In November 2006, 19-year-old Jesse Warren Ross, a sophomore at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, traveled to Chicago to participate in a model United Nations conference. He was a communications major and a popular on-air personality at a Kansas City radio station, known by the nickname 'Opie.' The conference, held at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, brought together over 1,000 students from across the country. Jesse and his fellow UMKC students were staying at the nearby Four Points Sheraton. In the early morning hours of November 21, following a conference dance and other social gatherings, Jesse was seen on surveillance footage leaving the Four Points Sheraton around 12:43 a.m. and arriving at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers at 1:09 a.m. He then attended a late-night, simulated emergency meeting of the model U.N. Security Council.
Around 2:30 a.m., Jesse left the meeting room.
A surveillance camera captured an image of him in the hotel lobby, wearing a white t-shirt, a green warm-up jacket, blue jeans, and black athletic shoes. This would be the last confirmed sighting of him. Jesse never returned to the meeting or his hotel room at the Four Points Sheraton. When it was time for the UMKC group to depart for home later that day, he could not be found. His personal belongings were still in his room, and his cell phone and credit cards have not been used since his disappearance. The faculty sponsor filed a missing person report with the Chicago Police Department that afternoon, but by then, most of the conference attendees had already left the city, limiting the number of potential witnesses.
The investigation into Jesse's disappearance faced immediate challenges. Extensive searches of the area, including the Chicago River which was near the hotel, yielded no clues. Police divers and canine units were deployed, but found no trace of Jesse. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the area but could not find any images of him after he left the Sheraton lobby. It has been theorized that he may have exited through a side door that was not covered by cameras. The fact that many of the student attendees were underage and had been drinking complicated the interview process, as some were reluctant to speak with law enforcement. Over the years, Jesse's family has hired private investigators and continued to keep his case in the public eye, but no significant leads have emerged. The circumstances of his disappearance remain a mystery, with theories ranging from an accidental fall into the river to foul play, though police have stated there is no evidence to support the latter. The case remains an active missing person investigation.Last Seen: Nov 21, 2006
