The Disappearance of Rachel Mellon Skemp

Rachel Mellon Skemp was only 13 years old when she disappeared from her family’s Bolingbrook, Illinois home on January 31st, 1996. On that day, Rachel stayed home from school because she had a sore throat. She was kept company by her unemployed stepfather, Vince Mellon. 

According to Vince, he and Rachel played video games together during the early afternoon before Rachel decided to take a nap. Vince then decided to take their family dog for a walk in subzero temperatures. He left the door unlocked while he was gone. The dog apparently escaped from his leash during the walk, which caused Vince to be gone longer than he intended to be. When he finally did return home, he reportedly did not check on Rachel.

Around 3:15pm, Rachel’s half-sister returned home from school and realized Rachel was not in her room. Around 5pm, Rachel’s mother returned home from work and learned from her daughter that Rachel, who was too sick to go to school that day, wasn’t home. Bolingbrook police were called around 6:00pm, but since Rachel ran away once before the previous summer, they did not begin investigating until the following morning. It was then that the police officers discovered that Rachel’s blanket and pillows were missing from her bed. However, those were the only items missing. 

Despite the fact that temperatures were far below freezing at the time of Rachel’s disappearance, her winter coat and corresponding winter gear were still inside the house. Police also located Rachel’s diary, which had an entry where she had written about how her step father Vince, the man who had been a parent to her since was a toddler, had kissed her on the mouth and touched her inappropriately. Other than these findings, police did not find any evidence of a crime scene or any information on Rachel’s whereabouts.

Vince has been a long time suspect in Rachel’s disappearance. He had scratches on his body after her disappearance which he blamed on injuries he got while repairing his car. He also has a long record for domestic violence and he has failed lie detector tests in connection with Rachel’s disappearance. Four years after she vanished, in January of 2000, a grand jury convened. Vince repeatedly plead the fifth during his questioning. Ultimately, no indictments were handed down.

Rachel remains missing today. Sometime after 1996, her family left Illinois and moved to Tennessee—which is where they were living when the grand jury began to investigate. Ironically, the police officer who was involved in arranging the grand jury was Drew Peterson, who later went on to be convicted of murder himself. (you can read about his cases here.) There are now other detectives in charge of Rachel’s case. If you have any information about her disappearance/whereabouts, please contact the Bolingbrook police department at (630) 226-8600.

The Disappearance & Death of Harley Dilly

Harley Dilly has been missing since December 20th, 2019. The 14 year-old boy vanished after leaving his family's Port Clinton, Ohio home to walk to school. The surveillance image on the right was captured between 6am and 7am on the morning of Harley's disappearance. This is the last known sighting of Harley. He never arrived at school and has not been seen or heard from again. 

The search for Harley has been widespread. Law enforcement agencies have reportedly searched approximately 150 acres surrounding the area where Harley was last seen. The searches included canine search & rescue teams and helicopters, but unfortunately no significant clues were found. However, investigators did state that they did not find any evidence that Harley was abducted. Investigators also initially stated that they were treating Harley's disappearance as a runaway, but they are still concerned for his safety. 

At this time, there has been very little information shared about why investigators think Harley might have run away. Harley's mother reportedly told police that Harley asked if he could stay home from school that morning because he was not feeling well, but she denied his request. Still, it is unclear if that would prompt Harley to not return home.

Since his disappearance, Harley's family members have made numerous public pleas for Harley's safe return. An official statement from the family appealed to Harley directly by stating, "Harley if you hear/read this, please come home we miss you, your family misses you. You are not in trouble. We love you." 

There is a $7000 reward being offered for information that could lead to Harley's safe return. If you have any information, please contact the Port Clinton Police Department at (419)-734-312.

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UPDATE (1/14/20): Harley's body has been found.

Police stated that they searched a vacant house in Port Clinton, where they found his jacket and glasses on the second floor. From there, police searched the chimney, where they found Harley's body. It is believed that Harley got trapped into the chimney on accident, however police have not stated why they think he entered the chimney. The investigation is ongoing. 

Rest in peace, Harley.

