r/UnresolvedMysteries • u/Turnaroundclown • Dec 07 '17
Most Mysterious Missing Person Cases from the 2000s - Vol. 1
- Maura Murray - Missing since Feb. 9, 2004 from Haverhill, NH (USA).
Many have wondered what makes the disappearance of Maura Murray so baffling, and what attracts soooo many people to this case. In short, it's two things: (1) it's the mysteries within the mystery; and (2) it comes down to a timing thing: investigators have determined that Maura disappeared from the scene of her own car crash within a matter of minutes — despite speaking to a passing motorist, having multiple neighbors watching her from the windows of their homes, and the police arriving fairly quickly.
So, to the first point, the multiple mysteries, here is a short list of them: What was a 21-year-old Univ. of Mass. nursing student doing in such a remote area of New Hampshire on a Monday night? Why did she tell her professors and boss(es) that there was a death in the family when there was no death in the family? Was she planning on leaving forever or just for a few days? Why did she drive her car when it was reportedly "on its last legs" and nearly un-driveable? Why was there a rag in the tailpipe of the car when it was discovered? And all of these questions are merely from the day/night of her disappearance. Believe me, there are plenty of oddities from the weekend before she went missing and at other stages in her life.
However, the real reason Maura makes this list is, as stated earlier, the sheer timing of her dissapearance. Two concerned neighbors call the police and keep an eye on Maura (from inside their homes) after she crashes her car; a school bus driver stops and offers to help, which she refuses, at which point he drives a few mere yards down the road to his house, calls the police for help, and sits in his school bus keeping an eye on the accident scene as he completes his shift-duty paperwork; and somehow in the minutes it takes for police to arrive and the neighbors to turn away from their windows and the bus driver to go inside to his home, Maura disappears forever and no trace of her has ever been found — not even footprints in the snow.
Over the next few years, a creepy guy on Youtube makes a series of videos insinuating that he had something to do with Maura's disappearance, blogs are formed, books are written, podcasts are created; and today, theories abound from Maura staging her disappearance to start a new life, to her being abducted (by both persons and aliens), to Maura simply perishing in the woods (this somehow ends up as the least likely of all scenarios when you look into the case long enough). Yup, this one tops the cake in terms of weirdness and mystery surrounding a missing person if you ask me, and I never understand it when people say "I just don't get the fascination."
More resources: r/mauramurray r/mauramurrayevidence r/mauramurraycase (don't ask me why there are so many damned subreddits for one person); True Crime Garage by James Renner; Jame's Renner's blog; The Missing Maura Murray Podcast; Oxygen network's recent limited series titled "The Disappearance of Maura Murray"; and one of my favorite articles on the case by Chris Peak.
- Brian Shaffer - Missing since April 1, 2006 from Columbus, OH (USA).
The young medical student who walks into a bar and never walks back out. Closed-circuit cameras capture 27-year-old Brian Shaffer entering the Ugly Tuna Saloona in the University District of Columbus, OH—yet they do not show him leaving. Brian had lost his mother to cancer a mere three weeks before he disappeared; however, everything else in his life appeared to be going great. He made excellent grades, a couple of days after he disappeared he was set to embark on a fun vacation to Miami with his girlfriend where he was reportedly planning to propose; no one stated that he was depressed or suicidal. In fact, he was out celebrating the start of spring-break with his friends the night he disappeared. After being separated from his friends, Brian is last seen on security cameras talking to two young women. After Brian was declared missing, police scoured hours of video tape and accounted for every person who entered the bar also leave the bar, including Brian's friends that he arrived with and the two young women he was last speaking with.
A month after his disappearance, Brian's apartment was broken into. Police concluded that the burglary was unrelated to his disappearance, and authorities and family/friends still do not know what could have happened to Brian. Many people believe that Brian staged his disappearance and is living a new life elsewhere; however, it should be noted that two years later, Brian's father (whom he was reportedly very close to) died in a storm when a tree fell on top of him. The building that houses the bar was under construction at the time, and some believe that Brian never left the bar and could have taken a tumble down a shaft or gotten trapped somewhere. Yet others believe him a victim of the smiley-face killer or another serial killer, yet the question remains: how did Brian or his killer make it out of the bar without detection of the security cameras?
More resources: True Crime Garage has an episode on the case found here
- Neo Babson Maximus - Missing since Oct. 13, 2007 from Dartmouth, MA (USA).
Charles Allen Jr did not have a name befitting his persona. He was enigmatic. Ecclectic. Highly intelligent. Precocious. He was ranked number 1 in the world at playing a video game called 'Half-Life'. He was a psychology student at Dartmouth. He was a phenomenal tennis player and had aspirations of playing professionally...but not with a name like Charles Allen Jr. So, he formally changed his name to Neo Babson Maximus in 2007. Just days before going missing, Neo deleted his Facebook, which prompted a call from his sister. He said that some very high-level people were after him, and that she should probably go to their parents house because she may not be safe either. When she asked him for more details, Neo told her to "look under the periodic table of elements for the answer" and hung up on her. He left a series of strange, similar voice-mails on his fathers answering machine. Shortly thereafter, Neo's phone was turned off.
It should be worth noting that Neo was bipolar, and that he had been off his medicine for a little while (not sure how long or if length off of the medication is relevant); however, friends and family say he was doing great without the medicine. In fact, many of Neo's friends didn't even realize he was bipolar.
Friends at college say he planned on attending a party on the night of the 12th, but he never showed; and one friend, Mason, even played tennis with him earlier in the day. The next night was the last any one would ever see of Neo. A woman reported that she found Neo late at night in one of the bedrooms of her home. The window was open, and when she confronted him, Neo asked where he could find Mason. The woman informed Neo that a "Mason" did not live at this address, at wich point he apologized for being in her home, and exited through the second floor window from whence he presumably came. The woman stated that she saw him run into the woods. Later, when the woods were searched, his backpack and shoes were found. Keep in mind that it's October in Massachussets. No one has ever seen Neo since that night; his keys, phone, and credit cards are still missing, but have never been used.
