The Vanished Podcast

This episode originally aired on June 28, 2021. 41-year-old Ian Eckles was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and spending time in the wilderness. So when he planned a weekend hunting trip near Liberty, Washington, with a friend, it seemed like nothing out of the ordinary. But when his friend arrived at their meeting spot deep in the national forest, Ian was nowhere to be found. There was no sign of him, his vehicle, or his gear.

What began as a missing person case quickly evolved into something far more complex. Ian’s family, friends, and law enforcement have been searching for answers since May 2020. They haven’t found Ian, but what they have uncovered since his disappearance is more shocking than anyone expected.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form: http://www.thevanishedpodcast.com/case-submission/.

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On July 11, 2024, 42-year-old John Brent McGhee disappeared from Leachville, Arkansas. Brent was last seen by his mother when she dropped him off at his cousin’s house. A short time later, he left on foot, reportedly to look for his wife. According to eyewitness accounts, Brent made it to the home of his wife’s best friend, but he was not allowed inside.

Brent did not have a cell phone with him at the time, which meant there was no way for anyone to contact him, and he left no digital trail to follow.

Brent was very close with his mother, and it was unlike him to go so long without reaching out. Days passed, then over a week. Brent’s mother knew something was wrong. On July 22, she walked into the Leachville Police Department and reported him missing.

What followed was a wave of rumors. Some stories suggested Brent had met a horrible fate. But was there any truth to these rumors, or was it all just small-town lore?

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of John Brent McGhee, please contact the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office at 870-658-2242 or Crimestoppers at 844-910-STOP.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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On the night of October 1, 1976, just one week after celebrating his 21st birthday, Jimmy Don Robinson vanished from Elmore City, Oklahoma. Though he no longer lived at the family home, Jimmy stopped by around midnight. His mother had just returned from a late shift and was preparing dinner. Jimmy chatted briefly with his family, and during that time, they noticed an unfamiliar man sitting in the passenger seat of Jimmy's car. Jimmy didn’t say who the man was, only that he was giving him a ride and would be back in about 30 minutes. Jimmy was never seen or heard from again.

Now, nearly 49 years later, Jimmy’s loved ones are still searching for answers about that night.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Jimmy Don Robinson, please contact the Garvin County Sheriff's Office at (405) 238-7591 or Garvin County Crimestoppers at 1-855-211-STOP.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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Last week, we brought you Part 1 of Larry Riegel’s story. You learned about Larry’s life, career, and sudden disappearance from Yakima, Washington, around Christmas in 2009. On Christmas morning, Larry spoke with his mother, and around 4 PM that afternoon, he had a conversation with his son, Brian. But when Brian called back later that evening, Larry didn’t answer. Larry had planned to visit his family the day after Christmas, but when he failed to show up for their annual holiday gathering on the evening of December 26, they knew something was wrong. Larry would never have missed the family celebration, especially without letting them know. 

At the time, Larry was living with his girlfriend, Ladena. Family members contacted Ladena to inquire about Larry, but they were met with a series of contradictory, shifting stories. Ladena claimed Larry had left for the coast, even though Larry hated traveling there. This was another red flag for Larry's family.

Determined to find answers, Larry’s sister, Susan, went directly to Ladena. Susan was met with a confusing mix of bizarre and inconsistent tales that didn’t seem to lead anywhere. Susan couldn’t make sense of it at the time, but over the years, some of those details began to take on new meaning.

The family launched their own search, trying to find anyone who had seen or heard from Larry. Despite their efforts, no solid leads emerged. As weeks passed, Larry’s family only felt more desperate. In January, they decided to report Larry missing. However, when one of Larry’s sisters tried to file the report, she was told she couldn’t report Larry missing. Larry's sisters were shocked to learn that on January 5, many days after Larry’s Christmas disappearance, Ladena had gone to the police, claiming that Larry returned to their home and assaulted her on January 4. That accusation dramatically altered the perception of Larry’s character and disappearance. Authorities believed he was on the run. To those who knew Larry best, none of this added up.

