Bryan Cole Thorne, a 17-year-old student at Brea Canyon High School, was last seen on January 13, 1998, in Brea, California. Initially, his friends claimed they had dropped him off near his home after a school field trip, but he never made it home. His mother reported him missing the following day. For years, Thorne's parents searched for their son while authorities investigated his disappearance with few leads.
In 2004, a significant breakthrough occurred when five witnesses came forward and admitted they had lied about the events of the night Thorne disappeared. They revealed that Robert Anthony Marquez had murdered Thorne and coerced them into silence with threats. One of the witnesses decided to come forward after learning that Marquez was soon to be released from prison for an unrelated extortion case.
The witnesses recounted a harrowing story of the events that transpired on January 13, 1998.
After a school field trip to watch a taping of the television show "3rd Rock From the Sun," a group of students, including Thorne, went to Marquez's home in Rowland Heights. There, Marquez, who was not a student at Brea Canyon High, invited Thorne to his backyard to smoke marijuana. Without warning, Marquez stabbed Thorne with a military-style knife. It is believed by police that the murder may have been part of a Satanic ritual, as Marquez claimed to be a Satanist.
After the murder, Marquez dismembered Thorne's body, placed the remains in plastic bags, and disposed of them in a dumpster behind a supermarket. Thorne's body has never been recovered. Marquez threatened the other teenagers present, warning them he would kill them if they ever told anyone what had happened. In 2005, Robert Anthony Marquez was convicted of murdering Bryan Thorne and sentenced to 51 years to life in prison. At the time of his disappearance, Thorne was described as a 5'5" white male, weighing 145 pounds with brown hair, and was an avid golfer. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket and blue pants.Last Seen: Jan 13, 1998
