Ralph Edward Nichols was 18 when he vanished from Plainwell, Michigan. He was last seen on July 17, 1997. Described as tall and slender at 6 feet 3 inches and about 140 pounds, he had brown hair, blue eyes and a scar on his left leg. At the time he disappeared he was reportedly wearing blue jeans, a black and red t-shirt and carrying a Walkman with headphones.

Details about the day he went missing are sparse. The Allegan County Sheriff’s Office is the primary agency handling the case and it remains open. People who knew him described him as a bit of a loner who sometimes wandered town late at night and suggested his home life may have been difficult. An obituary for a man with a similar name mentioned a son Ralph had preceded him in death, but it is not clear whether that refers to this missing man.

If anyone in or around Plainwell in July 1997 remembers Ralph, his habits, or where he might have gone that day, please share information with the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office.