More than 600,000 people go missing in the United States each year, and sadly many of those cases remain unsolved. Here’s a look at 10 unsolved missing persons cases from 2021.
Noemi Bolivar
Case Information
21 year old Noemi Bolivar was last seen in Hollywood, Florida on February 11, 2021. She disappeared after getting off a bus for a walk to the Anne Kolb Nature Center, near Hollywood Beach.
Disappearance
On February 11, 2021, Bolivar left her parent’s home around 4:00 pm to take a walk in a nature preserve.
Surveillance cameras from the Broward County Transit captured her getting on a bus in the 7000 block of Sheridan Street before getting off alone in the 800 block of Sheridan Street, along the Intracoastal Waterway in Hollywood, Florida.
Around 6:00 pm, Bolivar texted and sent a selfie picture on Snapchat to a college friend as she was at the observation tower inside the Anne Kolb Nature Center. However, she stopped responding by 6:15 pm and her phone later went dead.
Bolivar never returned home that day and has never been heard from again.
Around 7:00 pm, her parents became concerned when Bolivar failed to show up for a Zoom Bible study. They subsequently filed a missing person’s report with the Hollywood Police Department
Investigation
Between 10:00 and 11:00 pm, Noemi Bolivar’s cell phone, which disappeared with her, pinged twice to a cell tower around the 2300 block of South Ocean Drive near Hollywood beach, about three miles south of the nature center.
On February 17, 2021, authorities conducted an extensive search in the area south of the Anne Kolb Nature Center for evidence or any indication of Noemi Bolivar’s disappearance, but turned up no signs of her whereabouts.
Her phone record, bank account, and social media have had no activity since she disappeared. Bolivar didn’t take any money, credit cards, or identification with her and left all of her belongings at home.
At the time of her disappearance, Bolivar was reportedly sad because she did not get an internship at Everglades National Park.
In March 2021, according to a private investigator, Bolivar’s cell phone was turned on and initiated a text conversation with three friends, saying nothing, before being powered down again.
Police found no evidence, means or motive for foul play in Noemi Bolivar’s disappearance. There’s currently no promising leads in her case.
Noemi was last seen wearing a striped shirt, jean bermuda shorts, and teal sneakers. She was wearing black sunglasses and a white face mask.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Noemi Bolivar, please contact the Hollywood Police Department (954) 967-4636 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
Heidi Planck
Case Information
39 year old Heidi Planck was last seen in Los Angeles, California on October 17, 2021. She disappeared after abruptly leaving her son’s football game in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey during halftime.
Disappearance
On the afternoon of October 17, 2021, Planck left home with her dog Seven to drive to the Los Angeles suburb of Downey.
Planck was joined by her ex-husband to attend their 10-years-old son’s football game, during which she was described as distracted and bothered.
Around 4:30 pm, Planck told her ex-husband that she had to leave early and subsequently drove away with her dog, before the game was over. Soon after the game ended, Planck sent a text message to her son, congratulating him on his win.
Around 6:30 pm, Planck was captured on security footage walking her dog outside a downtown Los Angeles apartment complex. Heidi Planck never returned home that evening, and has never been heard from again.
On October 20, 2021, Planck’s ex-husband became concerned after she failed to pick up their 10-year-old son at his private school in Westwood. He filed a missing persons report with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Investigation
On October 29, 2021, the FBI served a search warrant on Heidi Planck’s home with guns drawn, expecting to find a crime scene, but found no sign of her.
They found her cell phone and laptop, but her car and dog were missing. Her phone record, bank account, and social media have shown no activity since she disappeared.
Missing Los Angeles Woman Believed to Be Dead
On October 17, 2021, Heidi Planck was captured on surveillance video at 6:30 pm walking her dog in a downtown Los Angeles alleyway between 11th and 12th streets.
Around 7:00 pm., her Labradoodle dog Seven was discovered wandering alone on the 28th floor of Hope + Flower, a luxury apartment complex at 1201 South Hope Street, with no signs of Heidi Planck.
On November 4, 2021, her silver 2017 Range Rover with California license plate U840X0 was found abandoned in the underground garage of a residential building, located a few blocks away from Hope + Flower.
The discovery of undisclosed forensic evidence in the high-rise building led authorities to believe something happened that resulted in her death, and that her body may be in the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
Police Search Landfill North of Los Angeles
On November 29, 2021, authorities executed a search warrant at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, located on 29201 Henry Mayo Drive in Castaic, about forty miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Authorities performed an excavation of a specific area of the landfill in search for human remains and to collect any related evidence.