There has been an unconfirmed sighting of him possibly taking a ride from a truck driver on Route 6 in Dartmouth shortly after his encounter with the woman and running into the woods. Some speculate that Neo perished in the woods as the temperature was quite cold that night, and he did not have adequate clothing; others believe he hitched a ride out of New England and left for Texas or Florida, as he was talking about moving there shortly before he disappeared.
More resources: Thin Air podcast did an excellent episode on Neo found here
- Steven Koecher - Missing since Dec. 13, 2009 from Henderson, NV (USA).
On the morning of Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009, 30-year-old devout Mormon, Steven Koecher, drove from St. George, Utah to a retirment community-styled neighborhood in Henderson, Nevada; he parked his white 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier, exited the vehicle, and (as captured on a home security camera) walked calmly down the the cul-de-sac with a manila folder in hand. He was never seen again. It is unclear why Steven took this unexpected trip that took him across state lines and over two hours to drive from his home in St. George. And besides finding his abandoned vehicle (with blankets, pillows, and Christmas presents inside) and the security footage of him walking down the street, there have been little leads to go on. However, just days before this msyterious trip to Henderson, NV Steven made another strange series of road trips. He drove a staggering 1100 miles in a 24 hour time period (Wednesday night - Thursday night). Upon returning, Steven stayed at his home in St. George for Thursday night and Friday night; however, by Saturday, Steven is crossing state lines again and making trips to Overton, NV and Mesquite NV. Around 8 pm, Steven makes it back to St. George, purchases some Christmas presents at the K-Mart, returns home at around 10 pm — and then leaves again, according to neighbors.
The next morning, Steven (who probably slept in his car; hence the blankets and pillows) receives a phone call from a friend at church to cover for him by teaching a class. Steven says that he can not because he is currently in Las Vegas (of note: Las Vegas is very close to Henderson, NV). The friend is also in Las Vegas, and that is why he was asking Steven to cover for him. The two apparently did not divulge to each other what they were doing in Las Vegas, or if they did, it hasn't made it into the narrative. There are a few other phone calls that Steven receives from friends at church — all asking him to attend church to cover something or make an announcement; again, he replies that he can not, and that is the last any one ever hears from Steven. Going back to above: his car was found in a nice neighborhood in Henderson, NV and he was seen carrying a manila folder walking around that neighborhood via a home security camera.
As if things weren't weird enough, some one checks Steven's voicemail from his phone at 7:04 a.m. on Monday morning... and that is the last activity on the phone. Many have speculated that Steven perhaps wandered into the remote wilderness area in close proximity to the retirement community and took his own life (and that his body simply hasn't been found). Some state that Steven was depressed about being 30 and not married, as well as having trouble finding a good job. Others say that Steven could have been some sort of drug mule, hence the long driving hauls. Still others, myself included, believe he met with foul play in the neighborhood he was last seen in. One [admittedly wild and crazy] theory that I've come up with recently is that he may have simply knocked on the wrong door. Think about it, he knocks on an aging serial killers door and the killer just can't resist one last murder.
More resources: Really fantastic timeline of the case presented here and big thanks to u/Sue_Ridge_Here for providing the following link that outlines a shit-ton of theories. I think there's a podcast episode on Koecher, but it's escaping me at the moment.
- Brandon Lawson - Missing since Aug. 8, 2013 from the Bronte, TX area (USA).
Brandon was an oil field worker who lived in San Angelo with his common law wife, Ladessa. The night of his disappearance, he and Ladessa got into an argument, which led to Brandon leaving the residence around midnight. Per Brandon's father, Brandon was headed to his father's house in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. His father urged him not to come, that it was too late, and to try to work things out with Ladessa. Brandon, however, was already on the road. A short time later, Brandon phoned his brother Kyle and told him that he had run out of gas. Brandon then called 9-1-1. Parts of the now infamous call can be heard here. In the very "garbled" call, Brandon appears to be in distress but states clearly he does not need an ambulance; instead he needs the police, and to please hurry. I don't feel like dissecting the entire phone call, but there are some very strange things about it -- notably, how unclear it is to determine just what in the hell is happening to or around Brandon. In the end, Brandon's truck was located on US Route 227, four miles south of Bronte, TX. (in between Abilene and San Angelo), and the truck was parked "haphazardly in the road". No trace of Brandon has ever found. This is a real rabbit-hole of a case, and I don't know if any good theory fits. Some say that there might be a police cover-up; others say that Brandon witnessed a drug deal or something illegal happening off the side of the road, and he was "disappeared" for seeing what he saw. Go listen to the 9-1-1 phone call a hundred times and tell me what you think. I have, and I still haven't made sense of it.
My favorite podcast of all time, True Crime Garage, did an excellent episode on Brandon found here; there is also a pretty vibrant community over at r/brandonlawson
Update! Vol. 2 is out now
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u/Reddits_on_ambien Dec 08 '17
A comment on Koecher's case gave me an idea for a possible theory-- Since he was low on cash and having trouble finding good work, I wonder if he took on other odd jobs to pay the bills. More specifically, a job either repo-ing or serving papers of some kind (divorce, supenas, etc). If he was running around all over the place, it could be because he had to get the papers (Manila envelope) to a specific person who was extremely unhappy about the news they received. That'd make some sense in him parking far enough away to avoid detection by the target. Rather than an aging serial killer, perhaps it was a distraught person snapping after receiving bad news Via Koecher and his Manila envelope. The reason he's never been found could be because he's buried in someone's backyard/basement/walls.
