#10 Ylenia Carrisi
Ylenia Carrisi was a television celebrity in Italy during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. She was most well known as the daughter of singers Albano Carrisi and Romina Power and for her role as the hostess on Italy’s version of the game show Wheel of Fortune. Having studied literature in college, Carrisi was also an aspiring fiction writer.
In July 1993, Carrisi, age 22, and her parents were visiting New Orleans as part of a vacation around the United States. During their trip Carrisi became fascinated with the city and with its residents – in particular a man named Alexander Masakela, a 54 year old Jamaican man, thirty years her senior, and a street performer. Carrisi had apparently become so enthralled with the city and Masakela that when her parents were ready to leave for Florida, Carrisi told them that she wished to stay behind to pursue her writing career. It was only two days afterwards that Carrisi ended up meeting with her parents in Florida, informing them that two men had tried to murder her back in New Orleans.
Despite this incident, on December 30, while on leave from University, Carrisi returned to New Orleans to, according to Carrisi’s mother, “find characters for a book she was writing”. Weeks passed and neither of Carrisi’s parents had received a phone call from their daughter. Worried, they contacted a family friend in the New Orleans area. Unable to locate or contact Carrisi, the family friend reported Carrisi a missing person to the local police department.
Through a police investigation it was learned that upon returning to New Orleans, Carrisi began to live with Alexander Masakela, and the last sighting of Carrisi was on January 6 when she was spotted leaving her and Masakela’s hotel. Despite this being the last confirmed sighting of Carrisi, later that night there was a sighting of a woman who looked similar to Carrisi even in regards to the attire Carrisi was wearing earlier that day.
Around midnight, located in a park, and standing near the edge of a bridge, a woman was spotted by a park security guard. As the park was closed, the security guard asked the woman to leave, to which the woman responded, “Well, I belong the in water anyways,” before jumping off of the bridge and plunging into the river. Despite the guard’s pleading the woman swam away from the shore and into the river’s main channel. Though the woman seemed at first to be swimming successfully she eventually began panicking and screaming for help, but at that point there was nothing the security guard could do; and the woman was pulled under the tide.
Though the description of the woman’s appearance and attire seemed to match what Ylenia looked like when she was last seen, when the security guard was shown a photo of Carrisi he claimed her face didn’t match that of the woman on the bridge.
Both of Carrisi’s parents had initially refused to believe their daughter was the woman seen on the bridge; they believed she was alive and that Masakela knew of her whereabouts. Those who saw Carrisi and Masakela together noted that Carrisi seemed uncomfortable while around Masakela. Police were also suspicious as Masakela was thirty years Carrisi’s senior and had recently been accused of sexually assaulting a woman. When brought in for questioning, however, no connection could be made to Masakela and Carrisi’s disappearance.
Though many theories have surfaced as to her whereabouts, in over two decades there have been no official signs of Carrisi. Italian newspapers will still regularly call back to the case and bring up potential leads. In 1996 an anonymous caller passionately claimed that Carrisi was still alive but gave no news on her whereabouts, and in 2011 it was reported that she was inhabiting a monastery. While Carrisi’s mother still believes her daughter is alive her father eventually came to believe that the woman on the bridge was Ylenia and in 2013 he requested that she be declared dead.
#9 Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller was a trombonist, music arranger, band leader, and best-selling musical artist during the big band and swing era in the United States. Using new techniques to develop a unique sound to his band’s music, Miller soared in popularity during the late 1930’s and early 1940’s. Miller along with his band performed in motion pictures, and he had two compositions inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
During 1942, at the time of World War II and at the peak of his commercial success, Miller opted to join the United States war effort. At the time he was aged 38 meaning he was beyond the effect of the draft, but he still insisted on participating in the war effort in some way. Eventually he was given a position in the Army Air Forces where he primarily served in roles such as being the trombonist for army bands and leading a marching band in efforts to boost army morale.