Heidi Planck’s Ex-Husband Suspects Foul Play
On October 21, 2021, Planck’s ex-husband received a phone call from a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official, asking him questions about Jason Sugarman, his ex-wife’s boss.
Jason Sugarman and his business partner, Jason Galanis, were previously charged by the SEC with securities fraud in 2019. The pair were accused of stealing more than $43 million from their clients’ unwitting pension funds.
Two days after Heidi Planck’s disappearance, surveillance footage showed Jason Sugarman ringing her doorbell and dropping pastries off outside her home in West Los Angeles.
Her ex-husband believes Planck’s job may have played a role in her disappearance.
Foul play is suspected in Heidi Planck’s disappearance, but there is currently no suspect information.
Heidi was last seen wearing a pair of jeans, a t-shirt with a smiley face, and a gray sweater wrapped around her waist.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Heidi Planck, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department at (213) 486-6840 or (877) 527-3247, or call the Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
Daniel Robinson
Case Information
24-year-old Daniel Robinson was last seen in Buckeye, Arizona on June 23, 2021. He disappeared after leaving his worksite and driving deep into the Buckeye desert terrain.
Disappearance
On the morning of June 23, 2021, Robinson drove to a site near Sun Valley Parkway and Cactus Road around 9:00 am for a well project in the desert of Buckeye, Arizona.
According to a coworker, Robinson was reportedly acting strangely and said things that didn’t make sense. Around 9:15 am, Robinson abruptly left the worksite when it started raining.
Robinson left the job site in his Jeep, with tire tracks suggesting he headed west, going deeper into the desert terrain. Throughout the day, no one from his company, friends, or family could contact him.
Daniel Robinson never returned home, and has never been heard from again.
Later that day, Robinson was reported missing to the Buckeye Police Department when his family and friends couldn’t contact him.
Investigation
On July 19, 2021, Robinson’s 2017 blue/gray Jeep Renegade, with Arizona license plate NLA2CMA, was found in a remote part of the desert by a rancher, about two and a half miles southwest from the job site he was last seen.
The car was found rolled over on its side in a ravine, with the deployed airbags suggesting that the driver was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. His cellphone, keys, wallet, and work clothes were recovered about three feet from the Jeep.
Authorities conducted an extensive search of over seventy square miles of the area where Robinson’s vehicle was recovered, with the help of UTVs, cadaver dogs, drones, and helicopters, but found no signs of him.
After Daniel Robinson’s disappearance, several sets of human remains were recovered by search parties, but none of them belonged to Robinson.
According to an accident reconstructionist and a private investigator hired by Robinson’s family, the car’s black box showed that the vehicle was traveling under 30 miles per hour before the airbags were deployed.
They also discovered that the car recorded more than forty ignition cycles and traveled an additional eleven miles after the airbags were deployed. However, authorities stated that similar discrepancies had been found in the past by Jeep dealership service departments and other crash reconstructionists.
Red paint was found transferred onto the right side of the jeep, but there was no red paint in the area. His family believes that the vehicle crash scene was staged and foul play may be involved.
Before his disappearance, Robinson told friends that he was in love with a woman named Katelyn that he met while working a side gig for Instacart, a grocery delivery and pick-up service.
During one delivery at her house, they exchanged phone numbers when the woman and her friend reportedly invited him in. However, later text messages showed that Robinson showed up at her home unannounced a few times.
The woman responded that she was uncomfortable with his actions and asked him to stop contacting her. According to his friends and relatives, Robinson reportedly behaved oddly before his disappearance, but didn’t appear to be suicidal over the relationship.
Police found no evidence, means or motive for foul play in Daniel Robinson’s disappearance. The investigation is open and active, but there are currently no promising leads in his case.
A $10,000 reward is being offered by Robinson’s family for information that helps find him.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Daniel Robinson please contact the Buckeye Police Department at (623) 349-6400.
Rebekka Barsotti
Case Information
33 year old Rebekah Barsotti was last seen in Superior, Montana on July 20, 2021. She disappeared along the Clark Fork River while hiking with her dog, Cerberus.
Disappearance
On July 20, 2021, Barsotti drove to the Town Pump gas station in Superior around 2:15 pm, to meet an intermediary to get the rest of her belongings from her ex-husband’s home.