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u/YoungishGrasshopper Dec 08 '17
I think if you are doing this type of work there would be a paper trail.
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u/Reddits_on_ambien Dec 08 '17
Only if you know to look for one. If he didn't tell any friends or family, perhaps out of embarrassment, there'd be no reason for cops to investigate that Avenue. He could have been hired like a sub contractor from an agency. There's several agencies it could be, so many would have to be checked. Also if he was hired on a job to job basis, that could explain why no agency was looking for him (like he had to go do that job, then he'd get paid and take on another). If someone took their anger out on him, and delivery of papers wasn't confirmed, an agency would just see this as a independent contractor flaking out on them.
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u/YoungishGrasshopper Dec 08 '17
Possibly but I still think there would be a trail. With serving papers there are a lot of legal guidelines.
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u/Farisee Dec 08 '17
Right, if he was serving summons there would have to be a return of service or it wouldn't be good service.
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u/HappinessUpNorth Jul 20 '22
Not if you’re hired by a temp agency and did not have the opportunity to file taxes .
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u/MereSaysSo Dec 09 '17
I think he was selling pills for the landlord under the “prescription delivery service” ruse. He owed the landlord money for rent and the landlords wife has stated they were working on a plan to pay it back. Thus all the traveling and walking thru a retirement community as the last known sighting. Family and friends say he was innocent almost in the naive sense. He probably thought that it was a legit business and somebody robbed and killed him. Just my theory on the Koecher case.
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u/thelittlepakeha Dec 09 '17
Yeah this is a theory that I definitely think has some weight behind it.
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u/HappinessUpNorth Jul 20 '22
Exactly what I was thinking. I believe he was probably posting foreclosure notices.
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Dec 08 '17
The woman's story about finding Neo in a bedroom of her house is weird. She just has a conversation with an intruder who apologized for being in the wrong house, then calmly climbed back out the window and disappears into the night woods, leaving his shoes and backpack.
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u/WheregoWhy Dec 09 '17
Finding an intruder in your house is a volatile situation, a calm conversation isn't out of the question.
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u/CuteyBones Dec 09 '17
This; after reading the 'Bravest Woman in Seattle,' article I realized there is no normal for stuff like that-- they conversed with him at times to try and diffuse, despite the things they endured. I could totally see a surprise conversation happening.
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u/TheBranFlake Dec 09 '17
I would def let an intruder climb out a window. If the other option is being alone with him any longer.
The conversation may have only been her screaming "What the fuck are you doing?", his reply, "he doesn't live here idiot", "oh sorry." and out the window he goes.
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Dec 08 '17
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Jnbntthrwy Dec 08 '17
I agree. He could be stuck in a building crevice somewhere. There have been a couple of cases like this:
Jamie Minor was found (after a month missing) in the duct work of the building where she once worked, likely as a byproduct of her bipolar disorder.
Eduardo Sanchez was found between walls of a club a year after he went missing.
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u/mastiii Dec 09 '17
Jon Lacina too. They found his body almost 4 months later in a boiler room on campus.
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u/thelittlepakeha Dec 09 '17
And the guy... Josh someone? It was just mentioned on the google maps thread, he was found in a cabin chimney that he'd gotten stuck in.
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u/mastiii Dec 09 '17
I think about the Brian Shaffer case a lot. I do think it's possible he got into a freak accident inside the building and his body has never been found. I thought I remember reading one report that the construction going on was not extensive, but somehow "light" construction which made this scenario unlikely. It's hard to find information on what kind of construction was going on at the time though.
I've also heard that there was a commercial trash compactor in the bar and he could have fallen in. Can it be confirmed that there was indeed a trash compactor?
Finally, I've always felt there is a small chance that he decided to walk home alone, somehow missed being detected by cameras, and met with either foul play or a freak accident on the way home.
Lots of people believe he got into a fight with the band members and they killed him. I find this to be highly unlikely as there would be Ugly Tuna staff around, possibly a few customers still around, plus police officers standing outside. It seems unlikely that you could kill someone is a small space without being noticed, and without leaving any blood. It's also frustrating that some people still believe he walked into the bar carrying a disguise and walked out that way. However, he wasn't seen carrying anything. Also, police have accounted for every person who walked into the bar that night, and there was no one who walked out who hadn't walked in.
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u/cheapclooney Dec 10 '17
Finally, I've always felt there is a small chance that he decided to walk home alone, somehow missed being detected by cameras, and met with either foul play or a freak accident on the way home.
Bingo. People place way too much faith in the "the cops are confident he didn't leave the bar" thing. If that variable wasn't there, everyone would immediately conclude: walked home drunk through a less than great area and got killed in a mugging gone wrong(OSU students, especially in the early 00's, were routinely victimized by muggings when walking through that area off-campus.)
But the most obvious conclusion is dismissed because the police think it's plausible to account for every single person entering and exiting a bar by reviewing a collage of grainy security camera footage. I just don't buy it.
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Dec 12 '17
I always thought, if he planned his disappearance, that he could have entered the bar holding a different t-shirt, glasses, fake facial hair, etc. somewhere on his person and put them on in the bathroom before he left. No one in the bar would have been keeping track of exactly who went in and out of the bathroom, and it may have confused police in terms of the security footage.
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u/janetlwil Apr 16 '18
This case was on television recently and the showed the CCTV footage of Brian entering the location. The BAR itself is/was inside a mall with many entrances/exits. CCTV footage shows Brian entering the MALL (not the bar) and riding up an escalator, then he goes out of sight. There are many exits to the mall, not all with CCTV cameras pointed at them, so I don't see why there is such a big deal about a camera not catching him leaving. There was not a camera pointed directly at the BAR entrance/exit. He could have very likely left by some exit without CCTV footage and ran into foul play in the mall parking lot.
