Where are they? When it comes to the vanished there is always unrest. The stories about those that are missing is always unnerving. They have to be out there... that's what we hope, but at what cost? And it seems nearly impossible to believe. Nobody actually just vanishes into thin air. The mysteries that may never be solved are the ones we want most.
Redditor u/nonnaan wanted to hear about some of the strange details about the missing by asking.... What are some of the creepiest/most terrifying missing persons cases?
Ben.
GiphyBen Padilla. In 2003 him and a mechanic climbed into a Boeing 727 that was collecting dust at an Angolan airport, taxied silently to the runway, and took off. No trace of the plane or the men has ever been found. kind-of-there
Lars.
The disappearance of Lars Mittank.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Lars_Mittank
Lars Mittank started acting strangely after getting into a fight while on vacation in Bulgaria. During the fight he damaged his ear drum and was taking antibiotics, although there are no known side effects of the antibiotics he was on that would explain his behavioral change.
Due to his damaged ear drum he stayed behind after his friends left so he would have a few days to heal and a doctor could re-examine his ear before getting onto the plane. Once he was alone in Bulgaria his odd behavior was exacerbated. He began texting his family saying he wasn't safe and they needed to cancel his credit card.
When he arrived at the airport to fly home he went to first see a doctor to get approved to fly with his injury. (apparently there was a doctor's office in the airport).
While waiting to be seen he bolted out of the airport at full sprint, never to be seen again. epicredditdude
Kristin.
Kristin Smart went to a college party and was walked back to her dorm building by three students. One of the students had a black eye the next day, scratches on his hands and knees, and after Kristin was reported missing, cadaver dogs alerted on the mattress in his dorm room. He took the fifth amendment to every question in a deposition.
Concrete work was done in his mother's backyard the week Kristin disappeared, and a family renting the house later that year found a bloody earring in the backyard. They turned it over to police, and the police lost it before the blood could be tested.
Her body was never found, the guy was never charged, and he's still living free in Southern California. There's a podcast coming out soon about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EB37aB6lbcdashheartdash
Sad.
This just happened in Romania. A 15 year old girl went missing, a few days later she managed to contact the police, told them she was kidnapped, beaten and held in a house. It took the police 19 hours to respond and when they got there it was too late as she was brutally murdered and her body was set on fire in a barrel. Pretty insane if you ask me. There's more info hereJuliexxm
William.
GiphyWilliam Tyrrell. A 3-year-old boy who went missing from his foster grandmother's yard (who lives in a tiny town in NSW, Aus) in 2014.
It's a very high profile case in Australia, and has had a lot of attention this year due to a Coronial inquest taking place.. AND the lead detective being taken off the investigation due to some alleged misconduct.
It is such a frustrating case. The family situation is so complicated, and the poor kid already had a rough life to begin with. No_icecream_cake
Insane.
Colleen Stan - she was kidnapped by a husband and wife and locked in a box for 23 hours a day for seven years They literally kept the box under their bed and forced her to sign a contract which made her a slave for life. They convinced her that a nameless corporate syndicate was watching her and that if she tried to escape they would murder her. It's horrific. she survived and is living her life. The wife, who was completely complicit, turned her husband in (sentenced for 104 years) and the wife went free. Both are living in California. Husband has a parole hearing in 2022. Insane.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping_of_Colleen_StanGankrhymes
People Describe The Worst Adult Tantrum They've Ever Witnessed | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
The 90's.
That one I saw on tumblr about a girl who was kidnapped in the late 90's and was thought to be dead when the parents got a phone call asking for help. Ill look for the post. Edit https://fletchermarple.com/post/163661365014/anthonette-cayedito-was-only-9-years-old-when-sheyourmotherfigure
Never get a hitchhiker.
My dad's roommate from freshman year in college was driving home (I believe he lived in Alaska and their college was in Maryland so it was a very long car ride) for winter break. According to witnesses, he picked up a hitchhiker after the dude begged him to give him a lift somewhere.
Police found the car completely torched in the woods, no bodies were inside nor any signs of a struggle. My dad's roommate has been missing ever since and the police have no leads besides the hitchhiker, who is also missing. Crimsonrox
Bung.
There's one local to me in Australia.
A 13 yr old girl called Bung was walking on a main road to school.
She was literally never seen again. Happened around 10 yrs ago. How can someone literally vanish without a trace in this day and age? millypilly83
Luke's Eyes.