Barsotti and her ex-husband had a “Standing Order Of No Contact” in place and were legally prohibited from meeting in person. When the meeting ended, Barsotti drove to Alberton and parked her car at a truck stop and rest area by mile marker 71 on Interstate 90.
Afterward, Barsotti headed to the Clark Fork River for a hike with her dog Cerberus. Around 3:15 pm, a video captured on her phone showed their training session on the beach of the river.
Later that day, a family traveling from Oregon called 911 when they discovered some of Barsotti’s personal belongings left unattended on the shore of Clark Fork River, on the east side of Alberton Rock.
Rebekah Barsotti never returned home that day and has never been heard from again.
Investigation
Among Barsotti’s personal belongings found on the shore of Clark Fork River were her cell phone, driver’s license, credit card, car keys, a dog leash, and the remote to her dog’s e-collar.
On July 26, 2021, the body of Cerberus was found in the Clark Fork River, about ten miles downstream from mile marker 72. The dog appeared to have drowned and authorities found no indication of harm nor struggle.
After the dog’s remains were found in Missoula County, the sheriff of Mineral County requested the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office to take over the investigation.
An extensive search of the area was conducted with the help of search and rescue teams, divers, and volunteers from Missoula and Mineral, but turned up no signs of Rebekah Barsotti.
Police found no evidence, means or motive for foul play in Rebekah Barsotti’s disappearance. They suspect Barsotti drowned in the Clark Fork River after jumping in the river to save her dog.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Rebekah Barsotti please contact the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office at (406) 258-4810, or the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office at (406) 822-3555.
Ryan Larsen
Case Information
11 year old Ryan Larsen was last seen in La Vista, Nebraska on May 17, 2021. He walked away from his school at 11:45 am, and was last seen outside the apartment complex where he lived a few hours later.
Disappearance
On May 17, 2021, 11 year old Ryan Larsen walked away from his school, La Vista West Elementary, at 11:45 am.
It is believed he walked away on his own, as he had reported to a class, before not showing up for the next one.
A neighbor spotted Ryan at 1:30 pm outside the Southland Apartment Complex where he lived, about two blocks away from his school at 84th and Harrison Street. As Ryan didn’t have a key to his apartment, it is not believed that he went inside.
The umbrella Ryan had with him the day he disappeared was found by another neighbor near a dumpster in the apartment complex.
According to his family the umbrella meant a lot to him, as it had been given to him by his sister who had recently moved out. The umbrella was tested by investigators and was found to have Ryan’s DNA on it.
Surveillance video captured a person who investigators believe could be Ryan near La Vista Keno at 1:45 pm, but his identify cannot be verified.
Investigation
La Vista police spent countless hours going through tips that might lead them to Ryan, but a few weeks after he went missing the tips slowed down significantly.
Authorities lowered the water levels at Walnut Creek Recreation Area, searched through fields and tree lines, and brought in landfill experts from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to comb through trash.
The searches for Ryan turned up nothing.
In an effort to help the department better prepare for cases like Ryan’s, the La Vista Police Department set up a new program called “Take Me Home.”
It’s an opt-in registry to provide the police with information about someone when they go missing, namely children, those with special needs, or vulnerable adults. The form allows residents to provide important information and photos of their loved ones.
Although Ryan’s umbrella was found in the apartment complex where he lived, investigators don’t believe Ryan went inside his apartment after leaving school on May 17, as he didn’t have a key to get inside.
Foul play is suspected in Ryan’s disappearance. His case remains unsolved.
Ryan was last seen wearing an Old Navy t-shirt, blue jeans, a black jacket with orange on the shoulders, black New Balance tennis shoes with red trim, and carrying a polka dot umbrella.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Ryan Larsen please contact the Sarpy County Crimestoppers at (402) 592-STOP (7867), or the La Vista Police Department at (402) 331-1582.
If you see Ryan, authorities say not to call his name; instead, keep your distance and call 911.
Jessica Stacks
Case Information
28 year old Jessica Nicole Stacks was last seen in Union County, Mississippi on January 1, 2021. She disappeared after going on a boating trip with her boyfriend in the Tallahatchie River.
Disappearance
On the morning of January 1, 2021, Stacks and her boyfriend, Jerry Wayne Baggett, went to Poolville Quick Stop, a convenience store in New Albany, Mississippi, around 6:00 am.
