The Top Ten Missing Persons Cases in America

These are the top ten most baffling cases where an individual completely vanished. Their bodies have not been recovered. We pray that their cases are solved and their families soon have some answers.

10. Logan Schiendelman — Logan disappeared from Thurston County, Washington in May of 2016. He was raised in Tumwater, Washington and was a star football player during high school. On May 20, 2016, Schiendelman's Chrysler Sebring was discovered abandoned along the southbound lane of Interstate 5 in Rochester, 20 miles south of Tumwater. It had his wallet, driver's license and cell phone inside of it. Around 2:00 p.m. a witness placed a 9-1-1 call after witnessing Schiendelman's vehicle swerving across three lanes of the interstate; after the vehicle crashed into the center median, the witness stated he saw a man (6 ft. tall and white), exit
the vehicle from the passenger side and run into the woods along the interstate. Suicide or foul play are both possibilities in Logan’s case.

9. Macin Smith — Macin had started a new school that year in St. George, Utah, having moved from Canada within a year of his disappearance. On Aug. 31, 2015, Macin texted his mom a picture of his grades to let her know he was doing well. When Macin got home from school that afternoon, his dad wanted to take Macin out for a driving lesson. At age 17, Macin still had no interest in driving and told his dad he had a headache and did not want to go driving. Macin retreated to his room, where he would stay for the rest of the evening. The next morning, September 1, 2015, Macin’s father, Darrin, knocked on his door to wake him up for school around 7:00 am. Darrin then went back to bed, where he said his parents heard Macin get up and later heard him in the kitchen. His parents then heard him leave the house at 7:40 to catch the 7:45 bus. They did not see him that morning. It was later confirmed that Macin never got on that bus. Macin was never seen or heard from again. Suicide or foul play are both possibilities in Macin’s case.

8. Brandi Wells — Brandi Wells was last seen in Longview, Texas on August 3, 2006. At the time of her disappearance, Wells resided with a roommate in Brownsboro, Texas. In the evening of August 2, she went to Graham Central Station, a nightclub in Texas. She arrived at the night club alone at 10:30 pm. Brandi was seen on camera throughout the evening, including when she left the night club shortly after 12 midnight. She was not intoxicated at the time. Brandi's 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix disappeared, as did Brandi. Five days later, it was found parked westbound on Interstate 20 at Texas Highway 31, outside of Longview and 300 yards west of FM 2087. Inside the car were her wallet, purse and her ex-boyfriend's cell phone (which did not work). There was no sign of Brandi at the scene and no indications of a struggle, but the driver's seat was reportedly pushed back. There was also a plastic gas can in the trunk, which her loved ones don't believe belonged to her. There was some activity on her own cellular phone, which had disappeared with her. Three people found the phone and used it. All three individuals took a polygraph test; one of them, a man, failed it. The case remains unsolved. An abduction-murder is suspected in Brandi’s case.

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7. James Foster Chance — Texas experienced record-setting winter storms in the winter of 2021, and much of the state was without power for several days. In February of 2021, Chance’s neighbors saw him cleaning up water damage from the storm. In March, his car was found abandoned hundreds of miles away at the Arkansas Welcome Center on Interstate 30 — just northeast of Texarkana. A former Marine, Chance is skilled in the outdoors and highly intelligent. Suicide, foul play, or voluntarily leaving are all possibilities in Foster’s case.

6. Suzanne Lyall — On March 2, 1998, Suzanne Lyall, an undergraduate at the State University of New York at Albany, left her job at the Babbage's in Crossgates Mall in the nearby suburb of Westmere, New York. She is believed to have taken a city bus from the mall back to the university's Uptown Campus, where a classmate has said she saw Lyall get off the bus at Collins Circle, a short walk from her dorm. Suzanne is suspected to have been abducted between the short walk from her city bus to her dorm room. Her Babbage’s identification nameplate was later recovered near where it is believed she may have been abducted. Suzanne was a pioneer in computers and had built and programmed her own computers at a very young age. An abduction-murder is suspected in Suzy’s case.