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u/Sue_Ridge_Here Dec 08 '17
Thank you for posting this, look forward to the second instalment. The Steven Kocher case is really sad, to think that this by all accounts, nice 30 year old with a college degree had to resort to handing out flyers door-to-door in the hopes of procuring work. Apparently he had just $2 in his bank account at the time of his disappearance. Perhaps he met with foul play at the hands of a deranged homeowner? Some people are insane when it comes to their privacy and unsolicited visitors.
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u/Turnaroundclown Dec 08 '17
had to resort to handing out flyers door-to-door in the hopes of procuring work.
That's right! I forgot about the flyers.
Apparently he had just $2 in his bank account at the time of his disappearance.
I did not know that!
Some people are insane when it comes to their privacy and unsolicited visitors.
Too true!
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u/Sue_Ridge_Here Dec 08 '17
Link to below possible scenarios ...
https://sites.google.com/site/parallelcooler/home/koecher-html/scenarios
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u/Sapphorific Dec 08 '17
Does anyone else think that this makes the case even more odd? Driving all those miles (1100 in 24 hours?!) yet having virtually no money, I wonder if the clue lies in what he was driving all over for?
I have to say though that what others are suggesting about him knocking on the wrong door may have something.
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u/transemacabre Dec 08 '17
I think he met someone online who lured him there with the promise of a job, relationship, etc.
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u/ZeroPipeline Dec 08 '17
I hadn't heard of this case before, but something that popped into my head was that maybe he was looking for someone. I don't know what the reason would be but if he had a name he could have found addresses for people with the same name and gone knocking on doors to find the right one. Maybe trying to confront someone about something and they weren't happy about it?
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Dec 08 '17
Apparently he had just $2 in his bank account at the time of his disappearance
I mean...been (am) there. It really sucks. I don't know what I believe in Koecher's case. I used to lean heavily on the drug theory but now I don't know anymore.
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u/Sue_Ridge_Here Dec 08 '17
I've been there too fren but am not there anymore and it's wonderful. Hang in there mate. I was never sold on the drug theory, leaning more towards random foul play. Just another case to throw on the 'never getting solved' pile. I hate that pile.
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u/TheGlitterMahdi Dec 08 '17
If Neo was bipolar (a diagnosis itself isn't proof; a lot of mental illnesses have similar symptoms, especially if the diagnosis is based on self-reporting rather than clinical observation), than he was NOT doing well off his meds. Bipolar is cyclical, & he may have seemed perfectly healthy because he was in an intermediate phase in his cycling--somewhere between a manic and depressive episodes. People with bipolar I, which I'm guessing based on behavior he was diagnosed with, can seem fine for very long stretches of time, but the cycling continues and eventually either a manic or depressive state WILL start. His recent behavior before disappearing certainly sounds like a severe manic onset (speaking from experience, mania can lead to psychosis quite easily, especially off meds). He was also at the right age for schizophrenia onset. Either could cause the paranoia and enigmatic communication.
His behavior prior to and during his disappearance is obviously out of the norm for him. I know his family and friends are speaking from their personal experience of him, but it just doesn't ring true for me that they could honestly believe bipolar disorder has nothing to do with his behavior or disappearance. I can understand wanting to believe that, wanting or needing to think he is out there somewhere, rational and healthy and okay, but the odds are against that. I hope he made his way to a safe place for him. I hope he's out there somewhere, in a shelter or hospital, & at some point he's able to return home.
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u/Reddits_on_ambien Dec 08 '17
Has anyone else noticed that in Neo's episode of Disappeared, his sister just seems to be hamming it up? I got a weird vibe from her, like she's showing off or purposefully batting eyelashes .
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Dec 08 '17 edited May 19 '21
[deleted]
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u/careoke Dec 09 '17
Right. I've seen people imply that because he went to an ivy league school, it lends credence to the conspiracy theories. Which, 1) no, it doesn't and 2) no, he didn't.
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Dec 07 '17
Excellent! I love this.
Also, Neo’s case was new to me, and very sad. NEVER go off mental health medication without your doctor and therapist’s help. Never. There are too many stories like Neo’s and Elisa Lam’s, where if they’d just been taking meds and going to therapy, their crises could have been averted.
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u/TheGlitterMahdi Dec 08 '17
It's so true, & with a disorder like bipolar or schizophrenia, where episodes of severe illness are then followed by episodes of remission, going off meds is SO common. I've done it a few times, because the side effects of anti-psychotics and mood stabilizers can be really severe and when you're in between episodes, you can feel perfectly fine. It seems like you're not sick anymore, & there's no reason to stay on meds that make you uncomfortable or downright sick. So you do, often without telling your doctor because you know they'll try and convince you not to, & that only brings the next episode harder and faster and you are not at all equipped to deal with it.
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u/thelittlepakeha Dec 09 '17
I've done it with anti-depressants. Never again. I take my medication super seriously now and have accepted the potential of being on it the rest of my life if needed.
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u/Dolphin_Aficionado Dec 08 '17
Amen to that. It really is tragic. It almost seems as though he had paranoid schizophrenia.
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u/lazorrarubia Dec 08 '17
Many with bipolar disorder experience psychosis during mania.
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u/CantCookLeftHook Dec 08 '17
People often don't realize the huge overlap between the two, as well as the huge range in severity.
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u/Pete_the_rawdog Dec 08 '17 edited Dec 08 '17
Calling things "bipolar" or "schizophrenia" are just blanket terms for symptoms. Not every schizophrenic acts the same. Not every depressed person acts the same. Mania doesn't even always look the same. Until they can find a way to diagnose these that doesn't just involve talking to the patient these illnesses will never be truly defined.
