On a Christmas Day in 1970, sixty-year-old Thomas Andrew Roberts, a man known to his friends and family as Tom, vanished from Pinellas County, Florida. His last known location was the St. Petersburg Jail, from which he was released on December 25th. After his release, he was never seen or heard from again. His family, with relatives in both Pinellas and as far away as Sturbridge, Massachusetts, had no knowledge of his whereabouts after that day. The sudden silence from a man who was a father and brother left a void filled with unanswered questions. Roberts was a carpenter by trade, a profession that was evident in his rough hands. Beyond his work, he was a man with a distinct personality, known to enjoy yodeling, reading, and playing cards.
Thomas Andrew Roberts was described as a white male, standing at 5'9" and weighing approximately 190 pounds at the time of his disappearance.
He had sandy brown hair, brown eyes, a ruddy complexion, and several distinguishing features, including a long chin, large ears, and a large nose. He also had red blotches on his forearms and a scar from an appendix surgery. He wore false upper teeth. Prior to his disappearance, he had several encounters with law enforcement, having been arrested by both the St. Petersburg Police and the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. However, records of these incidents seem to have ceased after his disappearance, adding another layer of mystery to his case.
The circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain unclear. After walking out of the St. Petersburg Jail, his trail went cold. There were no known witnesses to what happened to him next, where he might have gone, or who he might have been with. The lack of any official records or contact after December 25, 1970, is a perplexing aspect of his case. Over the years, his case has been listed on missing person databases, including the Doe Network as case number 1418DMFL, in the hopes of generating new leads. Despite these efforts, the fate of Thomas Andrew Roberts remains unknown, leaving his family without closure. The overview of his case is one of an abrupt and puzzling disappearance, a man who, after being released from custody, seemingly vanished without a trace, leaving a decades-long mystery in his wake.Last Seen: Dec 25, 1970