5. Jodi Huisentruit — At about 4:00 am on Tuesday, June 27, 1995, KIMT producer Amy Kuns noticed that morning news anchor Jodi Huisentruit had failed to report to work as scheduled, so she called Huisentruit's apartment. When Jodi answered the telephone, she explained that she had overslept and that she was preparing to leave for the station. However, by 6:00 am, Jodi had still not arrived, so Kuns filled in for her on the morning show. At about 7:00 a.m., KIMT staff called the Mason City, Iowa police. When police arrived at Huisentruit's apartment, they found her red Mazda Miata in the parking lot, as well as other evidence that suggested a struggle had taken place near the car. Her personal items, including a bent car key, were strewn about the area, and police reported recovering an unidentified palm print from her vehicle. Jodi was never heard from again. An abduction-murder is suspected in Jodi’s case.

4. Maura Murray — At 7:27 pm on Monday, Feb. 9, 2004, U-Mass-Amherst student Maura Murray's car crashed in rural New Hampshire. A man in a school bus, Butch Atwood, spoke to someone he believed to be Murray. No one else confirmed seeing the driver of the vehicle that evening. Atwood asked the woman if he could call 9-1-1 for her, and she said that she had already called Triple AAA so that would not be necessary. Atwood knew she was lying to him because there was (and still is) no cell phone service in this rural area of New Hampshire. Other neighbors on the rural road in Woodsville, New Hampshire reported seeing the car. Later, police arrived and investigated the scene. Reportedly, no footprints were seen leaving the scene despite that there was some snow on the ground. Maura had previously been in trouble in numerous incidents, including: being forced to leave her prior school due to petty theft; at least one drunk driving incident; and using a stolen credit card to order Pizza in her dormitory. She also had a boyfriend, Bill, but had at least one and possibly more intimate relationships. Suicide, foul play, or voluntarily leaving are all possibilities in Maura’s case.

3. Brian Shaffer — On the night of March 31, 2006, Shaffer went out with friends to celebrate the beginning of spring break; later he was separated from them, and they assumed he had gone home. Shaffer was at a bar called the Ugly Tuna Saloona in Columbus, Ohio. There is video of most customers leaving the bar, but not Brian. Still, more than one entrance/exit existed at this particular bar. The bar is no longer in existence. Suicide, foul play, or voluntarily leaving are all possibilities in Brian’s case.

2. Bryce Laspisa — In the early morning hours of Aug. 30, 2013, Laspisa went missing at Castaic Lake in California as he was driving to his parent’s home in Orange County from Sierra College near Sacramento, where he was a student. Laspisa apparently drove down a mountain range at a high rate of speed, and his car overturned. A small amount of blood was found in the car, as well as his wallet and cell phone. But Bryce Laspisa was nowhere to be found! Prior to his car wreck, 19 year old Bryce was acting extremely strange for a period of more than 48 hours. Suicide, foul play, or voluntarily leaving are all possibilities in Bryce’s case.

1. Jennifer Kesse — the most baffling missing person’s case in America — the case of 24 year old Jennifer Kesse. There is a debate over whether Jennifer went missing on the evening on Monday, January 23, 2006 or in the morning on Tuesday, January 24, 2006. Kesse was seen for the last time leaving work at approximately 6:00 pm on January 23, 2006. She spoke by phone with her father while driving home at around 6:15 pm, and then with her boyfriend at around 10:00 pm. When she failed to arrive at work on Tuesday, January 24th, her employer contacted her parents — who set out on the two-hour drive from their home to hers. Kesse's parents noticed that her car was missing, but saw nothing out of the ordinary in her home. Shortly after she vanished, Kesse's car was discovered parked around a mile from her home. Security footage recorded a person parking Kesse's car and walking away; the person could not be identified due to poor camera quality and the person's face and any distinguishing physical features being obscured. An abduction-murder is suspected in Jennifer’s case.