Across the world, millions of people have vanished under circumstances that remain shocking, heartbreaking, or downright puzzling. Some disappearances spark large-scale investigations, others quietly fall off the map, but all of them leave families desperate for answers. Whether you’ve followed these stories from the ’90s or are just hearing about them now, they’re the kind of mysteries that are truly unforgettable. From alleged accidents to rumored abductions, here are 20 missing persons cases from the ’90s that continue to raise questions and eyebrows to this day.
#1 Ylenia Carrisi
Ylenia Carrisi, daughter of Italian celebrities Albano Carrisi and Romina Power, went missing on January 6, 1994, while on a trip in New Orleans. While the circumstances of her disappearance are still unknown, a security guard claimed to have seen a woman resembling Carrisi jump into the Mississippi River. Shockingly, just two years later, an anonymous caller claimed she was still alive. Neither of these claims was ever confirmed, and Carrisi was officially declared deceased in 2014.
Image source: Susanne.from.germany, Wikipedia
#2 Christopher Kerze
After staying home from school on April 20, 1990, this 17-year-old from Minnesota went missing. Kerze reportedly took the family van and left a note saying he would be back home by 6 pm, but sadly, he never showed. A day later, his family received another note, leading them to believe he may have tried to take his own life. The van was found abandoned in Grand Rapids, and eerily, just a week after his disappearance, his family reported receiving strange calls from an unidentified caller.
Image source: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Wikipedia
#3 Dannette And Jeannette Millbrook
Dannette and Jeannette Millbrook are fraternal twins who were last seen by a cashier at the Pump-N-Shop gas station on March 18, 1990, when they were 15 years old. On the day they disappeared, the girls had complained about a man in a van following them around while they walked to the local Church’s Chicken. Despite this, they continued on another walk, stopping by several relatives’ houses on the way. Sadly, this would be the last time they were seen again.
Image source: Sarah Portney, Wikipedia
#4 Trevaline Evans
When she was 52 years old, Trevaline Evans vanished from her antiques shop in Llangollen, Wales, on June 16, 1990. At around midday on the day of her disappearance, Evans left a note on her shop door stating that she would be back in two minutes, reportedly after she spoke with a smartly dressed man. Regrettably, this would be her last confirmed sighting.
Image source: Trevaline Evans, Wikipedia
#5 Sarah Macdiarmid
Sarah MacDiarmid was just 23 years old when she vanished from Kananook railway station in Melbourne on July 11, 1990. MacDiarmid was last seen at approximately 10.20 pm, getting off a train and making her way to the parking lot where her car was parked. Her brother went looking for her at the station, only to find her locked car still there. Police immediately suspected foul play because of the bloodstains next to her car and drag marks leading into the nearby bushes. Sadly, there’s been no trace of her ever since.
Image source: Victoria Police, Wikipedia
#6 Ben Needham
Ben Needham, a 21-month-old British toddler, disappeared from his grandparents’ farm in Kos, Greece, on July 24, 1991. Despite intense searches, investigations, and over 300 reported sightings, Needham hasn’t been seen since. While detectives believe he must have passed away in an accident involving an excavator, his family believes he was abducted and is still alive somewhere.
Image source: facebook.com, Wikipedia
#7 Eugene John Hebert
Known for his human rights advocacy, American Jesuit missionary Eugene John Hebert disappeared in Sri Lanka on August 15, 1990. Tensions were running high in Sri Lanka at the time of his disappearance due to the civil war that was raging. Unfortunately, Herbert, along with his driver Betram Francis, was last seen riding a red Vespa scooter towards Batticaloa city, and the circumstances behind their disappearances remain unknown. However, some officials strongly believe that rebels in the area must have taken both their lives.
Image source: Hebert family, Wikipedia
#8 Pirouz Davani
Pirouz Davani, an Iranian activist and editor, went missing in Tehran on August 28, 1998. At the time of his disappearance, Davani was openly critical of the government and promoted democracy in Iran. It was this activism that many believe to be the reason why he was abducted and probably became a victim of violence.
Image source: Pirooz Davani, Wikipedia
#9 Licorice Mckechnie
According to her sister, Scottish singer Licorice McKechnie was last heard from in 1990 while recovering from surgery in Sacramento. Before that, it was rumored that she had disappeared in the Arizona desert or had chosen to leave the public eye to live a quiet life. Till this day, all her family’s attempts to track her down have been unsuccessful.
Image source: Bert Verhoeff / Anefo, Far Out Magazine
#10 Amanda Campbell
Four-year-old Amanda Nicole Eileen Campbell disappeared in Fairfield, California, on December 27, 1991. Campbell was riding her bike to a friend’s house near her own when she vanished off the street, never to be seen again. When her bike was found abandoned a few blocks from her home, police suspected foul play. Despite several searches and multiple suspects being identified, Campbell still hasn’t been found.