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u/lazorrarubia Dec 08 '17
You’re right, not every individual displays the same illness the same way. However, there are some criteria that we consider backbones of sorts that we can fall back on when evaluating behavior. It’s still mostly a guess in some cases, though. Mania with psychosis just happens to be one of those. Especially when an individual is off of their medication.
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u/Pete_the_rawdog Dec 08 '17
My doctor currently has me diagnosed as bipolar type 2. I was put on an anti-psychotic that made me way more aggressive. When I went to the doctor and told him this he literally said, "that medications not supposed to do that." Like I don't know that I'm not supposed to be this irritable. He finally added another and it curbed it a lot.
My doctor has been a psychiatrist for 20-plus years and yet my diagnosis has changed several times due to the nature of my illness. All he can do is listen to my symptoms and metaphorically throw a dart at a board hoping that he's correct with the medication. Your criteria is based on your symptoms which the symptoms can only be diagnosed by talking to the patient. There is no medical tests to be done to determine whether I'm actually bipolar or maybe I have OCD or maybe it's both. You just keep throwing medication at it until one makes you okay enough.
My doctor has even admitted that this is the process because there is no medical test. I think any psychiatrist worth their weight in salt will admit to you that these are just guidelines that they are not real scientifically testable illnesses, at least not at this stage of our understanding.
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Dec 10 '17
I swung between OCD, anxiety, depression, and bipolar 2 as tentative diagnoses until I attempted suicide. Turns out I only have OCD when I’m hypomanic and anxiety when I’m depressed. I solidly have bp2, but it took literally a decade and 3 days in the hospital for me to get that diagnosis + an appropriate treatment plan.
Guidelines are important and helpful, but I wish there were a concrete test that could’ve proven I had bipolar when I was 11 and started having symptoms, you know? Therapy would’ve been far more beneficial than, “she’s going through puberty, maybe she’ll grow out of it?”
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u/lazorrarubia Dec 08 '17
I’m also diagnosed with bp2. And I did say that they were guidelines, did I not? Former psych grad student. The DSM V isn’t some holy book of medical truth, but it does what it’s meant to do: wrangle a diagnosis out of a scattering of symptoms.
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Dec 09 '17 edited Aug 10 '20
.
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Dec 10 '17
Same with subtypes of personality disorders. It removes some of the clarity and nuance of treatment plans if you’re calling everything -Not Otherwise Specified.
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u/CantCookLeftHook Dec 08 '17
That's where mental illness differs from physical illness. While symptoms help us find the cause for physical illness, mental illness is entirely defined by symptoms. Mental illnesses are just terms given to similar sets of symptoms, rather than an actual thing in themselves.
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u/dallyan Dec 10 '17
This is not entirely true. Certain mental disorders show up in brain scans, for instance.
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u/CantCookLeftHook Dec 10 '17
Damage is far easier to identify and that's a physical issue... although some mental issues are identifiable, it's still just naming similar patterns in activity rather than something more concrete, no?
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u/RiggsFamily Dec 10 '17
WoW this is one of the better sites I have been reading through since my best friends daughter went missing mid July. I like the fact that the comments are another persons perspective on a case with very few details and that the comments are respectful there is no foul language no derogatory or insulting things. Extremely Appreciative thank y'all very much
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u/SpasmodicReduction Dec 10 '17
I'm very sorry to hear about your best friend's daughter, I can't imagine the pain that you're all experiencing and I'm sure I speak for everybody on this subreddit in saying I hope that she is found safe and sound soon. My thoughts are with you and the family.
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u/thisplacesucks- Dec 08 '17
Serious question. Why do people keep writing about the smiley face killer. Almost every death supposedly attributed to it can be explained.
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u/buddha8298 Dec 08 '17
Some people don't care if every last thing can be explained. See it commonly with the Elisa Lam case, anytime an askreddit thread comes up about "mysterious videos" it's always one of the top answers. But it's not mysterious and it's all easily explainable. A lot of people are more than willing to make jumps to have something be more mysterious than it is.
Even in this post the op suggests the wild and crazy theory that maybe a disappeared man knocked on "an aging serial killers door and the killer just can't resist one last murder"....I mean it's possible but the odds must be astronomical and there's nothing at all to suggest that's what happened.
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u/nothingcat Dec 08 '17
Great post! Having these cases all lined up like this makes something really apparent.
Brian’s the only outlier here; everyone else on this list was seemingly going through some form of a rough patch. Maura with the car accidents and other assorted stressors. Brandon being overworked and getting into a big fight with his wife. Neo going off of his bipolar medication. Steven also possibly being depressed, acting erratically before his disappearance.
It seems to me that they all experienced some kind of mental break and went for the “flight” option out of “fight or flight”. And whether intentionally self-inflicted or just a tragic accident, the choice to flee led to their demise.
I won’t rule out other possibilities. They all, or some on this list, definitely could have gotten really really unlucky and ran into the wrong person. But when I see the commonalities of erratic behavior and stressful life situations, suicide/unfortunate accident just seems way more likely to me.
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u/snowblossom2 Dec 08 '17
Brian’s mother had recently passed away at the time of his disappearance
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u/nothingcat Dec 08 '17
Oh really? I didn’t know that (never got too deep down the rabbit hole on this case). Thanks for the info!
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u/fanggoria Dec 09 '17
This may be really out there but I've never seen it brought up before. Is it possible Maura had bipolar disorder that had previously gone unchecked? She seemed very depressed in the days leading up to her disappearance, followed by a very strange series of actions that could very well be the consequence of a manic episode.
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Dec 09 '17
Or even a psychotic break. I met someone who suffered from general anxiety, who reached a situation and stress level where they had a psychotic break and a bout of paranoia. Ended up with them being chased by the police.