On December 15, 1944, Miller was set to make a flight from Britain to France as he wanted to have a massive show for the troops who had recently liberated Paris. Along with him was Lieutenant Colonel Norman Baessell and the plane’s pilot. The pilot was originally declined to make the flight due to poor and worsening weather conditions, but Colonel Baessell ordered the pilot to take off anyways. All three men along with the plane disappeared over the English Channel and were never seen again.
Investigations of Miller’s disappearance have turned up some probable conclusions, but conspiracy theories regarding the incident still remain. Widely it has been accepted that the plane crashed somewhere in the English Channel due to not only the extreme low-visibility weather conditions but also due to the pilot’s inexperience and the fact that the plane, a Noorduyn Norseman, was known to hold up poorly against very cold weather.
Regardless of the official story, theories remain that Miller may have been a victim of friendly fire, murdered by Nazi’s, or part of a secret mission to end the war. There was never any physical evidence to confirm or deny any theories in regards to Miller’s true fate.
#8 Heber Jentzsch
Officially, Heber Jentzsch is the President of the Church of Scientology International, a subsect of the Church of Scientology. He joined the church in 1967 at age 31 and in 1982 became the president of Scientology International, a subsect of the church. As part of his role he served as a public spokesperson for the church; and despite the church’s history of secrecy Jentzsch was interviewed on several occasions and gave public speeches providing a face for the church especially during the 1980s and 1990s.
While he has not officially gone missing, Jentzsch has not been seen in public since 2004, and numerous theories have arisen as to explain why; most famously it is believed that after losing favor with the Church’s overall President David Miscavige Jentzsch was trapped inside a structure which has been unofficially dubbed “The Hole”.
Located in Riverside, California, the Hole is a secretive compound, which is owned by the Church of Scientology, and has been host to countless conspiracy theories. While there are no publicly viewable videos or images of the interior of the Hole or its activities, accounts from former members of the church describe it as a forced residence where occupants are made to participate in physical and mental labor, comparing it to stories of camps in North Korea. The occupants of the Hole are commonly said to be members and leaders of the church who fell out of Miscavige’s favor. According to accounts from Jentzsch’s ex-wife and brother, Jentzsch is one of these individuals.
Though Jentzsch’s whereabouts are surrounded in mystery and there have been no officially documented appearances of him since 2004, there are post-2004 accounts of Jentzsch appearing publicly. One former member claims to have seen Jentzsch in 2005 when he was attending a Scientology funded reconstruction effort in Sri Lanka, and the individual even posted photos on a website containing a man who he believes was Jentzsch. In 2012, Jentzsch’s son died, and it has been reported that Jentzsch attended the funeral.
Even if these stories are true many do not believe they account for Jentzsch’s overall absence from public life; and it’s still widely believed that he is a current resident of the Hole, only allowed off the premises for certain occasions.
#7 William Cantelo
Born in 1839, William Cantelo was an English inventor who built his own early versions of the machine gun. Cantelo was married with two sons and a daughter. He was known by those in the area for being a nuisance as Cantelo’s machine guns were often heard from where he tested them in the basement of the tower where he lived.
After the gun’s completion in the early 1880s, Cantelo withdrew money from his bank account and he along with his sons left on a trip to presumably sell the weapon. It wasn’t uncommon for him to separate from his sons while trying to make sales, but one day Cantelo split off from his sons and didn’t return. His family hired a private investigator to find Cantelo, and the investigator was able to narrow down Cantelo’s whereabouts to the United States but couldn’t find anything more specific.
While looking at a newspaper, Cantelo’s sons came across a photo of a man who not only bore strong physical resemblance to their father but also was an inventor. The man in the image was named Hiram Maxim – a man known for inventions such as the mousetrap, hair-curling irons, steam pumps, and what he called the Maxim Gun – his own machine gun.
Cantelo’s sons believed that their father must have created a new identity for himself as Hiram Maxim. They traced Maxim down to a Waterloo train station shouting “father!” They even tried to approach him, but Maxim ignored them, and his train left the station. The sons never encountered their father or the man that they believed to be their father again.