GiphyAndrew Gosdens disappearance is haunting
I live in the UK and there are still posters up for him 12 years later on my walk to work, it's very sad
Also Luke Durbin had a "Luke's eyes are..." poster of just his eyes in most train stations for a very long time which again was haunting and very sad
Both have been missing for a similar amount of time and both have the eerie last moment caught on CCTV footage
I guess I find them scary as they are local to me, i.e. the same country, and they could have been anyone. Literally anyone could just disappear from sight, anyone could have that last moment on CCTV. It's terrifying. Chops2917
Horrible.
My cousin went missing for about 2-3 months when she was 12 years old. She was walking home from school and stopped by a store to buy something to drink, a man stood beside her and started talking her, she never made any contact with him and never answered his questions. When she got out of the store and walked fast when the guy went behind her and covered her mouth, he then went to a corner and gut punched her. He took her into a hidden house in the south of our city and killed her.
At that time no one knew where she was and no one found a body where she was last seen after a month, the police eventually pronounced her dead. After a couple of months, someone told the police about the hidden house they saw when they heard screaming and sobbing inside. She was found and the suspect was jailed.
This isn't probably creepy but it was really terrifying for my cousin, she is 20 now and still in therapy. ILOVEGOT7DUHD
Adelaide.
GiphyThe disappearance of the three Beaumont siblings in 1966 in Adelaide, South Australia. hefoxisalive
Susan.
Susan Powell. The whole story is so sad. They know who, vaguely how, but will probably never locate her. The whole family simply comes apart and it's like watching a train wreck in slow motion. What happened to her boys is absolutely unconscionable.
'Little Boy Pot Pie"
The Zachary Ramsey disappearance/the case of Nathaniel Bar-Jonah.
The police were never able to find his body but there was strong evidence that Bar-Jonah kidnapped him. There is also pretty substantial evidence that he may have actually eaten the boy after the police found recipes like 'Little Boy Pot Pie" in a journal. I know the twin sisters who were the last ones to see Zachary because they walked partway with him, and they believe that he was taken on his way to school.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Bar-JonahCraven_Hellsing
The McCann Mystery.
GiphyMadelaine McCann. I have waited 12 years for answers. KingStaal
Both the Netflix series and the Madelaine Podcast were interesting to watch/listen to. What baffles me the most is the cadaver + blood dogs indicating on Madelaine's doll (which would indicate she still had it on her when she was dead), and in the rental car that wasn't rented until a few weeks after her disappearance.
On top of that, in the podcast it's mentioned that a DNA company that supposedly has really good DNA reading software that can better separate multiple DNA strands has offered to look at the DNA, for free. The DNA that was ruled inconclusive back in the investigation. They don't even need the DNA, just a picture. Yet, the British Police Force responsible for the case are refusing to hand over the DNA.
Oh, and the parents spent a lot of their donated money on lawyers to sue anyone talking bad about them. Sure, there's no evidence against them, but it just seems so odd.
There's also that new case from this month regarding a missing girl in Malaysia (Nora Quoirin). Similar sounding. she disappeared from her bed - although in this case it seems the parents were also in their beds. I worry we'll still be wondering what's going on with this one in 12 years. ShadowReaperT
Shelly.
Shelly Miscavige, (the wife of David Miscavige, who is the president of the church of Scientology), hasn't been seen in public since 2007.
Source:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelly_Miscavigeguiltyas-sin
Natalie.
Natalee Holloway. I kid you not when I say I think about the unsolved case at least, hmm, twenty-seven times a year? There's so many conspiracies too: she's either in a sharks stomach, alive in South America hiding, somewhere trapped as a sex slave, or buried in Aruba. The day that Joran van Der asshole admits what really happened is the day that part of my brain can finally REST. Cannot imagine how her parents feel :/. january-7
Missing 411.
Not one in particular, but reading a lot of the Missing 411 cases from the National Parks has freaked me out. I recommend checking them out! ProfessorAesthetics
The ones that freak me out the most are the ones that are out in the middle of nowhere. Either in the wilderness, deep in the country with no close neighbors, or driving on a long, deserted highway at night. hermionetargaryen
Asha.
GiphyThe disappearance of Asha Degree. To this day we will still never know why she ran away from home or what caused her to do that. (she had a good home life and her parents weren't abusing her). mista_steal_yo_meme
It's very strange the way law enforcement has recently been saying they have reason to believe she may be alive. take_number_two
- People Who Personally Knew Someone That Went Missing Break Down What Happened - George Takei ›
- People Who Personally Knew Someone That Went Missing Break Down What Happened - George Takei ›
- People share the most bizarre disappearances of all time. - George Takei ›
- People Break Down The Creepiest Thing That's Ever Happened To Them - George Takei ›
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.