Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP106544)
In the late summer of 2002, a sense of quiet uncertainty began to unfold in the coastal city of Toledo, Oregon, surrounding the disappearance of 29-year-old Regaldo Cantuba. A commercial fisherman by trade, the sea was not just his livelihood but also his home, as he lived aboard his fishing vessel. On the evening of September 3, 2002, under circumstances that remain clouded by the passage of time, Mr. Cantuba was seen for the last time.
His life as a mariner, filled with the rhythms of the tide and the demands of his work, was abruptly paused that night, leaving behind a void of information and a family waiting for answers.
The narrative of that evening is sparse, pieced together from the initial report of his disappearance. At approximately 10:00 PM, Regaldo Cantuba reportedly left the familiar confines of his boat with a simple, everyday purpose: to use a payphone. It was a common act in an era before mobile phones were ubiquitous, a brief shore leave for a man whose life was largely spent at sea. However, this short trip ashore became a journey with no return. He never made it back to his vessel, and the reasons for his failure to do so remain unknown. His absence marked the beginning of a long and painful period of ambiguity for those who knew him.
In the weeks that followed, the Toledo Police Department initiated an investigation into his disappearance. Efforts were made to contact his family, who resided in the Philippines. By early October 2002, investigators had made contact with them, but this communication only deepened the mystery, as his relatives confirmed they had not seen or heard from him. Mr. Cantuba, a man of Asian and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander descent with black hair and brown eyes, had vanished, leaving investigators with few leads. The case is a quiet but poignant reminder of how suddenly a person can disappear, leaving behind only questions. The overview of the case is one of a hardworking fisherman whose last known moments were mundane, yet they marked the beginning of an enduring mystery that has stretched on for years.Last Seen: Sep 3, 2002
