The world can be a dangerous place; you never know what or who might be lurking around the corner. Missing persons statistics reflect that: according to the FBI, 533,936 people went missing in the U.S. in 2024.
Sadly, a number of these cases go nowhere. Although sources report that the percentage of unsolved disappearances is only 1%, that’s still about 5,000 people in 2024. However, some cases are higher profile than others. Usually, it’s those that involve well-known people or celebrities.
Bored Panda has found the most intriguing cases of famous people disappearing and presents them to you here. Have you ever wondered what the circumstances of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance were? Or how many years it took to find the wreckage of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s aircraft? Scroll down and find out!
#1 Ambrose Bierce
American author Ambrose Bierce was known for his cynical stories and journalism about the Civil War. In 1913, at age 71, he traveled to Mexico to witness the country’s revolution as an observer with Pancho Villa’s army. His last confirmed contact was a letter he wrote from Chihuahua on December 26, 1913. After that date, Ambrose Bierce was never seen or heard from again, and his disappearance remains unsolved.
Image source: Unknown author, festivaltopia.com
#2 Connie Converse
Singer-songwriter Connie Converse was one of the earliest artists in the 1950s folk scene, but she never found commercial success. By 1974, a disillusioned Converse decided she needed a completely new start. She packed her belongings into her Volkswagen Beetle, left a series of farewell letters for her family, and simply drove away from her Michigan home. Her family respected her wishes and never heard from her again, leaving her ultimate fate a complete mystery.
#3 Amelia Earhart
Pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart embarked on a historic attempt to fly around the world in 1937. She and her navigator, Fred Noonan, vanished over the central Pacific Ocean during one of the final legs of their journey. Their last radio communications indicated they were close to their refueling stop, the tiny Howland Island, but could not locate it. The subsequent massive search operation found no trace of them or their aircraft, creating one of the most famous unsolved mysteries of the 20th century.
Image source: NASA, Smithsonian Institution
#4 Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
The author of the beloved book The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was also a military pilot for the Free French Air Force. In July 1944, he took off from an airbase in Corsica to fly a reconnaissance mission over occupied France. He and his plane never returned, vanishing without a trace over the Mediterranean Sea. His fate remained a mystery for decades until divers finally discovered the wreckage of his aircraft off the coast of Marseille in 2000.
Image source: Agence France-Presse, 247wallst.com
#5 Harold Holt
Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt vanished while swimming at Cheviot Beach in Victoria on December 17, 1967. His companions watched from the shore as he entered the turbulent surf and was quickly pulled away by a strong undertow. The incident triggered one of the largest search and rescue operations in the nation’s history. Authorities never recovered his body, and his presumed drowning has since spawned numerous conspiracy theories over the years.
Image source: Ronald Hall – DoD, National Archives of Australia
#6 Richey Edwards
Richey Edwards, the troubled lyricist and guitarist for the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers, vanished on February 1, 1995. On the day he was due to fly to the U.S. for a tour, he checked out of his London hotel and was never reliably seen again. Authorities found his car abandoned two weeks later near the Severn Bridge, a notorious s**cide location. Despite his well-documented history of depression and self-harm, his body was never recovered, and he was legally presumed dead in 2008.
Image source: blue_leaves987, festivaltopia.com
#7 Lord Lucan
On the night of November 7, 1974, British peer Richard John Bingham, the 7th Earl of Lucan, disappeared following a violent crime. Earlier that evening, an attacker had bludgeoned his children’s nanny, Sandra Rivett, to death in the basement of the family’s London home. Lord Lucan’s estranged wife, Veronica, was also attacked but escaped and identified him as the assailant. Authorities later found Lucan’s blood-stained car abandoned, but despite an international search, he was never seen again.
Image source: Express / Getty Image, wikipedia.org
#8 Barbara Newhall Follett
A celebrated child prodigy in the 1920s, Barbara Newhall Follett found literary fame with her novel The House Without Windows. As an adult, she grew unhappy with her marriage and on December 7, 1939, she walked out of her apartment after an argument with her husband. She left with only thirty dollars and was never seen again. Her husband did not report her missing for two weeks, and her case remained largely forgotten until a modern rediscovery of her work brought the mystery to public attention.
Image source: Stefan Cooke, watchmojo.com
#9 Tammy Lynn Leppert
Teen beauty queen and actress Tammy Lynn Leppert exhibited increasingly erratic behavior after working on the film Scarface, telling her family she feared for her life. On July 6, 1983, she left her home in Cocoa Beach, Florida, with a male friend. He later told police he dropped her off alone in a parking lot following an argument. The 18-year-old was never seen again, and her case has been linked to unsolved m**ders and dr*g rings in the area.
