In the summer of 1977, on a stormy evening, 74-year-old Severt Olander Roen vanished from his family's farmhouse in Empire, Michigan. The date was July 30th, and following a disagreement with his brothers, with whom he lived a reclusive life, Severt reportedly walked out of their Bennet Road home. He was said to be intending to hitchhike to Frankfort to visit other relatives. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a gray shirt, a red sweater, dark brown pants, and tan work shoes. Severt, one of five sons of a Norwegian immigrant who had settled in the Empire area in 1892, was part of a family that was well-known in the community. His father had been a lumber stacker, a saloon owner, and eventually a farmer of a 133-acre property. While two of his brothers married and moved away, Severt and two others remained on the farm, living and working together for many years.
The disappearance of Severt Roen prompted immediate concern and extensive search efforts.
For three months, law enforcement officers, community members, and even the local Boy Scout troop scoured the surrounding countryside in hopes of finding any trace of the elderly man. The search was fueled by local interest in the well-known, yet private, Roen family. A family friend, who was also a self-proclaimed psychic, suggested that Severt's body might be in a cistern on the farm, but a search of the underground water tank revealed it to be completely dry and empty. Despite the intensive searches and the community's engagement, no sign of Severt was ever found, and the mystery of his disappearance deepened.
The unresolved case of Severt Roen has lingered in the small Michigan community for decades, becoming a piece of local lore and the subject of much speculation. Theories about his fate have ranged from the idea that he may have been senile and simply wandered off, to more sinister possibilities involving his brothers. Some have speculated that his brothers may have been involved in his disappearance, suggesting his body could be hidden somewhere on the vast family farm, perhaps in a garden bed or a never-used septic field. The story of the reclusive brothers and the mysterious disappearance of one of them even garnered wider attention when it was featured on the television show, “Michigan's Unsolved Mysteries.” To this day, the case officially remains open, a poignant and enduring mystery for Leelanau County and a somber chapter in the history of the Roen family.Last Seen: Jul 30, 1977
