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 Photos

Scott Murray Campbell
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
Campbell, date, approximate 1982; Lawrence Cowell in 2006
Date Missing 04/16/1982
Missing From
Anaheim, California
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 07/13/1954 (68)
Age 27 years old
Height and Weight 5'10, 140 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A short-sleeved pullover shirt and tan Angel Flight slacks.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Campbell has a hairline scar on his forehead.
Details of Disappearance Campbell was last seen in Anaheim, California on April 16, 1982. Police investigating his disappearance learned that he met his best friend, Lawrence Rayburn "Larry" Cowell, and another man, Donald Dimascio, on the day of his disappearance. A photo of Cowell is posted with this summary. The three men were supposed to fly to Fargo, North Dakota, but instead the plane flew west out over the Pacific.
Sometime during the flight, investigators believe, Campbell was murdered, possibly during a drug-related robbery. They theorized that Cowell piloted the plane and had Dimascio strangle Campbell, and the two men threw his body into the ocean near Catalina Island.
Cowell was arrested after authorities discovered he had Campbell's Pantera sports car and was stripping it and selling the parts. He had several prior convictions and, at the time of Campbell's disappearance, was out on bond awaiting trial for vehicular manslaughter; he had killed someone in a drunk driving accident in 1980. He was later convicted of that charge and sentenced to 180 days in jail.
Cowell admitted to causing Campbell's death, but stated it wasn't premeditated and Dimascio acted in self-defense after Campbell threatened him with a gun. Both men were convicted of murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit murder.
An appeals court later overturned Cowell's conviction, but he was convicted again at his second trial. Dimascio was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Cowell is serving two of twenty-five years to life in prison. Dimascio is now deceased; Cowell applied for parole in 2011 and was denied.
Campbell's remains have never been located.
Investigating Agency
California Department of Justice
Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit
916-227-3344
Other
California Attorney General's Office
The Doe Network
The Orange County Register
The Associated Press

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 Photos