On the morning of November 8, 2021, 33-year-old Geoffrey Spangler left his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico, telling his mother he was headed for a relaxing few days at a cabin he had rented in Ruidoso, about two hours away. However, he never arrived at his destination. When his mother, Tracie, couldn't reach him, which was unusual, she contacted the resort and learned he had never checked in.
The next day, she reported her son missing, setting in motion an investigation that would uncover a series of puzzling and strange clues. Instead of driving to Ruidoso, it was discovered that Geoffrey had spent a significant portion of his last known day at the nearby White Sands Missile Range. His movements there were described as "erratic"; he was seen leaving and re-entering the base multiple times. He had to contact his insurance company to get a visitor's pass, which he was finally issued around noon, with the stated purpose of visiting the on-base bowling alley.
The timeline of Geoffrey's activities on the missile range only deepens the mystery. While a witness saw his Dodge Avenger at the bowling alley in the afternoon, it was gone when the witness drove by again later. A receipt later found in his car showed he purchased two beers at the bowling alley at approximately 6:15 p.m. It is believed he left the base through the El Paso gate around 7:30 p.m. A short while later, he was seen at a gas station in Oro Grande called the Pit Stop, where he bought a couple of beverages. This was the last confirmed sighting of Geoffrey Spangler. For nearly a month, there was no sign of him or his vehicle. Then, on December 6, 2021, a hiker discovered his 2000 Dodge Avenger abandoned at the base of the Franklin Mountains in Franklin Mountain State Park, just north of El Paso, Texas. The car was found off a rough, less-traveled road, a location that seemed deliberately out of the way.
The discovery of the vehicle brought more questions than answers. Inside the car were many of his personal belongings, including his laptop, cell phone, Nintendo Switch, medications, and clothing. His family and the hiker who found the car noted that it appeared very clean, almost too clean to have been sitting in the desert environment for a month. Despite extensive searches of the rugged terrain in Franklin Mountain State Park by search parties and with cadaver dogs, no trace of Geoffrey has ever been found. The Las Cruces Police Department continues to ask for the public's help for any information regarding his whereabouts. The case remains an active missing person investigation, characterized by a perplexing timeline that led Geoffrey in the opposite direction of his stated plans, a series of unusual stops, and the discovery of his abandoned car in a remote area miles from where he was last seen.Last Seen: Nov 8, 2021
