People go missing every day, but some disappearances are way more mysterious than others. In certain cases, investigators find abandoned vehicles, surveillance footage of the missing person behaving strangely, or personal items, but none of them offer enough clues about what happened to the victim. Other disappearances happened in places where it seems impossible for someone to vanish unnoticed. Despite extensive searches and decades long investigations, these cases are still unsolved. Here are eight strange disappearances that raise tons of unanswered questions.
Asha Degree — North Carolina, 2000
Nine-year-old Asha Degree disappeared from her family’s North Carolina home in the early morning hours of February 14, 2000. What makes the case particularly unusual is that multiple witnesses spotted a young girl walking by a highway at around 4 a.m., despite the rainy weather. One driver turned around to check on her, but she ran off the road and into the woods. More than a year later, workers found Asha’s backpack buried near a highway construction site about 30 miles from where she had last been seen. It was wrapped in plastic. Investigators have continued pursuing leads, including some recent ones, but the circumstances surrounding her disappearance are extremely odd and few answers have been found.
Amy Lynn Bradley — Caribbean Sea, 1998
In March 1998, 23-year-old Amy Lynn Bradley was vacationing with her family aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas. After spending the night enjoying the ship’s bars and clubs, she came back to her family’s cabin. By the following morning, she had disappeared while the ship was traveling toward Curaçao. Her concerned family immediately sounded the alarm, but searches of the vessel and surrounding waters did not locate her. Over the years, several people have claimed to have seen Bradley in the Caribbean under various circumstances, leading some to believe she was a victim of sex trafficking. The FBI continues to investigate this case, which is one of the most confusing missing persons cases associated with a cruise ship.
Brandon Swanson — Minnesota, 2008
Nineteen-year-old Brandon Swanson disappeared in May 2008 after his vehicle was stuck in a ditch in rural Minnesota. He called his parents for help and tried to describe his location, but they weren’t able to find him. Brandon decided to walk toward a nearby town and stayed on the phone with his father as he navigated the dark fields. During the conversation, he suddenly shouted “Oh, shit!”, and the signal was lost. Strangely, investigators eventually located his abandoned vehicle near Taunton, Minnesota, about 25 miles from where Brandon thought he was. The geographic confusion only adds to the mystery especially since Brandon was familiar with the area. Investigators have never been able to establish what happened to him that night.
Jennifer Kesse — Florida, 2006
Jennifer Kesse was 24 years old when she disappeared from her Orlando apartment in January 2006. Her family was worried when she didn’t show up at work and no one could reach her by phone. Two days later, authorities found her abandoned vehicle roughly a mile from her apartment. Surveillance footage showed someone parking the car and walking away, but the individual’s face was hidden by fence posts. This frustrating aspect kept investigators from getting a clear image of someone who was obviously connected to the case in some way. As of 2026, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement continues investigating Jennifer’s disappearance.
Andrew Gosden — England, 2007
Fourteen-year-old Andrew Gosden left his home in Doncaster, England, on September 14, 2007. He appeared to be heading to school, but evidence showed he came back home after his family had left for the day. He changed out of his school uniform and packed some belongings. He then took a train to London, where surveillance cameras captured him leaving King’s Cross station. The disappearance is especially puzzling because Andrew was quite young to be traveling alone in the middle of a school day and had given his family zero indication that he was planning to make the trip. Additionally, he bought a one-way train ticket to London, even though a return ticket was available for only a little more money. Despite appeals to locals, no confirmed sighting has suggested what happened to Andrew after he arrived in London. Police eventually arrested two men in 2021, but both were later released without charge and eliminated as suspects.
Maura Murray — New Hampshire, 2004
College student Maura Murray disappeared in February 2004 after crashing her car just off a rural road in New Hampshire. A passing bus driver later confirmed he stopped to offer help, but she declined. By the time police arrived just minutes later, Murray had vanished, leaving her damaged vehicle on the side of the road. The investigation revealed that she had left the University of Massachusetts Amherst, telling professors she needed time away due to a family emergency. Despite extensive searches, no trace of Murray has been found.
Brian Shaffer — Ohio, 2006
In April 2006, 27-year-old medical student Brian Shaffer disappeared. He was last seen spending an evening at a Columbus, Ohio, bar with friends. Surveillance footage showed Shaffer talking to two women outside the bar right before closing time. He then moved out of the camera’s view toward the entrance. However, cameras failed to capture when or how he left the building. When he didn’t show up for a planned trip with his girlfriend, his family reported him missing. Police efforts, which included examining surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses, never led to a definitive explanation. Two decades later, a body has never been found and his whereabouts remain unknown. The case remains open.
Dennis Martin — Tennessee, 1969
Six-year-old Dennis Martin disappeared while visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park with his family in June 1969. The little boy had been playing with other kids near Spence Field while several adults watched from nearby when he vanished. His family started searching almost immediately, but the surrounding wilderness was expansive and they couldn’t find him. Soon, a widespread search was underway, involving more than a thousand people. However, the mountainous terrain, heavy rain, and dense vegetation made searching the area difficult, and no answers were found.