Ludger R. Belanger was 25 when he disappeared from Washington, Maine, on November 25, 1975. A young husband and father of three daughters, he had gone hunting that morning with his wife, Linda, and his brother. After regrouping, Ludger chose to continue deer hunting and was dropped off along Route 105 about 9:00 a.m., carrying a .30-30 rifle and saying he expected to be home in about an hour.

Investigators say he shot a deer, dragged it to the road, and was picked up by someone in a motor vehicle. Later reporting places him only about a half-mile from home when he set out alone. Suspicion focused on two men in an old Buick; one reportedly died within a year and the other, named in one account as Danny Collins Jr., was said to have confessed to a friend in 1977 that Ludger was shot in the car. Authorities examined a vehicle whose interior had been washed and whose rear seat was missing; no arrest has been reported and Ludger’s remains have not been found.

Anyone who was in the Washington, Maine, area on November 25, 1975, or who has information about an old Buick, a missing rear seat, or contacts with the men named in reports is asked to come forward.