Image source: Sony Pictures / Columbia Pictures, watchmojo.com
#10 Jean Spangler
On the evening of October 7, 1949, actress and dancer Jean Spangler left her Los Angeles home, telling a relative she was going to a night film shoot. Two days later, authorities discovered her purse with a torn strap near an entrance to Griffith Park. It contained a cryptic, unfinished note addressed to a “Kirk” that mentioned seeing a “Dr. Scott.” The discovery led to a massive investigation that briefly involved actor Kirk Douglas, but no trace of Spangler was ever found.
Image source: RKO Radio Pictures, festivaltopia.com
#11 Dorothy Arnold
On December 12, 1910, New York socialite and writer Dorothy Arnold vanished in broad daylight while shopping in Manhattan. After leaving her family’s upscale residence, she purchased a book and briefly spoke with an acquaintance on Fifth Avenue. That was the last confirmed sighting of the 25-year-old heiress. Her wealthy family initially tried to handle the situation privately, delaying a police report for weeks and hampering the official investigation. Despite extensive searches and numerous theories, no trace of Dorothy Arnold was ever found.
Image source: Library of Congress, worldatlas.com
#12 Glenn Miller
During World War II, popular American bandleader Glenn Miller traveled through Europe to entertain Allied troops with his famous orchestra. On December 15, 1944, he boarded a small military plane in England for a flight to newly liberated Paris. The single-engine aircraft vanished somewhere over the English Channel and never reached its destination. Officials never found any wreckage or remains and presumed the plane crashed due to a combination of mechanical failure and poor weather.
Image source: Ad on page 27 of May 16, 1942 Billboard magazine, worldatlas.com
#13 Oscar Zeta Acosta
The Chicano attorney and activist Oscar Zeta Acosta is best known for his portrayal as Dr. Gonzo in Hunter S. Thompson’s book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He was last heard from in May 1974 while traveling through Mazatlán, Mexico. Acosta’s son reported receiving a final phone call in which his father stated he was about to board a boat “full of white snow.” Acosta was never seen again, and theories about his fate range from a dr*g deal gone wrong to a political a***ssination.
Image source: Cashman Photo Enterprises, Inc. Published by Random House, watchmojo.com
#14 Jim Sullivan
In 1975, folk-rock musician Jim Sullivan was driving from Los Angeles to Nashville to find greater success. He checked into a motel in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, but then disappeared, leaving his room key behind. Authorities later found his car abandoned on a remote desert road with his wallet, guitar, and unsold records still inside. The mystery of his vanishing is often linked to the strange title of his 1969 album, U.F.O., which contained lyrics about aliens.
Image source: Dan Csenar, watchmojo.com
#15 Joe Pichler
Former child actor Joe Pichler, known for his roles in the Beethoven film franchise, vanished in January 2006 at the age of 18. Authorities discovered his empty car parked near a bridge in his hometown of Bremerton, Washington, just days after friends last saw him. Inside the vehicle, they found his wallet and a note that expressed a desire to be a “stronger brother.” Investigators believe Pichler may have jumped from the bridge, but they never recovered his body.
Image source: Universal Family & Home Entertainment, watchmojo.com
#16 Bison Dele
In July 2002, NBA player Bison Dele vanished in the South Pacific along with his girlfriend and the boat’s captain. The sole person to return from the trip aboard Dele’s catamaran was his older brother, Miles Dabord, who later docked the boat in Tahiti. Dabord claimed he shot Dele in self-defense after an argument and fled using his brother’s passport and money. Before authorities could fully investigate his story, Dabord died from an insulin overdose, leaving the exact events of what happened at sea a permanent mystery.
Image source: Ryan Van Dusen, watchmojo.com
#17 Jimmy Hoffa
The powerful and controversial president of the Teamsters Union, Jimmy Hoffa, became one of America’s most famous missing persons. On July 30, 1975, he went to the parking lot of a restaurant in suburban Detroit for a scheduled meeting with two high-ranking mob figures. Hoffa was never seen again, and the only thing authorities found was his car. Although investigators widely believe the Mafia m***ered him, they have never located his body, sparking decades of theories and searches.
Image source: MPI / Getty Image, indiatimes.com
#18 Ylenia Carrisi
Italian television personality Ylenia Carrisi vanished while visiting New Orleans in January 1994. The daughter of two of Italy’s most famous singers, she was last seen staying at a hotel in the city’s French Quarter. The leading theory stems from a security guard’s report of a woman matching her description jumping into the Mississippi River. Despite the lack of a body, her father had her declared legally dead in 2014.
Image source: PANOCH, Robinwarder1
#19 Michael Rockefeller
In November 1961, Michael Rockefeller, the 23-year-old son of New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, vanished while on an art-collecting expedition. After his catamaran capsized off the coast of what is now Indonesian New Guinea, he decided to swim for the distant shore to get help. Rockefeller never reappeared, and the official cause of death was listed as drowning. However, persistent reports and later investigations have strongly suggested he made it to shore, only to be killed by local tribesmen.
