In the quiet, early morning hours of February 14, 2012, in Cottage Grove, Oregon, the family of 60-year-old Robert 'Bob' Roy Richardson received a phone call that would mark the beginning of a long and painful mystery. It was Robert himself on the line, speaking to his daughter around 6:30 a.m. His request was unusual; he asked her to pick up his red 2003 Ford Ranger from the top of Gowdyville Road, near milepost 3, a location west of the city.
This phone call was the last time his daughter, or anyone in his family, would ever hear his voice. True to his word, his truck was later found, but Robert was nowhere to be seen. The discovery of the abandoned vehicle only deepened the concern and confusion surrounding his sudden and unexplained absence.
Robert was a man with a distinct appearance, standing between 6 feet and 6 feet 1 inch tall, and weighing between 250 and 300 pounds. He had graying hair, with a balding crown, and wore a gray beard. His hazel eyes were framed by glasses, which he needed for corrective vision. His life experiences were etched onto his body in the form of several scars: one running from the middle of his forehead to the top of his head, another on his left big toe from a lawnmower accident, and others on his back. A tattoo of a dog's paw print with the words 'baby girl' in black ink marked his right calf. These details, while painting a picture of the man his loved ones knew, also became critical identifiers for a person who had seemingly vanished.
The days turned into weeks, and the weeks into years, with no sign of Robert Richardson. The Cottage Grove Police Department opened an investigation, but the trail was cold from the start. The circumstances of his disappearance were perplexing; there were no immediate signs of foul play at the scene where his truck was discovered, and his final phone call, while strange, offered few clues as to his state of mind or his intentions. The case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System ensuring that his information would be available to law enforcement agencies and medical examiners across the country. The overview of the case remains a troubling one: a man in his 60s makes an odd request to his daughter, his vehicle is found abandoned in a rural area, and then he is never heard from again, leaving his family with unanswered questions and a profound sense of loss.Last Seen: Feb 14, 2012