After they left the store, the couple launched a small boat without a motor into the Tallahatchie River near the County Road 46 bridge, less than two miles away from the Poolville store.
Around 10:00 am, the boat had only floated a short distance down the river when Stacks reportedly asked to get out of the boat and walk out of the river bottom toward State Highway 30.
Baggett continued alone down the river and landed on the left bank of the river, some distance downstream before calling his son, asking him to come pick him up.
By 10:15 pm, Baggett filed a missing person’s report with the Union County Sheriff’s Office after Stacks failed to turn up.
On January 2 she failed to show up to her brother’s 15th birthday.
Jessica has never been heard from again. She disappeared without her purse, car keys, and cell phone.
Investigation
After Jessica Stacks’ disappearance, her phone was turned in by a Union County resident who told police that he assisted the couple when landing their boat into the river. He kept the phone because the couple was supposed to call him when they were ready to be picked up at the end of their excursion on the river.
Authorities conducted an extensive search around the Little Tallahatchie River, on the boundary of Holly Springs National Forest, with the help of dive teams, cadaver dogs, and drones equipped with thermal imaging, but no signs of Jessica Stacks was found.
When searchers looked into the spot on the north bank of the river where Stacks reportedly left the boat they found footprints, a single boot, and a coat believed to have been similar to one she had been wearing that day.
The boot was a green LaCrosse type rubber boot, in women’s size six or seven with the top cut off. According to Baggett, Stacks had previously cut the top off of the boot because it was rubbing on her leg.
The tracks subsequently continued about 100 yards west up the river bank, toward County Road 46, before turning north toward Highway 30. However, the tracks disappeared into water standing in a crop field.
Police found no evidence, means or motive for foul play in Jessica Stacks’ disappearance. There’s currently no promising leads in her case.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Jessica Stacks please contact the Union County Sheriff’s Office at (662) 534-1943.
Cian McLaughlin
Case Information
27 year old Cian McLaughlin was last seen in Grand Teton National Park on June 8, 2021.
Disappearance
Cian was last seen hiking alone at 2:30 pm on June 8, heading south towards Taggart Lake in Grand Teton National Park.
The trail which it is believed Cian went missing from is an 8.3 mile round trip, described by the National Park Service as “strenuous”.
Cian failed to turn up for work on June 10, where he worked as a snowboard instructor in Jackson Hole, and was reported missing late in the evening of June 12.
Investigation
Security footage shows Cian entering Grand Teton National Park through the Moose Entrance station on June 8 at 2:15 pm.
The Teton Interagency Dispatch Center was notified of his disappearance at 7:00 am on the morning of June 13. His vehicle was found later that morning, parked at the Lupine Meadows Trailhead located within Grand Teton National Park.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Cian McLaughlin please contact the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch at (888) 653-0009.
Kandi Gonzalez
Case Information
36-year-old Kandi Gonzalez was last seen in Prestonsburg, Kentucky on June 1, 2021. She was last seen asking for help, after wandering into a backyard about a half mile away from her home.
Disappearance
On the afternoon of June 1, 2021, Gonzalez was thrown out by her boyfriend of two years, Jeff Blackburn, from the house they shared together.
Gonzalez subsequently wandered into the backyard of a property on Abbott Creek Road, less than half a mile from her own home. She was recorded by someone on the property, pleading for help and asking people to call her mother, in a visibly distressed and disoriented state.
When the calls made to her mother’s phone went directly to voicemail, Gonzalez walked back and forth before eventually running through the backyard and into a creek.
Gonzalez never returned home and has never been heard from again. She disappeared without any personal belongings or her cell phone, wearing only a pink one-piece romper outfit and sandals.
On June 2, 2021, Gonzalez’s family filed a missing persons report with the Kentucky State Police Pikeville Post when they couldn’t contact her.
Investigation
Gonzalez’s shoes were found by her family in a nearby creek after her disappearance.
Authorities conducted searches in the creek area where she was last seen, using helicopters, drones, tracking and cadaver dogs, but found no signs of Kandi Green Gonzalez’s whereabouts.
Police found no evidence, means or motive for foul play in Kandi Green Gonzalez’s disappearance. The case is still ongoing but there’s currently no promising leads.
Kandi was last seen wearing a pink one-piece romper outfit and sandals.
