Mar 18, 2010
Mar 29, 2023
William
Woolheater
67
22
73 inches
74 inches
187 lbs
200 lbs
White / Caucasian
Male
In the cold of late February 1981, a 22-year-old man named William "Willie" Woolheater made a decision that would leave his family with decades of unanswered questions. On February 26, 1981, the young cook departed from his residence in the Albany, New York area, with a hopeful plan. He intended to board a bus bound for the vibrant streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, drawn by the allure of Mardi Gras and the prospect of finding work in his chosen profession. At the time of his departure, William was described as a white male with brown hair and brown eyes, standing between 6'1" and 6'2" tall. He wore glasses and was known to have a distinctive turquoise men's ring. Physical marks included a scar on his left middle finger and facial scars from a previous car accident that had also resulted in a fractured nose and right ankle. A few days after he was thought to have left New York, William made a brief phone call to his mother. During their conversation, she asked if he had made it safely to New Orleans, but he never gave her a direct answer. Tragically, this would be the last time his family would ever hear from him. The investigation that followed was unable to determine where the call was placed from, or even confirm if William had ever boarded the bus to New Orleans in the first place. This lack of information created a painful void for his loved ones, leaving them to wonder about his fate and whereabouts. William had been living with bipolar disorder and was on medication for his condition at the time of his disappearance. His family noted that he might become disoriented without it. Prior to his disappearance, he worked as a cook at The Sign of The Tree restaurant, then located in Albany's Empire State Plaza, and lived with his brother on Western Avenue. The years turned into decades, yet the case of William Woolheater's disappearance has remained unsolved. Law enforcement agencies, including the New York State Police, have kept the case open, periodically issuing bulletins and seeking new leads. Investigators in the initial stages of the inquiry focused on the New Orleans area, checking hospitals and coroner's offices, but found no trace of him. His case was entered into national databases for missing persons and unidentified remains, but no matches have ever been found. The ambiguity of his last known contact and the uncertainty of his travel plans have left a wide range of possibilities, from him falling victim to a crime to potentially starting a new life elsewhere. Despite the passage of time, the hope for answers and a sense of closure for his family endures, a quiet but persistent echo of a young man who vanished on a journey to a new beginning.
Feb 26, 1981
Selkirk
New York
Albany County
12158
8310
New York State Police - Troop G Headquarters
Latham
New York
Albany County
12110
760 Troy Schenectady Rd., New York
5187833211
State
Law Enforcement
92-109
1981-03-10
New York State Police - Troop G Headquarters
Brown
Brown
Brown
10/12/2026