The Disappearance of Roxanne Paltauf

18 year-old Roxanne Paltauf has been missing since July 7th, 2006. She was last seen at a Budget Inn motel, located along interstate 35 in Austin, Texas. Roxanne had been spending the days leading up to her disappearance at the motel with her boyfriend Louis Walls (30).

Louis Walls and Roxanne

Roxanne’s family and friends did not approve of Louis, and Louis’s mother did not approve of Roxanne. Due to this, the couple rarely ever spent time at each other’s homes. Roxanne originally planned to return to her family’s home the day she vanished, however she decided at the last minute to spend another night at the motel with Louis. She planned to go shopping with her mother and sister the following day, and she assured both of them that she would still be there. Unfortunately, Roxanne never showed up the following day and has never been seen or heard from again. 

Roxanne’s mother and sister were initially not concerned when she did not show up for their shopping trip. They figured that she’d gotten caught up in her plans with Louis and that she would get in touch later. Roxanne’s mother did receive a phone call from Roxanne’s phone later that afternoon, but when she answered the phone, Louis was on the other line. He told Roxanne’s mother that he hadn’t seen Roxanne since the previous evening. He then went on to explain that Roxanne angrily left their hotel room around 8:30pm after they got into an argument. She apparently only took her identification card with her when she left—all of her personal items such as her shoes, wallet, and cell phone were left behind. Louis claimed that he tried to chase after Roxanne when she left, but then ended up going back to their motel room after she told him to leave her alone.

Roxanne’s family members immediately reported her missing after getting off the phone with Louis. However, by the time the police were involved, Louis had already checked out of the motel. He had taken all of Roxanne’s personal items with him, so any potential crime scene in the motel was significantly compromised. Louis did finally return Roxanne’s cell phone to her family almost a week after her disappearance. During the time Roxanne’s phone was in Louis’ possession, over 300 calls were made on it; many of them to Louis’ ex-girlfriend. This seemed quite suspicious to Roxanne’s family, and Louis’ history with previous girlfriends did not favor him either. Two of his previous girlfriends had taken restraining orders against him for threatening them. Prior to her disappearance, Roxanne herself had told her friends and family members that Louis had threatened her and punched her in the face. Despite all of this, Louis has not been charged with anything related to Roxanne’s disappearance.

Roxanne’s mother said that she still never received any of Roxanne’s other personal items from Louis. Oddly enough, Roxanne’s personal identification card was found in the possession of another man named Geoffrey Moore on July 13th, 2006–six days after Roxanne’s disappearance. Her ID was found in his wallet after Geoffrey was arrested for attempting to rape an exotic dancer at a location near the Budget Inn where Roxanne was last seen. Investigators spoke to Geoffrey about Roxanne after his arrest, but it is still unclear how exactly Roxanne’s ID came into his possession. The attempted rape charges against Geoffrey were eventually dropped, and he has never been charged with anything related to Roxanne’s disappearance either.

Although no arrests have been made, both Louis and Geoffrey are considered persons of interest in Roxanne’s case. Roxanne remains missing today. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-5250.

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[List Series: Unsolved Cases with Multiple Persons of Interest]

The Disappearance of Asia Martin

Asia Nicole Martin was 19 years old when she disappeared on May 27th, 2005. Before her disappearance, Asia was living in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and attending school at Pearl River Community College. However, she had recently decided to take a semester off to help take care of her mother, who was sick. In fact, three days prior to vanishing, Asia bought a bus ticket to Denver, Colorado, where her mother was living. On the evening of May 27th, Asia left her apartment on foot after telling her roommate she was going for a walk. She never returned home after that. Asia spoke to her mother on the phone at 8:40pm about her upcoming trip to Colorado. That phone call was the last time anyone has heard from her, and she was reported missing after she never boarded the bus to Denver as planned.

Asia’s roommate told police that nothing seemed amiss when she left their apartment on the evening of her disappearance. Even though the circumstances of her disappearance seem rather suspicious, authorities stated that they believe it’s possible Asia left on her own accord. Her family disagrees; they do not believe she would have abandoned her sick mother. Unfortunately, Asia’s mother has passed away since her disappearance, but her father is still alive and is hoping for answers in his daughter’s case. If you have any information that could help Asia’s family, please contact that Hattiesburg Police Department at (601) 545-4910.

