They were icons, artists and public figures — then one day they simply vanished. From planes that never landed to last-seen sightings that led nowhere, these 20 disappearances remain among the most puzzling and haunting in modern memory!
The son of Errol Flynn, Sean made his own name as an actor, photographer and war correspondent. He chased the story into the world’s most dangerous zones — and while covering the Vietnam War he disappeared on April 6, 1970, in Cambodia. Flynn and fellow journalist Dana Stone were seized while riding a motorcycle to a press event; no bodies were ever recovered.
Elizabeth Eaton Converse — known to music fans as Connie — is regarded as one of the earliest singer-songwriters, a gifted composer and poet. Plagued by setbacks and deep depression, she packed her belongings into her Volkswagen Beetle and drove away on August 10, 1974, never to be seen again. Friends say she’d felt rejected and devastated by personal and professional losses; a private investigator later advised her family to respect what seemed like her choice to disappear.
A giant of the big-band era, Glenn Miller traded concert halls for wartime service and led an Army Air Forces band in Europe. On December 15, 1944, Miller boarded a small military plane bound for Paris and vanished in poor weather. No wreckage or remains were found; a year later he was declared dead.
A child prodigy novelist who published her first book at 12, Barbara Newhall Follett loved nature and writing. Financial and personal hardship followed her parents’ split and a faltering career; after a troubled marriage she fled in 1939 and never returned. Reports say she left home one day and was never seen again.
Australia’s 17th prime minister disappeared on December 17, 1967, while swimming at Cheviot Beach. A massive search found no body, and conspiracy theories proliferated. Most authorities concluded drowning was the likeliest explanation; Holt is commemorated in Australia — including by a swimming centre bearing his name.
A pioneering aviator who smashed records and promoted commercial flight, Amelia Earhart set out on July 2, 1937, to circumnavigate the globe. Last seen near Howland Island with navigator Fred Noonan, her plane never arrived; investigators believe she ran out of fuel and crashed into the Pacific, and she was officially declared dead more than a year later.
Once a powerful Teamsters leader with alleged mob ties, Hoffa disappeared after a July 30, 1975, meeting at a Detroit-area restaurant. He phoned his wife that no one had shown up — and then vanished. Despite decades of FBI probes and countless theories (and suspects dying off), no body or conclusive evidence has emerged; he was declared dead in 1982.
Richard John Bingham, the 7th Earl of Lucan, vanished after a violent incident at his family home on November 7, 1974. Accused of attacking his nanny and threatening his wife, Lucan fled that night and disappeared. Investigators never found him, and his fate has been the source of enduring speculation.
Known for TV roles on shows like Designated Survivor and NCIS, Zoe McLellan was accused by her ex-husband in 2021 of taking their child to Toronto without consent — part of a longer custody dispute. She stopped appearing in productions in April 2019 and has not been located; fans and commentators trade conflicting theories about her actions and motives.
Daughter of Italian performers Albano Carrisi and Romina Power, Ylenia left her privileged life to travel and write. After time in Latin America, she departed New Orleans in early January 1994 and was last seen in the French Quarter. A security guard later reported seeing someone like her jump into the Mississippi; her final words reportedly were, “I belong in water.”
A Mexican-American lawyer, activist and novelist who inspired a character in Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Acosta disappeared on May 27, 1974, while traveling in Mazatlán, Mexico. His son later said Acosta may have been fatally wounded in a fight; no body was found.
Michael — a Rockefeller heir and collector of tribal art — vanished in 1961 after a canoe accident in New Guinea’s remote Asmat region. After being swept ashore and leaving his companion, he reportedly said he’d try to reach land and never returned. While drowning is one theory, some later accounts claim he reached land and was killed in reprisal; rumors even suggested ritual cannibalism, but no conclusive evidence has been found.
A model and actress who won hundreds of pageant crowns, Tammy vanished on July 6, 1983, aged 18. Friends said she returned from a party “a different person” and later displayed signs of fear and distress. She was last seen in Cocoa Beach, Florida; suspects were later proposed, and anonymous tips claimed she might be alive, but the case remains unresolved.
The famed writer and satirist went to Mexico amid revolutionary conflict and disappeared after December 1913. Reports suggest he joined Pancho Villa’s forces as an observer and vanished after a letter in December noted he was leaving for an “unknown destination.” His fate remains an open question.
The Manic Street Preachers’ lyricist and guitarist, Richey Edwards, disappeared on February 1, 1995. His car was left near the Severn Bridge — a notorious suicide spot — and no body has been found. Some fans claim sightings in distant places; his disappearance remains a haunting mystery for followers.
A child actor in films like Varsity Blues, Joe Pichler disappeared on January 5, 2006, at age 18. His car was found days later with a note expressing wishes for his possessions to go to his younger brother; investigators suspected self-harm, but no body has been recovered.
An aspiring actress and dancer, Jean Spangler vanished on October 7, 1946, after saying she’d meet her ex-husband about child support and head to a late-night shoot. Her purse was found in Griffith Park with a torn strap and a note referencing a “Dr. Scott” and a man named “Kirk.” Theories range from a botched illegal abortion to mafia involvement; nothing definitive emerged.
The Loverboy bassist went missing on November 30, 2000, during a sailing trip when a 25-foot wave swept him overboard. Despite a full rescue effort, his body was never found; his band later memorialised him in song.
Former NBA player Bison Dele vanished during a 2002 South Pacific sailing trip. Only one crew member returned, and investigations revealed forged signatures, stolen cash and a boat left adrift. The brother who survived later killed himself; evidence suggested foul play and attempts to dispose of victims’ bodies, though many details remain grisly and unresolved
The daughter of Aaron Burr boarded the privateer Patriot in 1812 bound for New York and never arrived. The ship and its crew vanished; theories include piracy and storm loss, and historical records have contributed to ongoing speculation about what befell her.
