Marvin Blake Shahan was 25 when he was last seen in El Cajon, California, on November 1, 1969. He was described as 5 feet 9 inches, about 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He wore thick eyeglasses and had a horseshoe-shaped birthmark on his thigh.

The last known contact with family came in either December 1969 or January 1970, when he told his sister he planned to seek work on a boat crew in the Ventura or Santa Barbara Harbor. He never contacted his family again. His sister reported him missing officially in 2003; he had been declared legally dead in 2000, but the case remains open and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office continues to seek leads. It is unclear whether a missing person report was filed at the time of his disappearance.

If anyone knew Marvin, his movements after leaving for the harbor, or has any information that could help explain what happened, please share what you know with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.