Years later, frustrated by the lack of progress and the mounting inconsistencies, Larry’s family demanded a meeting with the police chief. That meeting marked a pivotal moment in the case. A new investigator, Nolan Wentz, was assigned to take a fresh look at the evidence.

For years, it seemed like Larry’s case had been left to gather dust, forgotten and cold. But now, with a new investigator on the case, there was hope that the truth would finally be uncovered. With fresh eyes and new determination, what was once a dead-end investigation started showing signs of life.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Larry Riegel, please contact the Yakima Police Department at (509) 575-6200 or the Yakima County Crime Stoppers at (800) 248-TIPS.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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It was Christmas 2009 when 57-year-old Lawrence Riegel vanished from Yakima, Washington. Larry had plans to visit his family the day after Christmas, but he never showed up, which was completely out of character for Larry. He was known for always arriving with his famous peach pie in hand. At the time, Larry was living with his girlfriend, Ladena, who told the family that Larry had left town and headed for the coast. That explanation didn’t sit right with his loved ones. Larry didn't like traveling to the coast and would never have missed Christmas, especially without calling to let his family know.

Ladena later said that Larry returned in early January, and the two got into a physical altercation. Larry supposedly walked out and was never seen or heard from again. This new story raised even more questions. No one else has reported seeing or hearing from Larry since Christmas Day. Though Ladena's account has long been viewed with suspicion, Larry’s disappearance remains unsolved more than 15 years later.

Today, Larry's family is pushing for a renewed effort to reexamine his case, hoping to uncover new information that will lead them to Larry.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Larry Riegel, please contact the Yakima Police Department at (509) 575-6200 or the Yakima County Crime Stoppers at (800) 248-TIPS.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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In late February 2023, 37-year-old Nicholas Downey rented a car in Florida to visit his wife in Mississippi. While he made it there safely, the visit was brief, as Nick needed to return to Florida and drop off the rental car. During his drive home, he spoke to his wife one last time. After that call, he vanished without a trace.

Nick's disappearance wasn't immediately noticed until his wife tried to call him again the following morning. Her calls went unanswered. Eventually, someone did pick up, but it wasn't Nick; it was a deputy from the Liberty County Sheriff's Office. The officer explained that Nick's rental car had been found abandoned on a remote property in Liberty County, Florida, and Nick was nowhere to be found. In fact, there wasn't even a footprint left in the sand to follow. 

A K-9 tracking team was brought in to search the area but found nothing: no tracks, no personal belongings, and no signs of a struggle. Even more perplexing, the car was discovered far off any logical route Nick would have taken to return the vehicle. These circumstances have left both his loved ones and investigators searching for answers.

The case has become so puzzling that some law enforcement officials have half-jokingly suggested, though with a hint of discomfort, that the only remaining explanation might be something out of this world. The theory of alien abduction has been mentioned, not out of belief, but from sheer desperation to explain the unexplainable.

Over two years later, what happened to Nick Downey remains a haunting and unsolved mystery.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Nicholas Downey, please contact the Liberty County Sheriff's Office at (850) 643-2235.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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This episode originally aired on April 6, 2020. On the night of September 19, 1984, 17-year-old Sandy Rea was last seen at the Windsor Bowling Alley in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Her cousin, who was working there at the time, had a brief conversation with her. Sandy then made a phone call, though it’s still unclear who she contacted. Sandy mentioned to her cousin that she was heading to a party and invited him to come along. He declined, needing to finish his shift.

Her cousin walked away to go clean a lane and around 8:30PM, when he looked up, he saw Sandy walking out of the bowling alley. This is the last confirmed sighting of Sandy Rea. 

More than 41 years later, Sandy’s family is still waiting for answers.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Sandy Rea, please contact the Shawnee Police Department at 405-273-2121.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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Last week, we shared Part 1 of Joseph “Joe Lupo” Rulli’s story. You learned about his rise in the boxing world at a young age, his battle with Polio that tragically ended his career too soon, and Joe’s eventual rise within the mafia. For a while, things were looking good for Joe, but by April of 1971, a mafia turf war was raging. Several of Joe’s associates, including his partner, had been murdered. Joe was warned that he was next. He was a marked man.