The Disappearance of Sophie Reeder

Sophie Reeder vanished at the age of 15 on May 19th, 2017. She left her residence in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that evening and never returned home. Surveillance cameras captured her walking past local businesses on West Davie Boulevard around 10pm. Sophie was never seen or heard from again after that.

Sophie has been classified as a runaway; however, the authorities worry she may have been a victim of human trafficking or an online predator. She had run away once before but was only gone for a day. This time around, Sophie left behind all of her belongings and there has not been any activity on her mobile devices since the day she disappeared. Investigators were able to search Sophie’s computer after she vanished; it was there that they found evidence that she may have fallen victim to human traffickers or an online predator. However, investigators have not elaborated on said evidence and there are very few other details on what exactly they found on her computer.

A search throughout the areas where Sophie was last seen turned up no sign of her. Police are still investigating the case and are looking for leads. If you have any information that could lead to Sophie’s whereabouts, please contact the Fort Lauderdale police at 954-828-5700.

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Lists including Sophie's case:

[Missing Person Cold Cases Classified as Runaways]

[Tragic Cases of Suspected Trafficking]

[Unsolved Mysteries with Surveillance Footage Vol. II]

The Disappearance of Brittney Wood

Brittney Wood vanished at the age of 19 on May 30th, 2012. The young mother was last seen that day in Mobile, Alabama. Brittney told her loved ones she was going to visit her uncle, Donald Paul Holland Sr., in the Styx River area. She reportedly got a ride from him, and was seen getting into his vehicle around 7:30pm. Brittney never returned home and has never been seen or heard from again. Her parents reported her missing days later, on June 2nd, 2012. 

Once news about Brittney’s disappearance began to spread, it was soon revealed that the person she was last seen with, her uncle Donald, had died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound on June 1st, 2012--a day after Brittney was last seen. Officials found Donald’s body inside his truck, and they found Brittney’s cell phone battery inside the vehicle as well. This inevitably made many people suspicious towards Donald, especially because he was being investigated for possible sex crimes shortly before his death. In fact, multiple members of Brittney’s family were being investigated for various sex crimes including rape, incest, sodomy and production of child pornography. Authorities believe that Brittney had been a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her family members, and they planned to question her--but she disappeared before they could.

News of Brittney’s disappearance unraveled a huge family secret. In the months that followed, several members of Brittney’s family were arrested and charged with various sex crimes. The charges are as follows:

• Dustin ‘Dusty’ Kent (Brittney’s uncle): charged with first-degree sodomy, second-degree rape, second-degree incest and production of obscene matter of a person under 17. 
• Randall ‘Scott’ Wood (Brittney’s uncle): charged with second-degree sex abuse, sodomy, incest, and enticing a child into a building or dwelling.
• Derek Wood (Brittney’s brother): charged with second-degree rape and sodomy
• Donald ‘Paul’ Holland Jr. (Brittney’s step-cousin): charged with second-degree sex abuse, rape, and incest.
• William ‘Billy’ Brownlee (family friend): charged with second degree sodomy and sex abuse, and first degree sex abuse of a child younger than 12.
• Wendy Wood Holland (Brittney’s aunt): charged with endangering the welfare of a child, first-degree sodomy, sexual torture, and sex abuse. 
• Chessie Wood (Brittney’s mother): charged with sodomy and sex abuse.
• Mendy Wood Kent (Brittney’s aunt): charged with second-degree sodomy and sex abuse of a child younger than 12.
• Nelton Morgan (family friend): charged with first-degree rape and sex abuse of a child younger than 12.
• James Cumbaa (Brittney’s uncle): charged with first-degree rape, sodomy, and sex abuse of a child younger than 12.
• Jennifer Moore (family friend): charged with second-degree sexual abuse and production of child pornography. 

Many of these people have been convicted for their crimes, with others are still awaiting legal proceedings. At one of the trials, a young female relative of Wendy Wood Holland testified that the family began making her participate in group sexual activities when she was still in diapers. It is believed that Brittney and many of her other family members were involved in a similar situation as well.

Brittney remains missing today. The Mobile Police Department is investigating. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please contact 251-208-7211.

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[Cases With Dead Suspects]