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Siphat Chau missing person case profile photo

Siphat Chau Missing Person Case

Last seen in Portland, Maine on Dec 23, 2005

Victim Details

Jan 21, 2017

Oct 12, 2023

Siphat

Chau

39

19

69 inches

143 lbs

Asian

Male

Dec 23, 2005

Portland

Maine

Cumberland County

19293

Portland Police Department

Portland

Maine

Cumberland County

04101

Rick Beaumont

Det.

109 Middle Street, Maine

2078748479

Local

Law Enforcement

05-14814

Portland Police Department

Black

Brown

Brown

Oct 14, 2026


Area Last Seen:

Case Description

Any updates on this case? Let us know!
Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP36859) and 12 other sources
Siphat “Phat” Chau was 19 years old when he disappeared from Portland, Maine, during the Christmas holiday in 2005. Public case records list his date of last contact as December 23, 2005, while the reported circumstances describe the final sighting as occurring in the early morning hours of December 24, after midnight. He had been visiting his family for the holidays, and Portland Police say he was last seen at the family residence between about 12:30 and 1:00 a.m. He had gone to sleep or was resting on his parents’ couch, a familiar and ordinary setting that made what followed especially painful for those who loved him. When his family woke later that morning, Siphat was gone.

The details left behind made his disappearance deeply troubling. Siphat’s wallet, car, and car keys were reportedly still at the home, and the available information does not describe him taking the kinds of items a person would usually need if they intended to leave for an extended period. The Charley Project reports that he had been an honors student at the University of Maine at Orono, where he was a business major and attended on a partial scholarship, though he had not enrolled for the spring semester. Those facts leave a picture of a young man whose life was in transition, but they do not explain why he would vanish from his family’s home in the middle of a holiday visit without his belongings.

Siphat is described in public records as an Asian male with black hair and brown eyes. NamUs lists him at about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 143 pounds, while Portland Police and later local reports describe him as approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and around 140 pounds. He had a scar on his chin. He may have been wearing a red sweatshirt or sweater, blue jeans, Timberland boots, a black suede jacket, and a beanie-style hat when he disappeared. These identifying details have remained central to public appeals, because even small memories from that winter morning in Portland could matter to investigators and to the family still waiting for answers.

The case has remained open in public missing-person records for many years. NamUs lists Siphat’s case as MP36859, and the investigating agency is the Portland Police Department in Cumberland County, Maine. Portland Police have continued to share his information with the public, including renewed attention on the anniversary of his disappearance, and local news reported in December 2025 that police were still looking for him 20 years after he was last seen. Anyone with information has been asked to contact Portland Police. In overview, Siphat Chau’s case began as a quiet holiday visit home, turned into a sudden disappearance from his family’s residence in the early hours of Christmas Eve, and remains a painful unanswered chapter centered on a young man who vanished without his wallet, car, or keys, leaving his loved ones and investigators with limited clues and a long search for the truth.
Last Seen: Dec 23, 2005

Links to Additional Sources (12)

See any mistakes? Let us know!
  • Portland Maine Police Department - 19-year-old Siphat Chau has ...
  • Siphat Chau | Portland
  • Siphat Chau - The Charley Project
  • Siphat Chau Missing Since 2005 from Portland
  • Portland Police share information about man who went missing 18 ...
  • 19-year-old Siphat Chau... - Portland Maine Police Department
  • Chau, Siphat Dec 24 2005 - Porchlight International for the Missing ...
  • Siphat Chau 19, Missing Dec. 24, 2005 ME. - From Whispers to Roars
  • 19-year-old Siphat Chau has been missing since the ... - Instagram
  • portland police p Missing Person Siphat Chau - Instagram
  • ME - Siphat Chau - 19 - Portland - 24 Dec 2005 - Websleuths
  • Siphat Chau Missing from: Portland, Maine Last seen - Facebook

    • Possible Unidentified Matches (1)

    Unidentified remains cases whose details are consistent with this person, ranked by how closely they compare. Fields that are unknown in either case are left out of the score.

    75%Possible
    John Doe — New York, New York - unidentified case UP5228
    John Doe — New York, New York
    UP5228 • Found Apr 24, 2008
    View case
    Sex ✓Male
    Age 100%Est. 16–23 vs 19 when missing
    Race 100%Asian
    Location 48%275 mi away
    TimingFound 2 years after last seen
    Height 100%5'9" vs 5'9"
    Weight 100%138 lb vs 143 lb
    Hair 100%Black vs Black

    These comparisons are generated automatically from public NamUs case data and are not confirmed identifications. Only DNA, dental or fingerprint comparison by investigators can confirm an identity. If you believe two cases are connected, contact the agency handling the unidentified case.

    Unidentified photos are blurred because many are post-mortem. Tap a photo to reveal it.

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    Forum Posts (1)

    Has anyone else been following the Siphat Chau case from Portland, Maine? There's something that's... ...Read More
    02/15/2024

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