Account
Sep 06, 2011
Jun 19, 2023
Robert
Linton
100
62
70 inches
170 lbs
180 lbs
White / Caucasian
Male
In the late summer of 1986, Robert Donald Linton, a 62-year-old retired electrical technician from Stockton, California, and his wife, Dagmar, embarked on a long-awaited journey. They planned to spend three months traveling in their RV, with a key destination being the World's Fair in Vancouver, British Columbia. For the first month of their trip, they kept in regular contact with their family. On August 22, 1986, the couple checked their travel trailer into the Naco West campground in Brinnon, Washington, situated on the scenic Hood Canal. After unhitching their trailer, they set off in their gray and white 1982 Dodge Ram pickup truck for what was intended to be a day of sightseeing. This was the last time anyone would report seeing Robert and his wife. The alarm was raised when the couple failed to return to their campsite or make their customary calls to family. A key piece of evidence in their disappearance surfaced when their pickup truck was found abandoned in a parking garage at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Records indicated the truck had been parked there since the very day they were last seen. An examination of the vehicle uncovered disturbing signs of a violent struggle. Investigators found blood and hair inside the truck, with forensic analysis identifying three distinct blood types: one belonging to Robert, one to Dagmar, and a third from an unknown individual. The discovery of this evidence led their family to hold a memorial service in October 1986, accepting the strong possibility that the couple had met with foul play. In the years following their disappearance, a prime suspect emerged in the case: Charles Thurman Sinclair, a man believed to be a serial killer responsible for numerous robberies and murders across several states. The connection to the Lintons was established when it was discovered that their credit cards had been used after they vanished. The signatures on the credit card receipts were matched to Sinclair's handwriting. Furthermore, items purchased with the stolen credit cards were later found in a storage shed belonging to Sinclair. Authorities believe Sinclair killed the Lintons, though he was never formally charged in their case. He was arrested in Alaska in August 1990 on unrelated charges but died in custody in October of that year before he could be extensively questioned about the Linton's disappearance. The case of Robert Linton remains an unresolved and sorrowful mystery. While the investigation pointed strongly towards a violent end at the hands of a known predator, the absence of their remains has left their loved ones without definitive answers. The official investigation, handled by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, continues to classify him as an endangered missing person, a testament to the lingering hope and the profound uncertainty that has shrouded this case for decades.
Aug 22, 1986
Brinnon
Washington
Jefferson County
No
10729
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
Port Hadlock
Washington
Jefferson County
98339
Robert Gebo
Detective
79 Elkins Road, Washington
3603853831
County
Law Enforcement
86-1363
1986-08-22
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
Gray or Partially Gray
Blue
Blue
No
06/21/2026