Investigations into the matter have brought about some conclusions but still leave the Cantelo ordeal a mystery. Despite the beliefs of Cantelo’s family and the accounts of two witnesses claiming Cantelo, when trying to sell the weapon, referred to it as the “Maxim gun” there are accounts of Maxim’s early life that contradict the notion that he was merely a reemerged Cantelo.
Also, despite the uncanny resemblance between the two, photographic experts have examined facial differences. Though they may have been different people their connection may have gone further than just physical and occupational similarities as in his autobiography Maxim did make complaints of an inventor in the United States who was impersonating him. In regards to Cantelo himself, he never reemerged and neither has any further evidence as to his fate.
#6 Richey Edwards
Richard James Edwards or, better known by his stage name, Richey Edwards was the rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the alternative rock band “Manic Street Preachers” during the band’s early years. At age 21, he joined the band in 1988 and appeared on the band’s first three studio albums – contributing a supposed seventy-percent of the lyrical content on the band’s third album “The Holy Bible”. As was reflected in many of the lyrics he wrote, Edwards struggled with self-injury, eating disorders, depression, and a general dissatisfaction with the state of the world.
On December 21st of 1994 Richey Edwards along with the rest of Manic Street Preachers gave an infamous performance which ended with all of the band members smashing their instruments. It would be the last time Edwards was seen on stage. A month later, Edwards and the band’s frontman James Dean Bradfield began a stay at the London Embassy Hotel.
The next morning (February 1, 1995) Bradfield knocked on Richey’s door, but no one answered. The hotel staff eventually opened the door to find Edwards was not present; however, he did leave several personal possessions along with a box decorated like a birthday present. Inside the box was a note with the words, “I love you.”
In the following weeks the police searched for Edwards and the other band members urged him to come forward, but all efforts were to no avail. They found that on the morning of his disappearance he had checked out of the hotel and had apparently left for Newport, Wales as sightings had placed him in the city. On February 17, Edwards’ car was located at a service station by the Severn Bridge. The car was abandoned though from its appearance it looked as though Edwards may have previously been living out of it.
Despite the efforts of family, friends, and fans Richey Edwards has never been found. It is widely believed that Richey Edwards committed suicide by jumping off of the Severn Bridge, and on November 23, 2008 his legal status was changed to “presumed dead”.
Many of those close to Edwards along with his fans refuse to believe he took his own life citing statements he had made against suicide. Others point to the £200 that he withdrew from his bank account only a few days prior to his disappearance and argue that he may have been looking to start a new life. There have been supposed sightings of Edwards since his disappearance as far as the country of India, but none of the sightings have been formally investigated, and officially Edwards is considered to be deceased.
#5 Jim Robinson
Born in 1925 and a hopeful career boxer, little is known about Jim Robinson; however, he gained significance for being the 4th official opponent of famed professional boxer Muhammed Ali. On February 7, 1961, Robinson fought in the ring against Ali for a match that only lasted 94 seconds before Robinson’s defeat. His boxing career continued until 1968 leaving a largely unsuccessful record of 8 wins and 25 losses, and eventually Robinson had faded into obscurity.
In the mid-2000s ESPN sportswriter Wright Thompson and Muhammed Ali memorabilia collector Stephen Singer spent years searching for Robinson. The two tried to contact family members of Robinson but soon learned that not only were there no accessible family members but also no other ties and not even public records, not even a date of birth, which could link him to specific places at specific times.
Boxing historians and even FBI agents were contacted to help, but all efforts came to no avail. The last official contact with Robinson had been in 1979 when he was interviewed by Sports Illustrated.
Wright Thompson eventually traveled to the Overton District of Miami, Florida for himself – the city where the interview took place. Thompson conversed with people on the streets and showed them photographs of Robinson, and many people recognized him. It was said that Robinson, or “Sweet Jimmy” as the locals knew him, had become homeless, involved with drugs, and that he was always looking for money – all the while his appearance deteriorated. While some remembered him as being loud and obnoxious and others remembered him fondly, the locals said that Robinson would often brag about his fight with Ali.
