Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP5758)
Timothy Eugene Criss was 19 years old when he was reported missing from Santa Rosa, California, with his case listing October 15, 1996, as the date of last contact. He was a young man at a transitional point in life, described in public case information as preparing to join the Navy in California, but before that next chapter could begin, his travels took him away from home and into a chain of uncertain movements that left his family searching for answers.
Public missing-person records identify him as a White male with brown hair and green eyes, approximately 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall, and weighing between 300 and 320 pounds.
The known account of Timothy’s disappearance begins with a trip out of California. Public case summaries state that he took a bus from California to help his brother, who had been living farther east, move to Las Cruces, New Mexico. While there, Timothy reportedly left his brother a note saying that he was returning to California. That note became one of the last known anchors in the timeline, suggesting that Timothy intended to head back west, though what he actually did afterward remains unclear.
The following day, Timothy contacted his mother, and she wired him money. During that call, he reportedly said he was headed to Mexico for what was described as one last adventure before joining the Navy in California. The statement left investigators and family members with a possible direction of travel, but it did not provide certainty. His brother also told authorities that Timothy was known to be untruthful at times, which complicated efforts to determine whether Timothy truly intended to go to Mexico, whether he was concealing another plan, or whether something happened to him before he could return home or continue south.
As Timothy’s family tried to make sense of his disappearance, they looked beyond California and New Mexico. Public case information states that the family contacted Mexican authorities and were told Timothy was not incarcerated in any border jail. That detail appears to have narrowed at least one possibility, but it did not answer where Timothy had gone, whether he crossed the border, or whether he ever reached the places he had spoken about visiting. His disappearance remained tied to a brief sequence of travel, a note, a phone call, and a plan that may or may not have reflected his true intentions.
Official missing-person listings connected Timothy’s case to NamUs case MP5758, and public listings continued to identify him for years as missing from Santa Rosa, California. The available public information does not provide a detailed account of the recovery circumstances or an exact date when he was located. The investigating agency has reported that Timothy was found deceased, bringing the active missing-person search to a close, though the publicly available record remains limited on how and when that resolution occurred. In overview, Timothy Criss’s case is the story of a 19-year-old man whose last known communications suggested travel between California, New Mexico, and possibly Mexico, leaving his loved ones with years of uncertainty before official reports confirmed that he had been located deceased.Last Seen: Oct 15, 1996