In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, Joe had a tense encounter at his doorstep. FBI agents, along with his older brother, Dennis, an investigator for the New Jersey State Police, offered Joe a way out: become an informant and receive protection. But Joe refused. He wasn’t a rat.

Not long after, Joe hosted a going-away dinner for one of his higher-ups. This event was supposed to mark a new chapter for him. But before the party even started, Joe stepped out for what he claimed was a quick errand, and he never returned. His wife, Cynthia, arrived at the party only to find her husband missing. A wave of panic washed over her. Cynthia had been at home when the FBI had approached Joe, offering him protection. She understood the gravity of the situation and the danger her husband was in.

In the days that followed, Cynthia reported Joe missing. His car was later found riddled with bullets and soaked in blood. It looked like a textbook mafia hit. When Joe’s brother, Dennis, arrived on the scene, he assumed he would find Joe’s body in the trunk, but all he found were Easter baskets filled with melted candy. There was no body. And the blood? It wasn’t Joe’s. It was animal blood.

This discovery turned the case on its head. It was no longer a simple mafia hit. The possibility emerged that Joe had orchestrated his own escape. Had he secretly taken the FBI’s offer to start a new life? Did a family member help him slip away undetected while everyone else partied? Or had Joe been murdered, and someone staged the scene with animal blood?

These questions have haunted Joe’s son for decades. By bringing his father’s story to light, he hopes someone with answers will finally step forward and help solve this decades-old mystery.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Joseph "Joe Lupo" Rulli, please contact the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at (609) 882-2000 ext. 2554 or email [email protected]. You can also reach out to Joe directly at [email protected].

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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On April 20, 1971, 39-year-old Joseph Rulli, also known as Joe Lupo, mysteriously disappeared from Closter, New Jersey. That day, Joe was hosting a party when he stepped out briefly for an errand but never returned, prompting his wife to report him missing. Days later, Joe's car was discovered in Jersey City, riddled with bullet holes and stained with blood. Initially, investigators assumed Joe had been murdered. However, testing revealed a shocking twist: the blood inside the vehicle wasn't human; it was animal blood. This revelation only deepened the mystery: Had Joe staged his own death and disappeared, intentionally leaving behind a gruesome scene to mislead investigators? Or had someone else murdered him?

Joe Lupo had once been a promising boxer, a local hero with a bright future, but an illness altered the course of his life. When he vanished, he left behind a wife and a young son, also named Joe, who has spent decades determined to uncover the truth about his father’s disappearance. As he grew up, he combed through the memories of family members who were adults at the time, sifted through old newspaper articles, and meticulously examined archival materials in search of any clues that might finally shed light on what happened to his father that fateful day in April 1971.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Joseph "Joe Lupo" Rulli, please contact the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at (609) 882-2000 ext. 2554 or email [email protected]. You can also reach out to Joe directly at [email protected].

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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In September 2007, 38-year-old Cynthia Robison left Stockton, California, in the company of a truck driver. The two traveled to Florida, and it’s documented that they were there in early to mid-October. On October 15, Cynthia called her mother, Carolyn, from Connecticut, sounding frantic. She claimed to have witnessed the truck driver shoot someone. Before Carolyn could fully understand what was happening, Cynthia abruptly hung up. Carolyn never heard from her daughter again.

Cynthia’s family was left in a state of confusion and desperation. They didn’t know where she was exactly or where she might be headed. When they reported her missing, they faced significant roadblocks due to jurisdictional issues. Cynthia had lived in California; her disappearance likely occurred thousands of miles away on the opposite coast. The Stockton Police Department in California opened a missing persons case, but jurisdictional challenges have severely limited their ability to conduct a thorough investigation. Nearly eighteen years later, the search for Cynthia continues, with her family and law enforcement still hoping for answers that might finally lead to Cynthia.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Cynthia Robison, please call the Stockton Police Department at (209) 937-8377.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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