Image source: Keystone / Getty Image, festivaltopia.com
#20 Percy Fawcett
British explorer Percy Fawcett became obsessed with finding a mythical lost city he called “Z” deep within the Amazon jungle. In 1925, he launched an expedition into Brazil’s Mato Grosso region with his son Jack and Jack’s friend, Raleigh Rimmel. The party’s final communication on May 29 reported they were venturing into unexplored territory. After that message, the three men vanished without a trace, and dozens of subsequent rescue missions failed to uncover their fate.
Image source: Unknown author, 247wallst.com
#21 Arthur Cravan
Poet, professional boxer, and nephew of Oscar Wilde, Arthur Cravan lived a life of deliberate provocation. In November 1918, he set out from Salina Cruz, Mexico, to sail to Argentina in a small, poorly maintained boat. He intended to reunite with his wife, the poet Mina Loy, who was waiting for him there. Cravan and his vessel vanished without a trace in the Pacific Ocean shortly after his departure.
Image source: Arthur Cravan, historytoday.com
#22 Hale Boggs
In October 1972, the small plane carrying U.S. House Majority Leader Hale Boggs vanished somewhere between Anchorage and Juneau during a campaign trip in Alaska. His disappearance triggered a massive 39-day search, but investigators never found any trace of the aircraft or its four occupants. That November, both Boggs and Congressman Nick Begich, who was also on board, were re-elected posthumously. The incident led directly to a new federal law mandating that most civil aircraft carry emergency locator transmitters.
Image source: Cecil W. Stoughton, 247wallst.com
#23 Theodosia Burr Alston
Theodosia Burr Alston, the accomplished daughter of former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr, vanished at sea in early 1813. She had boarded a schooner called the Patriot in South Carolina to sail to New York and reunite with her father. The vessel never reached its port, disappearing completely along the Atlantic coast. No wreckage was ever found, leading to enduring theories that the ship was either lost in a storm or captured by pirates.
Image source: John Vanderlyn, 247wallst.com
#24 Sean Flynn
The son of legendary actor Errol Flynn, Sean Flynn built a career for himself as a daring photojournalist. While on assignment covering the war in Southeast Asia, he and fellow journalist Dana Stone rode motorcycles into Cambodia on April 6, 1970. The two men rode directly into a checkpoint manned by Khmer Rouge guerrillas and were taken captive. Neither Flynn nor Stone was ever seen again, and both are presumed to have been executed by their captors.
Image source: Luxor Films, watchmojo.com
#25 Scott Smith
As the bassist for the Canadian rock band Loverboy, Scott Smith enjoyed major success throughout the 1980s. On November 30, 2000, he was sailing his boat with two friends just off the coast of San Francisco. A large rogue wave suddenly struck the vessel and swept Smith into the ocean. Despite an immediate and extensive search by the U.S. Coast Guard, they never found his body, and authorities presumed he drowned.
Image source: Loverboy, wikipedia.org
#26 Alain Kan
Provocative French glam rock singer Alain Kan vanished under strange circumstances on April 14, 1990. While in a Paris Métro station with his girlfriend, he excused himself to go buy cigarettes. Kan never returned and was never seen or heard from again. His abrupt departure has left his fate a complete mystery.
Image source: RTS Archives, clattr.com
#27 John Brisker
John Brisker earned a reputation as one of the most volatile and intimidating forwards in the American Basketball Association. After his basketball career ended, he traveled to Uganda in the spring of 1978 during the brutal regime of dictator Idi Amin. Brisker vanished shortly after arriving, sparking theories that he was working as a mercenary. The U.S. State Department officially declared him dead in 1985, but his exact fate remains unconfirmed.
Image source: Unknown University of Toledo, wikipedia.org
#28 Forrest “DY” Schab
In early 2010, Billboard recognized Canadian rapper Forrest “DY” Schab as one of the country’s best emerging artists. That August, he told his family he planned to travel to Mexico, and after a final social media post in September, he was never heard from again. Shortly before he vanished, his record label had terminated his contract. Rumors have since suggested a possible connection to Mexican drug cartels, but his disappearance remains a complete mystery.
Image source: 1Dyforever1, watchmojo.com
#29 Rico Harris
Former Harlem Globetrotter Rico Harris vanished in October 2014 while driving from Southern California to Seattle to move in with his fiancée. Authorities later located his abandoned car in a remote state park parking lot in the hills of Yolo County. Investigators also found his backpack and phone nearby, but there was no sign of the 6’9″ former athlete. Despite extensive searches of the rugged terrain, Harris was never found, leaving his family with no answers.
