In the autumn of 1982, a sense of unease settled over the community of Coos Bay, Oregon, with the disappearance of 34-year-old William Jack Starke. He was last seen on October 1st of that year. Reports from the time indicate that he had been expected to return to his home on the evening of September 30th, and when he failed to appear, he was reported missing the following day.
At the time he vanished, Starke was described as being six feet tall, weighing approximately 175 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He wore eyeglasses and had a noticeable U-shaped scar, about five to six inches long, on his forehead. When last seen, he was wearing Levi's jeans and a tan plaid shirt.
Starke's disappearance is inextricably linked to his vehicle, a distinctive 1974 International Scout with a tan body and a white roof. The Oregon license plate on the Scout was HHL314. One detail that stood out was that the vehicle's blue tailgate bore the words 'Blue Ranger - Channel 17'. Neither Starke nor his International Scout has ever been located, deepening the mystery of what happened that early autumn day. The initial investigation into his disappearance yielded no significant leads, and the case quickly grew cold.
Over the decades, the case of William Jack Starke has remained suspended in time, a quiet but persistent question mark in Coos County. The lack of new evidence or developments has left his family and investigators with few answers. The passage of time has transformed his case from an active search to a cold case, a story of a man who, along with his vehicle, seemingly vanished without a trace from the Oregon coast. The circumstances surrounding his failure to return home that September evening, and what transpired on October 1, 1982, remain entirely unknown, leaving a void in the lives of those who knew him and a lingering sense of unresolved loss in the community.Last Seen: Oct 1, 1982
