From 1902 to Today: Missing Person Cases That Still Remain Unsolved

I grew up on the OG true crime shows: Unsolved Mysteries, Cops, and America’s Most Wanted. Maybe that’s why I’ve watched so many true crime shows over the years.

It’s the missing persons cases that have always resonated with me the most. Every year, countless people vanish, and each person has a story. What breaks my heart is that so much remains unknown. Families and friends are left searching, hoping, and waiting for answers, sometimes for decades. No one deserves that kind of uncertainty.

Certain missing persons cases I’ve come across have really puzzled me.

Rather than summarize each case, I’m linking directly to sources. Details can change over time, and with advancements like genetic genealogy, new information can sometimes emerge.

1902 — Elijah Gersham Cravens — Okmulgee, Oklahoma
1945 — Sodder children — Fayetteville, West Virginia
1969 — Dennis Lloyd Martin — Great Smoky Mountains National Park
1974 — Delema Lou Sits Poor — Pine Ridge, South Dakota
1981 — Thelma Pauline Melton — Great Smoky Mountains National Park
1999 — Laresha Deana Walker — Nashville, Tennessee
2001 — Jason Jolkowski — Omaha, Nebraska
2001 — Branson Perry — Skidmore, Missouri
2001 — Sneha Ann Philip — New York, New York
2004 — Maura Murray — Haverhill, New Hampshire
2006 — Brian Shaffer — Columbus, Ohio
2006 — Jennifer Kesse — Orlando, Florida
2013 — Bryce Laspisa — Castaic, California
2016 — Wanda Faye Walker — Nashville, Tennessee (mother of Laresha Deana Walker)
2017 — Ashley Loring Heavy Runner — Browning, Montana
2021 — Daniel Robinson — Buckeye, Arizona

…

Behind every case are lives interrupted and families and friends forever changed. Hopefully, the truth comes to light sooner rather than later, giving those still searching the answers they deserve.

Notes:

As of right now (3/16/26 at 11:22 a.m. EST), the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) shows 26,287 open cases for missing persons. You can also view plenty of statistics through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) website.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.