-808-0650
Other
NamUs
California Attorney General's Office
The Sacramento Bee

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