In the autumn of 2008, 33-year-old David B. Appel disappeared from his home in Westlake, Ohio, leaving behind a life and a family who would soon begin a long and painful search for answers. The last confirmed sighting of David was on or around the first of October. At the time he went missing, he was described as a white male with brown hair and blue eyes, standing 5'10' and weighing approximately 175 pounds. He wore a mustache and a beard. Concerns for his well-being were heightened by the fact that he may have been in need of medication for an unspecified condition. The initial phase of his disappearance was marked by a lack of information, a quiet expanse of time where his whereabouts were completely unknown to those who cared for him.
The first significant development in the case came from over 1,500 miles away. David's red 1996 Honda Civic Del Sol was discovered abandoned in Taos, New Mexico.
This discovery shifted the focus of the investigation from Ohio to the vast landscapes of the Southwest. It was learned that his family, concerned after he stopped using the money they were sending him, had hired a private investigator. The investigator had managed to trace some of David's movements, placing him at Mount Rushmore on November 10, before his trail led to Taos, where he was known to have purchased bleach and ammonia on November 20. These items were later found inside his deserted vehicle.
The scene where the car was found in Garcï a Park, near Taos, offered a somber and troubling glimpse into David's state of mind. Investigators found garden hoses that had been taped to the car's tailpipe and run into the passenger-side window, suggesting a possible attempt by David to take his own life. Authorities believed the vehicle had likely been sitting in that remote spot throughout the winter. The prevailing theory among law enforcement was that David may have driven to the park with the intention of harming himself. It is thought that after a potentially unsuccessful attempt, he may have left his car, which was out of gas, and started walking into the surrounding wilderness of the Garcï a Park area. The case of David Appel remains an open and unresolved tragedy, a story that began with a quiet departure from an Ohio home and led to a lonely scene in the mountains of New Mexico, leaving a family without answers and a community with a lingering sense of loss.Last Seen: Oct 1, 2008
