Paul Gordon Love was 22 and a World War II veteran attending the University of Illinois branch in Galesburg when he vanished after a short trip downtown on October 2, 1947. He went into a music store to buy a record, asked the clerk to hold it when the check couldn’t be cashed, then left with his roommate for the bus stop. Love suddenly decided to return downtown alone and said he would skip afternoon classes; he was never seen again by friends or family.

He left behind all his clothing and a bank account with $1,400 that was never touched. A $20 check from his mother that he had with him was also never cashed. Friends described unusual behavior beforehand, mentioning battle fatigue and a desire to go to a place he called Hill 606, though his service records show no combat.

Investigators followed several leads: a motorist reported picking up a hitchhiker fitting Love’s description on October 8 who said he was bound for Hollywood, and a witness later reported seeing a man beaten and forced into a car near Lake Storey; searches found nothing. Bones found near Wataga in 1953 were excluded by dental comparison. Does anyone remember seeing Paul or that record store in downtown Galesburg in early October 1947?