Paul Rehus was 30 years old when he was reported missing in a case now listed by NamUs as Missing Person / NamUs #MP95889. NamUs identifies his date of last contact as September 18, 1973, and lists the missing location as Washington, D.C., District of Columbia. He is described as a White male with brown hair and brown eyes, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 185 pounds. The California Department of Justice also lists him as male, White, with brown hair and brown eyes, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 185 pounds, and born May 16, 1943.
The available accounts describe Paul as having traveled from Los Angeles, California, to Washington, D.C., to visit a friend. According to case information summarized by The Charley Project, Paul sent a letter saying he planned to return home to Los Angeles on September 20, 1973, but when someone went to Los Angeles International Airport to meet him, he never arrived.
The same account states that he has not been heard from since, leaving his family and those who cared about him without answers for more than five decades.
A friend in Washington, D.C., reportedly confirmed that Paul had been there shortly before he vanished and said Paul left for New York City before he was expected to return to Los Angeles. One possibility noted in public case summaries is that he may have gone to New York City to compete in a bodybuilding contest. Paul was a bodybuilder in 1973 and was described as having a very muscular build, a detail that may have made him recognizable to people who saw him during his travels.
Clothing and personal-item descriptions vary slightly by source but are generally consistent. The California Department of Justice lists Paul as last seen wearing a multi-colored shirt and beige pants, and notes that he may have been carrying a briefcase. The Charley Project provides the same clothing description and also says he may have had a briefcase with him. These details are important because they may connect him to sightings during his travel from Washington, D.C., toward New York City or on a planned return route to Los Angeles.
There is a date discrepancy in public records: NamUs lists the date of last contact as September 18, 1973, while the California Department of Justice and The Charley Project list September 8, 1973, as the missing or last-seen date. The narrative details, however, consistently center on Paul’s trip from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., the letter saying he expected to return to Los Angeles on September 20, and the fact that he did not arrive as expected.
The attached case data does not indicate that Paul Rehus has been found alive or located deceased; the case resolution field is blank. Based on the available online sources, his case remains unresolved. The Los Angeles Police Department is listed as the investigating agency, with the California Department of Justice showing LAPD case number 73250492 and a public contact number of 877-275-5273.Last Seen: Sep 18, 1973
