Account
Jan 24, 2026
Jan 24, 2026
Jon
Truscott Haynes
18
18
5'10 inches
140 lbs
White
Male
Haynes moved from San Francisco, California to Boulder, Colorado in late July of 1981 to attend the University of Colorado. He arrived in Colorado on July 22. The next day, he called his father, asked for money and promised to keep in touch. Haynes called a friend on July 24. He was never heard from again. On July 26, a sheriff's deputy saw Haynes's car, a beige two-door 1981 Subaru hatchback with the California license plate number 1CPK205, off a county road in the small town of Nederland, Colorado. The windows were rolled down even though it was raining. Since Haynes was not reported missing until August 10, police had no reason to be suspicious about the vehicle and did not pick it up. A few days later, when the police returned to the scene where it was seen, the vehicle was gone. It has never been seen again and neither has Haynes. On the way from San Francisco to Boulder, Haynes had picked up a hitchhiker, who later told police that Haynes mentioned plans to buy marijuana in Boulder. The hitchhiker is not considered a suspect in Haynes's disappearance, but his information suggests that drugs may have been a factor in his case. Some speculate that Haynes ran afoul of a drug dealer in Boulder and was murdered as a result. Another theory is that Haynes joined a religious cult that was active in the area at the time. No evidence has been found to support any hypothesis, however. Haynes's father petitioned to have his son declared legally dead in Contra Costa, California in June of 1982. The petition was granted in March 1983. Haynes's sister is still looking for him. His Social Security number was thought to have been used in California in the late 1990s, but this turned out to be a clerical error. Some of Haynes's loved ones believe he staged his disappearance for unknown reasons; others say he would have never left his family and probably met with foul play. His case remains unsolved.
Jul 24, 1981
Boulder
Colorado
Boulder
6
Boulder County Sheriff's Office
01/26/2026
