On March 7, 2011, David Ristovski departed from his home in Los Angeles, California, beginning a journey eastward along Interstate 10. Two days into his trip, on March 9, his white 1996 GMC Safari van ran out of fuel in a remote area near the Arizona and New Mexico state line. That morning, the 32-year-old made a phone call to his fiancée, requesting money for gas. This would be the last time any of his loved ones would hear from him.
Ristovski, a father to an infant son, was described as being 5'9" to 5'11" tall, weighing between 185 and 200 pounds, with brown eyes and a shaved head, and a distinctive one-inch scar above his right eye. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a white t-shirt, black sweatpants, and gray Converse sneakers.
Following the last contact with his fiancée, an investigation into his disappearance was initiated. Authorities located his abandoned vehicle on a back road north of Interstate 10. Search and rescue teams from both the Cochise County Sheriff's Department and the New Mexico State Police were deployed. Investigators were able to follow Ristovski's footprints for sixteen miles as they headed east into New Mexico. The trail eventually went cold at Steins Pass, just outside of Lordsburg, New Mexico, near the railroad tracks adjacent to Interstate 10. A couple of days later, on March 11, there was a reported sighting of Ristovski near the railroad tracks that run along the state border. In the vicinity of this sighting, his wallet containing his identification, his cell phone, and a water bottle were discovered.
The circumstances of David Ristovski's disappearance remain a mystery. At the time he went missing, he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia for three years and did not have his necessary medication with him, which could have left him disoriented. His family noted that while he had left home on a few occasions following his diagnosis, he had never been gone for more than a couple of days. A native of Bosnia and a naturalized American citizen, Ristovski held a degree in business administration and worked as a floor technician. The investigation into his case involves law enforcement from both California and New Mexico, but to this day, his whereabouts are unknown and his case remains an unresolved and deeply concerning missing person investigation.Last Seen: Mar 9, 2011