There also seemed to be a consensus that no one had seen him recently. Some claimed they saw him leave, others claimed he was dead, one account said he had left to see his family who may have lived in Kansas City, and some say he was just suddenly gone. Despite Thompson’s searching he was never able to find any information to verify any of the accounts, but the locals did not find it too unusual. Sweet Jimmy had just become one of the many people from the district to be forgotten.
#4 Connie Converse
Born with the name Elizabeth Eaton, Connie Converse was an aspiring musician in the 1950s and, judging by the dates of her recordings, possibly the first of the “singer-songwriter” genre. Converse grew up in New Hampshire with her brother and parents. Despite her natural intelligence, which even led her to become the valedictorian of her school, it wasn’t long after graduation that Converse began to take an interest in music over academics. She began to teach herself acoustic guitar soon left for New York City to pursue a musical career.
Upon arriving in New York, she quickly made friends and was able to find work in the editorial and printing business while pursuing music on the side. After some time of just playing for her friends Converse began to play at venues and seemed to be gaining traction. She enamored people with her simple vocal and acoustic guitar based songs, recorded some material, appealed to managers and producers, and even appeared on Walter Cronkite’s “CBS Morning Show”.
However, ultimately, in 1954 Converse wasn’t finding any success in her musical career. Her financial situation was further hurt by the fact that her jobs in the editorial business seemed to constantly fall through.
In 1961, she eventually left New York and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan. This did not help matters as she delved further into depression with drinking, smoking, and eventually distancing herself from friends and family.
Members of her family continued to reach out to her but she wasn’t very responsive until the summer 1974 when friends and family received letters from Converse in which she said she was planning on starting a new life in the West. She left in her Volkswagen shortly afterwards – never to be heard from again.
In the last two decades her music has finally been heard by a wider audience through re-releases and the Internet; however, the rejuvenated interest in Converse hasn’t lent any clues to her whereabouts or fate. Due to her depression some suspect that she may have committed suicide.
The only clues as to Converse’s whereabouts came years afterwards when an individual living in Kansas City found a phonebook with an Elizabeth Converse listed (Elizabeth was Converse’s first name by birth), but he declined not to contact her as, if it were Connie, he respected her want to stay private.
#3 J.C.P. Williams
A New Zealand native and cardiologist, John Cyprian Phipps Williams or simply J.C.P. Williams left a mark of significance on the medical field after discovering the genetic defect which is now titled William’s Syndrome.
In his private life, Williams’s reputation was torn between accounts of him being erratic and eccentric and accounts that he was gentle and charming. Williams ended up pursuing a career in medicine as he had graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science degree; however, always having an interest in art, he also graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.
Working in the medical field, Williams often jumped from job to job. Eventually he ended up in London. While there he met another New Zealand native and poet named Janet Frame.
The two lived together for some time and bonded over their interest in writing. Frame, who claims she only thought of Williams as a friend, was shocked when in 1979 Williams proposed to her. Stunned, Frame ran out on Williams. When she returned a few days later Williams was gone.
But this was just the first of Williams’ disappearances.
Williams did reappear for a few years after the incident with Frame. It had been reported that Williams worked at a hospital in Utah for some time following 1972, but in 1979 he renewed his passport presumably to leave the United States. This time, however, his disappearance was permanent as despite his family’s searching he has not been seen. In 1988 the High Court of New Zealand declared him a missing person presumed to be dead.
The last potential sign of Williams was reported by author Michael King who in 2000 was writing a biography on Janet Frame. King claims that he was contacted indirectly by Williams who asked that he “not be discussed” in the book.
#2 Boston Corbett
Boston Corbett was a Union Army Soldier during the United States Civil War and was considered a national hero and somewhat of a celebrity after hunting down and killing the man responsible for U.S. President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, John Wilkes Booth.
Despite his public reputation, those who knew Corbett personally did not remember him fondly. At a young age he converted to Christianity and had become so flamboyant about his new found faith that it affected all of his interactions throughout his life.