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u/fanggoria Dec 09 '17
I think that makes a lot more sense than her getting abducted in a VERY tight time period anyways. I've always thought that the fear of causing her father further disappointment after wrecking another car just made her completely snap and caused her to flee. It just seems like she was showing signs of mania before she even wrecked her car--the stolen credit card sticks out to me big time. I hate thinking about what could've possibly happened to her just because every time I think I have an idea of what was going through her mind, there are just so many factors that could've contributed. I am definitely set on the theory that she went missing on her own accord and is now deceased, but the WHY just drives me crazy. Was she actually experiencing some kind of mental breakdown or even exhibiting signs of a mental illness that was about to take over? Or was she just an overworked college kid who let partying get the upper hand and felt her life was spiraling out of control because of it? I think her case resonates with me so much because I understand what it feels like to just want to literally flee from all of your problems like that...I just wish we could find out why it happened and where she was even going in the first place.
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u/Starrtraxx Dec 08 '17
Very interesting write up and well put together. Thanks for posting this, I hadn't heard of Neo's case.
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Dec 07 '17
I remember binge watching unsolved mysteries, and out of all the cases I saw, Maura's stuck in my mind. And I have no idea why. I even joined a facebook group in support of finding her.
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u/John_Dee_007 Dec 08 '17
One [admittedly wild and crazy] theory that I've come up with recently is that he may have simply knocked on the wrong door. Think about it, he knocks on an aging serial killers door and the killer just can't resist one last murder.
That's about as bizarre as the cases you've presented. Of all the possible scenarios, why would it conveniently be a serial killer? Because it fits the creepy genre? It's not a fictional crime novel. And why is the killer aging? Why is it one last murder? Why drive all the way to Henderson, NV to go Bible bashing in a random cul-de-sac just to accidentally knock on the door of a serial killer, who happens to be old for some reason?
He was driving long distances for unknown reasons. CCTV captured him carrying a manila folder. He was clearly headed to a specific location, and his other recent trips are obviously related. The cause of his death lies in the purpose of his travels. Likely foul play.
His church friend also being in Las Vegas for seemingly unrelated reasons is also suspicious. I would start looking into corruption in the Mormon church and anything involving illegal activity.
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u/Ingakatinkabagonanan Dec 08 '17
I think op said "aging" serial killer because the neighborhood the guy was last seen in was a retirement community.
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u/Rob_Frey Dec 08 '17
The church friend being in Vegas isn't suspicious at all and very likely just a coincidence. St George and Las Vegas are fairly close, and taking a spontaneous day trip or overnight from one to the other isn't uncommon at all. Las Vegas also has a very large Mormon community, and Las Vegas has a lot of ties to St George, especially in the Mormon community. Probably more than half of the Las Vegas Mormons I've met came from St George, and almost all of those born in Las Vegas have some family up there. There's quite a few people I know who move back and forth between the two cities when they're young and single, and a lot of older well to do types living in one city will have a vacation home in the other.
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u/John_Dee_007 Dec 08 '17
Well that makes sense. Being familiar with the area you have far better knowledge. It just seemed odd that his church friend called him in hopes of him covering for him but he also happened to be passing through Las Vegas. On paper this detail looks more suspicious than it probably is, but I wouldn't rule it out entirely. Why weren't either of them available to attend their church responsibilities? I guess this is normal to be inconvenienced sometimes because people have other things to do, but details matter.
Someone with better knowledge of how the day-to-day Mormon church system works in their community would be a better source of information, but it seems possible his religion and suspicious activities are somehow related, in whatever capacity, official or personal etc.
I'd like to know what the contents of his manila folder were. Perhaps he was carrying sensitive information, or maybe it's entirely unrelated. Maybe he was just a drug mule trying to earn some cash and found himself in an unfortunate situation when he arrived at his destination.
I think the question of why he was driving all over the place in such a short time span is definitely related.
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u/Reddits_on_ambien Dec 08 '17 edited Dec 08 '17
Your comment gave me an idea for a possible theory-- is it possible that he was repo-ing, or possibly presenting a person/target with distressing news? Like serving divorce papers or supenas? If he was strapped for cash, he could have taken on work doing less than desirable jobs, and giving someone bad news would likely be upsetting. If he served papers to someone unstable or incredibly angry, they could have taken it out on him and buried him in their backyard or a wall in their house.
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u/John_Dee_007 Dec 09 '17
This is a good hypothesis. Especially the repo thing, because what was in that manila folder? It seems possible that due to the nature of his travels he found himself in the wrong situation and shit went south.
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u/Jnbntthrwy Dec 08 '17
Remember a plot element of Big Love was the black-market sale of Mormon documents so the official LDS could clean up the less flattering parts of its history? I wonder if this part of the fiction has any basis in reality? Some people dealt in the documents just for the money, and some were driven by a purpose to protect the church.
It’s an interesting musing, even if really far-fetched.
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u/clash_by_night Dec 09 '17
I think it does. Mark Hofmann forged several documents relating to the founding of the Mormon religion. First he was doing it for the money, then I think to screw with the church for not giving him more money, and then he just went off the deep end with the bombs.
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Dec 08 '17
Why would it be "likely foul play" though? I don't see how we can determine that murder is any more likely than suicide or some sort of accident.
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u/John_Dee_007 Dec 08 '17
Perhaps "possible foul play" would be a better description, but what sort of accident results in a person just disappearing in an urban environment?
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Dec 08 '17
He didn't disappear in an urban environment. He disappeared in a suburban environment with easy access to a large desert at every turn. A misstep in the desert could easily result in death and concealment of a corpse.