A $10,000 reward is being offered by Kandi Gonzalez’s family for information leading to her whereabouts.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Kandi Green Gonzalez please contact the Kentucky State Police Pikeville Post 9 at (606) 433-7711.
Bryan Hasel
Case Information
22 year old Bryan Hasel was last seen in Orlando, Florida on November 5, 2021. He disappeared from the apartment he shared with his father while his family was out of town.
Background
Bryan “Vladek” Hasel was born on December 20, 1998. At age five, he and his biological sister were adopted from Russia. He had no contact with his family there and didn’t express interest in going back.
In December 2018, Hasel successfully completed basic training and graduated from the United States Marine Corps boot camp. He subsequently served a desk job for a few months.
In July 2019, Hasel got an honorable discharge for failure to adapt, and was living at either his sister’s or father’s place.
At the time of his disappearance, Hasel was unemployed and single. He was known to frequent restaurants and businesses on University Boulevard, Alafaya Trail, and Waterford Lakes.
Described as generous and friendly, Hasel spent his free time helping people in need. He would often give money to homeless individuals and share food with them.
At the time of his disappearance Hasel was living with his father in The Place at Alafaya, an apartment complex on MacKay Boulevard, near the University of Central Florida’s campus in Orlando, Florida.
According to his family, Hasel may have been going through some depression at the time of his disappearance. He reportedly made unusual religious comments about heaven and the purpose of life.
Disappearance
On November 5, 2021, Hasel’s father left town with family members for a ten day trip out of state. Hasel was invited, but chose to stay home alone instead. His father left him $100 in cash and a credit card to use.
On November 6, 2021, Hasel spoke to his sister on the phone for approximately five minutes. The last purchase on his credit card was for a coffee at Foxtail Coffee Shop on University Boulevard.
On November 12, 2021, Hasel was seen by a maintenance worker sitting at the basketball court of the apartment complex. They reportedly spoke for a few minutes before Hasel went back to his apartment.
On November 15, 2021, his father returned from the family trip, but Hasel was nowhere to be seen.
On November 17, 2021, Hasel’s father filed a missing persons report to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office when he didn’t return.
Investigation
At the time of his disappearance, Hasel shared a car with his father, but it had broken down and was sitting in the repair shop.
His cell phone, which was left behind in his bedroom with the charger cord nearby, was found with a dead battery and unread texts since November 6, 2021.
On November 15, 2021, Hasel reportedly spoke to a resident at The Place at Alafaya, about twelve hours before his father returned and mentioned going off the grid.
Police found no evidence, means or motive for foul play in Bryan Hasel’s disappearance.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Bryan Vladek Hasel please contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at (407) 836-4357.
Kirsten Brueggeman
Case Information
26 year old Kirsten Brueggeman was last seen on January 2, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was last seen on surveillance footage, walking alone towards East Washing Street around 2:00 am.
Disappearance
On January 1, 2021, Kirsten spoke with her mother on the phone, telling her she wouldn’t need a ride home from work because she was going to be meeting up with friends after her shift.
That evening, Kirsten met up with her friends at the Irish Mutt bar, located at the corner of Shadeland Road and 10th Street in Indianapolis.
Around 12:15 am Kirsten left the bar with several friends. She said she wanted to go bowling, and was last seen headed in the direction of a nearby bowling alley.
Kirsten was seen on camera walking toward a closed bowling alley, before heading east past the Winner Woodworking Company on North Shortridge Road.
At approximately 2:00 am on January 2, 2021, Kirsten was seen on surveillance footage walking through the parking lot of the Harper J. Ransburg Branch YMCA off of North Shortridge Road.
The footage shows her walking towards East Washington Street, but it is unknown if she ever made it there.
Investigation
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) reached out to the community in hopes of finding clues in Kirsten’s disappearance.
Subsequent searches by police and independent investigators have turned up nothing.
Kirsten was last seen wearing a gray or light colored stocking hat, a black waist length jacket, blue jeans, a white back pack, and black knee high boots.
The IMPD is offering a reward of $10,000 for any information leading to Kirsten’s whereabouts.
Kirsten’s parents don’t believe she wouldn’t have just walked away from her life, saying she wouldn’t leave her beloved dog Tifa behind.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Kirsten Brueggeman please contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at (317) 327-6160, or the Lauth Investigation International anonymous tip line at (317) 279-6082.
Leave a Reply