While serving in the army he was punished with a court-martial for his disruptive behavior such as verbally condemning superiors who used profanities. In church meetings, fellow congregation members found Corbett loud and overbearing. Corbett grew his hair out to mimic Jesus Christ; and even used a pair of scissors to castrate himself so that he would not feel sexual temptation.
In 1865, at the age of 33, after the shooting of Booth and his subsequent discharge from the army, Corbett had trouble settling down as he could never keep a job. His lack of steady work was largely attributed to his fanatical behavior even in the workplace such as stopping his tasks to pray for his co-workers. He tried to capitalize on his title as “Lincoln’s Avenger”, but these efforts also came to no avail.
All the while, Corbett did not see his eccentric behavior as the cause for his lack of success, but rather he believed that there were conspirators in the government along with Booth sympathizers who not only got him fired from his jobs but also were out to kill him as vengeance for John Wilkes Booth.
His paranoia led him to carry around a pistol at all times, threaten strangers and friends alike, and eventually it caused his arrest. Afterwards he was admitted to Topeka Asylum for the Insane, but on May 26, 1888, at the age of 56, he escaped from the asylum on horseback.
He then met with an old friend from the war. According to the friend, Corbett had only stayed briefly and claimed he was leaving for Mexico. This was the last recorded appearance of Boston Corbett.
While there are no official records of Boston Corbett after this point, it is believed he may have died in the Great Hinckley Fire of September 1, 1984 as the name “Thomas Corbett”, Corbett’s birth name, appeared on the list of dead and missing. As late as September 1905 there were accounts of individuals claiming to be Boston Corbett, but each of these individuals were found to be imposters.
#1 Jim Sullivan
James Anthony Sullivan was a struggling country and rock musician who was active during the 1960s and 1970s. After marrying at a young age and having a son, he spent almost half of his recorded life touring in Los Angeles, California in search of success.
Though he performed to and made associations with several Hollywood stars such as Farrah Fawcett-Majors and Vic Morrow, Sullivan failed to make any long term connections in the music industry. Despite the release of two records between 1969 and 1972 he failed to find financial success, as well. Eventually Sullivan found himself hurting for money. He turned towards alcoholism which took its toll on the relationship with his wife and son.
Midday, on March 4th 1975 Sullivan, at the age of 34, packed his belongings into his Volkswagen Bug and drove away from Los Angeles. He had reportedly planned to travel east in his search for work, and he promised his wife and son that he would return to them once he had earned some money. However, after this departure Sullivan’s family and friends never saw him again.
There were some clues as to what might have happened to Sullivan after leaving Los Angeles. Early on the morning after Sullivan’s departure police in Santa Rosa, New Mexico had spotted a car swerving.
Inside the car was a disoriented Jim Sullivan. They took him to a police station only to find that it wasn’t alcohol causing his behavior but rather that he had been driving for 15 hours straight.
Afterwards, Sullivan had very briefly stayed at a nearby motel, but an investigation showed that he hadn’t even slept there before getting back on the road and driving into the desert. His abandoned Volkswagen was found 26 miles from the motel near a ranch.
When Sullivan’s car was found by police the engines were dead and the doors were locked. Inside the car were items such as his clothes, guitar, wallet, and his unsold records. Search parties along with Sullivan’s family searched the deserts, but their efforts came to no avail.
Decades later, there have been no signs of Sullivan and only limited clues on what might have happened to him on and after the night of March 5th. With the reissue of his CD, UFO, in 2010 and the mystique surrounding his disappearance Sullivan has developed a cult following.
Due to the spacey lyrics found throughout the album along with the title, UFO, some believe that Sullivan may have been abducted by aliens. With the reissue of the CD the record label’s founder tried to find any clues as to Sullivan’s disappearance.
Little was learned from the investigation, but Sullivan’s old manager, Robert Ginter, was interviewed, and he did recall a conversation he had with Sullivan shortly before the disappearance in which the two discussed how they would disappear if it became necessary. In Ginter’s words, “Jim said he’d walk into the desert and never come back.”
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