On a late March evening, 21-year-old Ryan W. Bidstrup was at a friend's house on Blacksmith Drive in the Highland area of Ledyard, Connecticut. He spent several hours there and, at around 8:30 p.m., made a post on his Facebook page, asking friends to 'hit him up.' Just before midnight on March 31, 2011, Ryan left the gathering. He told his friends he was walking a short distance, less than ten minutes, to the Pumpkin Hill Market to meet another friend who was supposed to pick him
up. However, Ryan never made it to the market. The friend who was waiting for him there later confirmed to police that Ryan never arrived. Ryan has not been seen or heard from since that night. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a blue jacket, a hoodie, and sneakers.
The day after he vanished, Ryan had been planning to leave for a trip to Florida. He was reportedly looking forward to the trip, but there is no evidence to suggest he ever made it there. The disappearance was particularly troubling to his family and investigators for several reasons. Ryan was an active user of Facebook and Twitter, but all social media activity ceased after his post on the night he was last seen. He also failed to contact his family, which was out of character, especially his close relationship with one of his three sisters. The lack of communication and the sudden halt in his digital footprint were immediate causes for concern.
The Ledyard Police Department, and later the Connecticut State Police, investigated Ryan's disappearance, but the case quickly grew cold due to a lack of substantial leads. Investigators stated they could not find any reason why he would intentionally go 'off the grid.' Friends who saw him on the night he went missing mentioned that he had been dealing with substance abuse issues. While authorities acknowledged his past troubles with the law, they initially found no evidence to indicate foul play, though it could not be entirely ruled out. The overview of the case is that of a young man on the cusp of a trip, who left a gathering of friends for a short walk to a meeting point and inexplicably vanished. Despite public appeals for information, the circumstances surrounding Ryan Bidstrup's disappearance remain unresolved, leaving a lingering sense of uncertainty for his loved ones.Last Seen: Mar 31, 2011