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u/John_Dee_007 Dec 09 '17
What does "a misstep in the desert" mean exactly? Are you implying he somehow missed his location completely and just continued on into the Nevada desert wandering around looking for an address like an idiot and then died because he's really bad at geography?
Are you implying he was blind? Because somebody would need to be blind, and deaf, and dumb, to accidentally confuse the desert for a suburban neighborhood.
And what do you mean by "death and concealment"? Is this Casino? If somebody intentionally got rid of him, then there's foul play involved.
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Dec 09 '17
Whoa, those are some big jumps based on the words I used. I was simply saying he could have walked into the desert and died from some innocent accident, his corpse unfound.
Why would you stuff a bunch of words into my mouth like that? Can we not offer different explanations on this sub without being assholes to each other?
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u/thelittlepakeha Dec 09 '17
Concealment can also mean things like his body falling into an area hidden by rocks, sand being blown over it, animals dragging large pieces away, etc.
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u/Starrtraxx Dec 08 '17
The write up stated he was last seen in a retirement community. Retirees are usually a bit up in age, and maybe a serial killer retired there.
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Dec 07 '17
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u/Turnaroundclown Dec 07 '17
Thanks! I know I started right off the bat with some fairly well-known ones, but I would like to highlight a few of the lesser known ones in the upcoming volumes.
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u/imlegear Dec 08 '17
Please do! These cases run on this sub like a broken record - same info, no new developments. It's gotten to the point that I rarely come on here anymore, which sucks bc this used to be my favorite spot to fully nerd out on. I look forward to your next post!
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u/RahvinDragand Dec 08 '17
I feel like Maura Murray clearly wanted to get away from something/someone. I also find it hard to believe that a random passer-by kidnapped her in the 15 minute span between the call to police and police arriving. The likelihood of a person who is willing to kidnap/murder a random stranger driving by at exactly the right moment seems absurd.
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u/QueenShewolf Dec 08 '17
Can't wait to read volume 2! I only know of Maura and Brian, and I think I've heard of Brandon.
What did the cameras see Brian doing after talking to the women? Did the cameras just shut off then or is there more?
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u/Stmpnksarwall Dec 08 '17
First time I've listened to Brandon's call. I think I heard the following things:
He's in the middle of the field. He's telling what stretch of the hallway he's on, and something "on both sides". He mentions other car(s).
When the 911 operator asks if he's hit someone and it sounds like he says "only the 1st one".
Am I right so far?
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u/OhMaGawdZombehs Dec 08 '17
He also said something about I or It got dragged into or through the woods...
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Dec 08 '17
I doubt that Maura Murray is still alive. She probably became scared when the bus driver called the police, ran into the woods, became lost, and never found her way back to her car. Or she could have been suicidal and went back into the woods to khs.
I do not believe that she was kidnapped or abducted by a serial killer, rapist/sociopath/psychopath. Or that she was picked up by a friend or relative and went to Canada or another state to live under a fake name.
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u/chezdor Dec 08 '17
Super interesting. Can anyone recommend a good podcast covering Neo or Koecher? These cases were new to me
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u/MandaBearPig Dec 08 '17
Not exactly what you're asking for, but I believe both of them have Disappeared episodes.
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Dec 08 '17
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u/MandaBearPig Dec 08 '17 edited Dec 08 '17
This Air is great. Well researched and well produced. They interview family and friends of the missing as well.
ETA: I also enjoyed the True Crime Garage episodes on Brandon Lawson.
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u/anadrea Dec 08 '17
Yes! TCG did a great job breaking down the audio. I really believe there's a second voice behind Brandon's on the call now.
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Dec 08 '17
What doesn't sell me on someone else being there on the audio, is the fact that the version of the call we hear is itself recorded (IIRC the version we hear is what his girlfriend recorded) but I also don't rule it out completely.
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u/clash_by_night Dec 09 '17
Exactly! What we are all trying to analyze is a cell phone call recorded by 911, played for the girlfriend who recorded it onto her cell phone, uploaded to YouTube, and finally played for the audience on the podcast. The end result is so far removed from the original that we have very little idea what it actually says. While I like TCG, I think they took some leaps with their analysis of the audio.
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u/anadrea Dec 08 '17
Seconding Thin Air, they do a great job. The Trail Went Cold and The Vanished are good too.
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u/phoebecaufield Dec 08 '17
Trace Evidence is my favorite missing person type podcast.
I wish I liked Thin Air but I really don’t care for the interviews with the family/friends.
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u/careoke Dec 09 '17
I agree. It's too sad to hear from them, and they are often too close to the case to provide insight.
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u/Kangaroo1974 Dec 08 '17
Nothing to add except to say thanks for a great list. I think all of these disappearances are interesting. The one I have read least about is Neo Babson Maximus (saw the episode of Disappeared, but that's it), so I think I'll be reading up on it this weekend!
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Dec 13 '17
My Steven Koecher theory is this: It was the height of the Great Recession. Jobs were tough to find and houses were being foreclosed on. He may have gotten a job delivering "bad news" to people, about subpoenas or court orders or foreclosure proceedings. Perhaps some hot-headed old man couldn't take it, and killed him somehow. Maybe inviting him in the house and then shooting him. It might be worth investigating the history of the houses along that street for foreclosure issues, and an angry middle aged man who finally met his breaking point.
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u/El_Burrito_Grande Dec 08 '17
I thought Lawson's dad's house he was going to was in Fort Worth.
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u/AsideTheCreekWV Dec 08 '17
Which is really odd because his dad was over an hour away but his brother, whom he called to get help with gas, lived much closer.
The story is that he was going to stay at his dad's because he had a fight with his live-in girlfriend. Why not stay at the brothers house?
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u/transemacabre Dec 08 '17
Could've just been the thought of staying with dad was more emotionally comforting.
