John Michael Boutin was 24 years old when he disappeared from Rawlins, Wyoming, in January 1983. Public records identify him as a White male with brown hair and brown eyes, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 160 pounds. He wore eyeglasses and had several distinguishing marks, including a tattoo of the name “John” on his upper left arm, a cross-shaped scar on his upper left arm, cigarette-burn scars on his forearm, and a scar under his left eye.
He was reportedly associated with a dark navy blue ski jacket and a large turquoise and silver ring, which he was known to wear.
The available public timeline is not perfectly consistent. NamUs lists John’s missing person case as MP32303 and describes his date of last contact as January 13, 1983, from Rawlins, Wyoming. The Charley Project lists him as missing since January 6, 1983, also from Rawlins. A 2026 Cowboy State Daily report helps explain the discrepancy, stating that John was officially reported missing on January 13, while the original report recorded January 6 as the date he was last seen, though the timing remained unclear.
At the time he vanished, John was enrolled in a state-sponsored welding apprenticeship program and was last connected to Carbon County Welding in Rawlins. The Charley Project reports that he disappeared after his welding class and left all of his belongings behind at his mobile home, which made the situation especially troubling to his relatives. His family said it was out of character for him not to call them, and the absence of contact after he disappeared deepened their concern that he had not left voluntarily.
Later reporting describes John as being close to completing his welding certificate. According to Cowboy State Daily, his family believed from early on that foul play was possible, and authorities eventually treated the case as a suspected homicide. The same report states that John had allegedly raised concerns about misconduct connected to the welding shop and had been documenting troubling claims before he vanished. Those details have contributed to the lingering suspicion surrounding his disappearance, but no public source confirms exactly what happened to him.
John’s case remains unresolved in the public record. The attached case data does not list him as found alive or deceased, and Wyoming’s missing persons page states that people remain listed while they are reported missing through Wyoming law enforcement records. Cowboy State Daily reported in 2026 that the case was still open and that Carbon County authorities continued to want answers for John’s family. After more than four decades, his loved ones are still left with the painful uncertainty of not knowing where he is or what happened to him.Last Seen: Jan 13, 1983
