Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP149907)
Joseph Anthony Hale, 23, was reported missing from Redding, California, on March 20, 1998. His case is listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System which documents the core identifiers and investigative history for long-term missing adults in the United States. The investigating agency of record is the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the NamUs entry, deputies responded to a report of a small vessel turning in tight circles without anyone at the helm. When law enforcement arrived, the vessel was still circling, and no one was aboard. Hale’s wife told authorities he had dropped her and their child off before returning to fish, asking her to pick him up around 6:00 p.m. Items identified as his, including a hat, were recovered from the water. The scene and timeline—paired with the discovery of personal effects on the lake—formed the basis of the initial search and subsequent long-term missing-person classification in the NamUs database.
Hale is described in NamUs as a white male who was 23 at the time he went missing from Redding, in Shasta County. Distinguishing characteristics documented for identification include multiple tattoos: a caveman on the left forearm; a large cross with a female figure on the upper left arm; a burning cross on the right forearm; a skull with a Chinese symbol on the upper right arm; and a marijuana leaf on the right thigh. Such feature details are the kind of identifiers NamUs catalogs to aid comparison with unidentified remains and to solicit recognition from the public.
Jurisdictionally, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office oversees boating safety and search operations on Lake Shasta and surrounding waterways—areas closely tied to Redding—highlighting why that agency remains the custodian of records for this case. Their Boating Safety Unit is based at Bridge Bay Resort on Lake Shasta and conducts patrols, rescues, and accident investigations, providing context for the multi-agency response typical in water-related disappearances.
NamUs serves as the central clearinghouse for cases like Hale’s, supporting families and investigators by hosting verified case files, facilitating cross-checks against unidentified remains, and providing forensic resources. Its public database sustains awareness decades after the last known contact, keeping essential biographical details, circumstances, and distinguishing features available in hopes of generating leads that can bring answers to loved ones.Last Seen: Mar 20, 1998