Image source: all_thats_interesting
#30 Daniel Lind Lagerlöf
Swedish director Daniel Lind Lagerlöf vanished in October 2011 while scouting locations for an upcoming film. He separated from his two colleagues to explore the rugged cliffs of the Tjurpannan nature reserve on Sweden’s west coast. The area is known for its treacherous rocks and unpredictable waves. Authorities believe Lagerlöf was swept into the sea, but an extensive search never recovered his body.
Image source: explodinglint, wikipedia.org
#31 Francis Lewis Clark
Spokane millionaire Francis Lewis Clark vanished while on a business trip to Santa Barbara, California, in 1914. He left his hotel for an evening walk, leaving his watch and a large sum of money behind in his room. His disappearance prompted a massive, nationwide search that turned up no clues. The prevailing theory suggests he walked into the Pacific Ocean, but authorities never found any trace of him.
Image source: Unknown author, wikipedia.org
#32 Tracy Splinter
German-South African writer Tracy Splinter disappeared from a Swiss resort town in August 2016. Shortly before she went missing, staff at a luxury hotel had turned her away after her credit card was declined. Authorities later discovered her luggage, containing her laptop, camera, and personal documents, abandoned at a nearby bus stop. A year after her disappearance, her parents hired a private investigator, but her whereabouts remain unknown.
Image source: PoetrySlam2009, wikipedia.org
#33 Victor Grayson
Victor Grayson, a charismatic and controversial socialist Member of Parliament in Britain, vanished on September 28, 1920. He was last seen leaving a gathering of friends in London, telling them he was stepping out for a moment and would return shortly. At the time, Grayson was reportedly preparing to expose a major political scandal involving the sale of official honors for cash. This has led to the enduring belief that political enemies murdered him to ensure his silence, though his fate was never confirmed.
Image source: Anonymous, wikipedia.org
#34 George Mallory
British mountaineer George Mallory famously answered he wanted to climb Mount Everest “because it’s there.” He and his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine, vanished high on the mountain’s northeast ridge during their 1924 attempt to be the first to reach the summit. An expedition discovered Mallory’s remarkably preserved body in 1999, seventy-five years after he disappeared. However, they never found Irvine or the camera the pair carried, leaving the ultimate mystery of whether they reached the top before they died unanswered.
Image source: Unknown author, wikipedia.org
#35 Urgel Wintermute
As the star center for the University of Oregon, Urgel “Slim” Wintermute led his team to victory in the first-ever NCAA basketball tournament in 1939. Decades later, in 1977, he disappeared from a boat on Lake Washington while his friend napped on board. The leading theory suggests Wintermute, who had a history of heart problems, suffered another attack and fell into the water. Searchers never recovered his body, and his exact fate remains unconfirmed.
Image source: Unknown, University if Oregon, grunge.com
#36 Levi Davis
Professional rugby player and X Factor celebrity contestant Levi Davis mysteriously vanished in Barcelona on October 29, 2022. He was last seen on CCTV leaving an Irish pub alone, having arrived in the city earlier that day via ferry from Ibiza. Just minutes before he disappeared, Davis sent a final video to his mother. Spanish police later found his passport at the city’s port, but a thorough investigation has produced no further clues about his whereabouts.
Image source: TNT Sports Football, wikipedia.org
#37 Ambrose Small
After selling his entire theatre empire for a fortune, Canadian magnate Ambrose Small vanished on December 2, 1919. He deposited the massive check and then disappeared from his office area in Toronto, leaving behind his new wealth. The subsequent police investigation became one of the most famous in Canadian history but produced no credible leads. Despite numerous theories involving foul play or a planned escape, authorities never found any trace of Small, and he was eventually declared legally dead.
Image source: Toronto Star, cited by Katie Daubs in her book "The Missing Millionaire", wikipedia.org
#38 Zahir Raihan
Acclaimed Bangladeshi filmmaker Zahir Raihan dedicated himself to finding his brother, an intellectual abducted at the end of the 1971 Liberation War. On January 30, 1972, an anonymous phone call lured him to the Mirpur area of Dhaka with the promise of information. Upon his arrival, Raihan walked into a violent confrontation between pro-liberation forces and armed collaborators. He was never seen again and is widely believed to have been k**led during the firefight.
Image source: Unknown author, wikipedia.org
#39 Sarinthip Siriwan
Popular Thai actress Sarinthip Siriwan vanished on December 3, 1987, after the helicopter she was in went down over Phitsanulok Province. She was traveling with a prominent politician and his entourage at the time of the crash. Rescuers eventually located the wreckage and recovered some of the victims. Authorities never found Sarinthip Siriwan’s body, and she is officially presumed dead.
Image source: Unknown author, wikipedia.org
Follow Us