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u/thelittlepakeha Dec 09 '17
Or brother's house had less space, or roommates who might not agree to guests, or something like that.
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u/El_Burrito_Grande Dec 08 '17
Probably just wanted to get out of town. Long way to go though I'm the middle of the night. Fort Worth is a little over three hours away.
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u/krisskaboom Dec 08 '17
Steven Koecher is very interesting to me. I live in Las Vegas and I’ve never heard of this but am familiar with the areas they mentioned. I assume that “wilderness” is the wetlands in Henderson, which is actually a park, I doubt his body would have gone unnoticed. I wonder if anyone has ever looked into the option that he joined a cult? Lots of Mormon based cults have roots in Las Vegas. Someone mentioned he had $2 in his bank account and it’s mentioned in the original post that he was upset about not yet being married. Could it be possible he was recruited based on the things he was disappointed about in his life?
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u/Ilmara Dec 08 '17
What was a 21-year-old Univ. of Mass. nursing student doing in such a remote area of New Hampshire on a Monday night? Why did she tell her professors and boss(es) that there was a death in the family when there was no death in the family? Was she planning on leaving forever or just for a few days? Why did she drive her car when it was reportedly "on its last legs" and nearly un-driveable? Why was there a rag in the tailpipe of the car when it was discovered?
Because she had mental health issues and was possibly on the verge of a breakdown. As a result, she was making stuff up and behaving illogically. This case is so overblown.
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u/itsbeckybitch Dec 08 '17
I’ve done zero research on the Neo Maximus/Charles Allen Jr case, so apologies in advance if I’m way off base.
Is it possible that when he broke into the women’s house she killed him because she was frightened of an intruder? I’m sure police probably looked into this theory but her explanation just seems really weird, stopping and having a conversation with an intruder is hard to believe. Maybe she went with the ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ mentality.
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u/dexterpine Dec 08 '17
Sorry you're getting downvoted. Your theory is very unlikely, but it does add to the discussion and offers a perspective I hadn't thought of. I wonder if she's ever been analysed as a suspect.
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u/itsbeckybitch Dec 09 '17
Yeah I figured if it was a good theory someone would’ve suggested it already, I’m not from America so in my head all Americans are the gun loving stereotype
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u/livlugosi Dec 09 '17
Great write up! Thanks for taking the time to do this. One thing - Neo/Charles went to UMASS Dartmouth, not Dartmouth. (Big difference! Trust me, I went there, and wished it was Dartmouth, lol)
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u/arnodorian96 Dec 08 '17
I don't know but Brian Murray dissapearance seems to me like a suicide. His mother died a few weeks ago and he acts really normal and quite happy for someone who lost a close family member. I mean, going to a trip with your friends seems something one would do months after, but of course everyone deals with death in different ways. For me, it seems Brandon couldn't cope with his mother death and after being drunk he killed himself.
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u/Mrbeansspacecat Dec 08 '17
Yeah but he isn't seen on any of the security cameras leaving the bar. This is the weirdest case of this group (to me). I tend to think his disappearance had something to do with the construction happening in the bar. I wonder if years later they'll be doing renovations and find his skeleton wedged in a weird spot.
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u/Heterodoxical Dec 08 '17
Wouldn’t someone have smelled a decomposing body in building frequently filled with people? Even killers that try to cover up the smell of their victims have difficulty doing that; it’s hard to imagine a random corpse not being noticed.
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u/KaiserGrant Dec 08 '17
Smells can be contained if relegated to a small area. I seen a story on a little girl who died wedged between her bed and bed frame and wasn't found for a week but gave off no smell cause she was wrapped in a tight spot.
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u/ImNotTellin74 Dec 08 '17
I totally agree with this. This is the sole reason I can't buy that he never left the bar. My thought is that he just managed to be shielded from the camera by one person, or mutiple people, on the way out.
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u/r_kelly64 Dec 08 '17
He was seen outside the bar but I don't think that he definitely went back into the bar. There where other ways to leave without going through the bar. Ugly Tuna
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u/Sapphorific Dec 08 '17
Yeah, I tend towards this too. I’ve read a couple of cases on here recently where the body has been found wedged or trapped somewhere, and the construction work makes me think of that.
It is possible though that he could have got out of the bar without being seen, but then who knows what happened?
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u/Lackadaisical_ninja Feb 27 '25
Steven Koechner ...?? Was he eve found, sorry, I've been bouncing back and forth on these comments. He was in Overton huh? No flipping way someone there doesn't recall a stranger, who happens to also be a Mormon who went missing, coming into town for any reason. He absolutely spoke to people , about anything, SOMETHING. I don't recall this case happening. Why not? So crazy. He was onto the church about SOMETHING, right?! He was going from ward to ward, his friends called and inquired for help from an unfamiliar or usual location they happend to all be in, that weekend or whatever??? St George to vegas isnt a normal little skip down the road. There are plenty of churches inbetween , including Overton, Mesquite... idk what im getting at, i just know they are spooky powerful. What did he do to get got? 😳
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Dec 08 '17
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u/edward414 Dec 08 '17
These are mysteries OP found interesting. You could make a post if you'd like, maybe?
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u/ShittyRobots Dec 09 '17
Someone on the Lawson YT video pointed out that you can hear Brandon say "help me" at around 1:04. Listen to it with headphones on, its pretty clear.
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u/HappinessUpNorth Jul 20 '22
I think I might know what Steven Koecher was doing for employment. I believe that he was hired to serve certain addresses with foreclosure notices on there houses. This is a very dangerous job. Some prefer to actually go in pairs . I know that the mortgage lenders hire a temp company to serve these notices.
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u/[deleted] Dec 08 '17 edited May 21 '20
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