In the winter of 2017, concern began to grow for David Allen Cole, a man in his mid-60s who had a history of being unhoused and having infrequent contact with his family. The last communication they had with him was in December of that year, through mail that was postmarked from Humboldt County, Nevada. In this correspondence, David mentioned that he was planning to travel to Arizona.
Given his transient lifestyle and struggles with mental health, the initial lack of contact was not entirely out of the ordinary for his family. However, as time stretched on without any further word, the silence became increasingly worrying. The years passed, and the absence of any sign of David weighed heavily on his loved ones.
It wasn't until July of 2024 that a formal missing person report was filed with the Carson City Sheriff's Office. This was prompted by the family receiving more of his mail, again sent from Humboldt County, years after he was last heard from. At the time of his disappearance in 2017, David was 66 years old, described as a white male, standing 6'1' tall and weighing around 160 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes. By the time the official report was made, he would have been 73 years old. The authorities believed he might be in central Nevada, or possibly in Arizona or Texas, given his last stated travel plans. Despite the passage of time, the hope was that renewed public awareness could finally shed some light on his whereabouts. Foul play was not suspected in his disappearance.
The case of David Allen Cole is a poignant example of the challenges faced when a person with a history of housing instability and mental health issues goes missing. His infrequent contact with family created a significant delay between the time he was last heard from and when he was officially reported missing, complicating the investigation from the start. The sparse details—a stated intention to go to Arizona and mail from Humboldt County—provided few leads for law enforcement to follow. The overview of this case highlights the quiet and often slow-unfolding tragedy of a person who, for various reasons, lived on the periphery and whose disappearance went unnoticed for an extended period. It underscores the deep sense of loss and uncertainty for a family left without answers for years.Last Seen: Dec 31, 2017