Image source: Courtesy photo, Wikipedia
#11 Misty Copsey
Misty Donna Copsey disappeared in Tacoma, Washington, on September 17, 1992, when she was just 14 years old. Copsey was last spotted walking home after missing her bus. Believing she had simply run away, investigators delayed the search for her, a decision that would eventually haunt them forever, as her case remains unsolved. Tragically, she was declared legally deceased in 2000.
Image source: Hoshiiiii, Missing Fandom
#12 Michael Dunahee
Michael Wayne Dunahee disappeared from his school playground in Victoria, British Columbia, on March 24, 1991. What’s particularly heartbreaking about this case is that his parents were only just meters away from him when he vanished without a trace. Despite a large-scale investigation, over 11,000 tip-offs, and a massive cash reward, police aren’t any closer to finding Dunahee.
Image source: Anna James, Wikipedia
#13 The Springfield Three
This chilling case from 1992 tragically involves three disappearances. Sherrill Levitt (47), her daughter Suzanne “Suzie” Streeter (19), and friend Stacy McCall (18) vanished from Levitt’s home in Springfield between June 6 and June 7, 1992. Chillingly, all their belongings were still in the home, and there weren’t any signs of a struggle. Even with exhaustive searches carried out, investigators have failed to solve this case, and the women’s whereabouts are still a mystery.
Image source: people.com, Wikipedia
#14 Jarosław Ziętara
This Polish journalist, involved in investigating economic scandals, went missing on his way to work on September 1, 1992. It’s widely believed that Ziętara was probably abducted due to the nature of his dangerous job. There have also been statements from a witness claiming he was held in a warehouse for days until someone took his life. Unlike many on this list, Ziętara was declared deceased seven years after his disappearance.
Image source: Magazyn Kryminalny nr 8 (1951), Wikipedia
#15 Richey Edwards
Richey Edwards from the Welsh rock band Manic Street vanished just before he was meant to get on a flight to the U.S. on February 1, 1995. His car was found abandoned on the same day, not far from the Severn Bridge, which was a notorious destination for self-inflicted passings. With Edwards’ history of depression, alcoholism, and self-harm, the assumption that he took his own life was prevalent. Sadly, he was declared deceased in 2008.
Image source: goro memo, Wikipedia
#16 Kalpana Chakma
Bangladeshi feminist and human rights activist Kalpana Chakma went missing from her home at Lallyaghona village on June 12, 1996. On the day of her disappearance, it is alleged that the army may have been responsible for abducting Chakma and her brothers, something they strongly denied. Unbelievably, the army released a statement claiming Chakma went abroad; however, this was quickly refuted since she didn’t have a passport.
Image source: চিত্রকথক, Wikipedia
#17 Kristen Modafferi
18-year-old Kristen Modafferi went missing in San Francisco on June 23, 1997. On the afternoon of her disappearance, co-workers at a coffee shop saw her talking to a blonde woman after her shift had ended. Sadly, it took the police seven long days to begin investigating Modaferri’s disappearance, as they had mislabeled her as a runaway. To this day, her whereabouts remain unknown, and the blonde woman she was last seen talking to has never been identified.
Image source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Wikipedia
#18 Thomas Gibson
2-year-old Thomas Gibson vanished while playing with his 4-year-old sister in the front yard of their Oregon home on March 18, 1991. It is reported that on the day of Gibson’s disappearance, his father, Larry, a sheriff’s deputy, went for a jog, leaving the two children playing unsupervised. Initially, Gibson’s sister led police to believe he may have been abducted, but a few years later, she confessed to seeing their father beat him in the front yard. Shockingly, Larry was convicted of manslaughter in 1995 because of this, but sadly, Gibson’s whereabouts are still unknown.
Image source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Wikipedia
#19 Jared Negrete
12-year-old Jared Negrete vanished after separating from his group while on a Boy Scout camping trip on July 19, 1991. The search for him began the next day, but rescue teams would only find his camera and food wrappers on one of the trails about a week later. Chillingly, this photo of his eyes and nose was the last photo he took before he vanished forever.
Image source: Sir-Cee, Wikipedia
#20 Leigh Occhi
Leigh Occhi (13) disappeared from her home in Mississippi during Hurricane Andrew on August 27, 1992. When Occhi’s mother couldn’t get a hold of her that morning, she rushed back to their home to check on her, only to find blood in several spots in the house. With her daughter nowhere to be seen, she called the police, who, upon inspection of the home, immediately suspected some sort of foul play. Chillingly, a few weeks after her disappearance, her eyeglasses were mailed to her family, and tragically, her whereabouts remain unknown.
Image source: Missing People In America, Wikipedia
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