On a summer morning in 1999, Dr. Xu Wang, a respected 39-year-old physician, left her home in Darien, Illinois, for her shift at the Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora. It was August 10th, and she was reportedly dressed in her medical scrubs. However, she never arrived at the hospital, and a profound and enduring mystery began. Her family, including her two young sons and her husband, who was also a doctor but disabled with Parkinson's Disease, were left with an agonizing silence. Dr. Wang, a native of China who had moved to the United States in 1989, was known to sometimes spell her first name as 'Sue.' Those who knew her were left to wonder what could have happened to the dedicated doctor and mother.
The investigation into Xu Wang's disappearance began swiftly after her husband reported her missing on August 11th. Within hours, a significant clue was discovered: her red 1994 Toyota Camry was found abandoned on a gravel parking strip near the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, roughly five miles from her home. Inside the locked vehicle was her backpack, which contained her credit cards, but there was no sign of Xu Wang herself. The search intensified, and less than a week later, another piece of evidence surfaced. Her pager was found in the weeds off Cass Avenue near Interstate 55, about a mile north of where her car had been located. The pager was still turned on, but unfortunately, it provided no substantial clues to her whereabouts.
As the days turned into weeks, and weeks into years, the case grew colder, leaving more questions than answers. While her husband told police that their marriage was a happy one, friends of Xu Wang reported that the couple had been planning to divorce. This conflicting information led investigators to consider her husband a suspect in her disappearance, though he has consistently maintained his innocence and expressed his belief that she would not have willingly abandoned her family. Over the years, the case has remained open, a persistent and sorrowful puzzle for law enforcement and all who knew Dr. Wang. The discovery of human remains in the vicinity on a few occasions brought moments of dreadful anticipation, but none were identified as belonging to her. The disappearance of Xu Wang is a somber case of a woman who vanished on her way to a life-saving profession, leaving behind a family and a community to grapple with the unknown. Her case stands as a testament to the enduring pain and uncertainty that surrounds a missing loved one.
Last Seen: Aug 10, 1999
