On the night of March 7, 2021, 41-year-old Sarm Heslop had dinner with her boyfriend on the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. It was a relaxed evening at a local bar, and afterwards, they took a short dinghy ride back to the 47-foot catamaran they lived on together, and went to bed. But by sunrise, Sarm was gone.

Her phone, wallet and passport were still on the boat, but she was not. And the man who was the last person to see her refused to talk. To this day, Ryan Bane maintains that Sarm must have gone overboard accidentally, but Sarm’s family believes there’s much more to the story, and five years later, they’re still trying to figure out what happened on that boat.

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In 2015, 19-year-old Kately Akens was visiting her family in Spotsylvania, Virginia and celebrating her new nephew. On December 5, she was supposed to board a flight back home to her fiancee in Arizona, but she never made it to the airport.

A suspect quickly emerged in her case, but police were never able to find enough evidence to make an arrest. Then, in April 2026, 10 years after she failed to board that plane, The Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office announced that they had arrested Katelin’s ex-stepfather, James Branton. Though Katelin was named as a victim, the arrest wasn’t related to her disappearance. Despite this, authorities and Katelin’s loved ones hope that they’re one step closer to finally getting the answers they’ve been searching for.

If you have any information on Katelin Akens’s whereabouts, please contact the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office at 540-582-7115.

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This episode was originally released in 2022. Update episode can be found right above this one (Released 5/1/26).

In 2015, 19-year-old Katelin Akens was getting ready to start a new life. The teenager fell in love, and left her small Virginia town to move across the country to Arizona with her fiancee. She was living her life and making changes, but when her sister gave birth to a son that December, Katelin immediately flew home to meet her new nephew. The trip was a short one, only about four days. She had a plane ticket back to Arizona on December 5, but she never made it to the airport. Six years later, Katelin still hasn’t been found, but her family believes they know exactly who knows the full story.

If you have any information on Katelin Akens’s whereabouts, please contact the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office at 540-582-7115.

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On the morning of October 14, 2003, 23-year-old Felipe Santos was heading to work at a concrete and masonry company in North Naples, Florida. He was riding with two of his brothers when his white Ford Tempo collided with another car on Immokalee Road. It was a minor fender-bender, and no one was hurt. What happened next would depend on who you ask. But after that morning, Felipe was never seen again.

Three months later, on January 12, 2004, 27-year-old Terrance Williams kissed his mother goodbye, handed her some gas money, and said, "I'll see you later, momma." He drove his white Cadillac toward North Naples where he was pulled over by a police officer. Terrance was also never seen again.

These two men didn’t know each other. They never met, but their disappearances have been entwined for over two decades, and many people believe that they went missing because they both encountered the same man.

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On the morning of April 15, 2005, a well-respected district attorney in central Pennsylvania took a day off work, climbed into his beloved red Mini Cooper, and called his girlfriend to tell her he was going for a drive. That was the last anyone heard from him.

Ray Gricar had spent twenty years prosecuting murderers and rapists in Centre County, Pennsylvania, and was on the cusp of retirement. What made him leave his house that day, and did he know that he was never coming home? Now, over twenty years later, Ray Gricar remains missing, and the questions just keep multiplying.

A $5,000 reward is being offered by Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers for information that leads to a resolution in his case. If you have any information about the disappearance of Ray Gricar, you can contact Pennsylvania State Police at 814-355-7545, or the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-472-8477.

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Late in the evening of September 13, 2010, 19-year-old Samantha Clarke was dressed in her pajamas and watching TV with her younger brother in their Orange, Virginia home. But after receiving a call, she told her brother she was going out and would be back in the morning. Samantha left her home, and has never been seen again.

Police had few clues to work with, but did zero in on a person of interest almost immediately. However, a lack of evidence made the case go cold. Then, 3 years later, another teenager disappeared just miles away, and police were certain the two crimes were connected. Everything seemed to be falling into place, but now, over 14 years since she was last seen, answers in Samantha’s case remain elusive. A break in her case seems just over the horizon– the question is, who will deliver it?

Anyone with more information on Samantha Clarke’s disappearance is asked to contact the Orange Police Department at (540) 672-1491.

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On Thursday, September 22, 2022, a 25-year-old woman left her apartment building in Salinas, California. She looked like anyone else going to work that morning. But she wasn’t wearing the right clothes, and she wasn’t leaving at the right time. Arelie Garcia never made it to her job that morning.

Later that same day, her car was found more than an hour away, with her phone, keys, and wallet left behind. When police arrived, there was no indication of anything. Not foul play, not self-harm, and not a voluntary disappearance. Just a car that was miles away from where it should have been and a young woman who broke her daily routine. Now, over three years later, her family is still trying to piece together what happened that September morning.

If you know anything about the disappearance of Arelie Garcia, contact the Salinas Police Department and Detective Edwin Cruz at 831-758-7393. Anonymous tips can be made to 831-775-4222.

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Disappearing is something “all boys do at the age of 16.” That’s what police told Valerie Nettles when she discovered her 16-year-old son, Damien, hadn’t come home the night before. The teenager had been at a party with friends on November 2, 1996, but missed his midnight curfew, and couldn’t be found the next day. The Nettles family was frantic, but police treated Damien as a runaway.

This early misstep, one that we see so often in missing persons cases, meant that potential witnesses were missed, evidence was lost, and now, nearly thirty years on, no concrete answers have ever come in Damien’s disappearance. The Nettles family, however, hasn’t given up, and they’re hopeful that someone out there is still willing to do the right thing.

If you have any information about Damien Nettles, you can contact Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary by calling 101 and asking for the Major Investigation Team and referencing Operation Ridgewood. You can provide information anonymously through Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111.

Missing Damien Blog

Missing People UK

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