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Case Description
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Robert Douglas Sparks, a 45-year-old private pilot and retired Air Force officer, went missing on November 19, 1972, after departing from McAllen, Texas. He had been hired by a man named Lonnie D. Shaw to fly around the lower Rio Grande Valley for a photography trip. The two left McAllen in a 1970 Piper Cherokee aircraft that Sparks had rented for the flight. At around 1:50 PM, Sparks contacted the FAA, stating they were en route to Tampico, Mexico, even though he lacked the required papers to e ...Read More
Last Seen: Nov 19, 1972
Victim Details

Apr 28, 2020

Sep 11, 2023

Robert

Sparks

97

45

70 inches

168 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

Nov 19, 1972

McAllen

Texas

Hidalgo County

No

262

81682

Federal Bureau of Investigation - San Antonio Field Office

San Antonio

Texas

Bexar County

78249

5740 University Heights Boulevard, Texas

2102256741

Federal

Law Enforcement

7-772

Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office

8965

Brown

Brown

Brown

11/25/2025


Area Last Seen: