Ryan Cooper was a 22-year-old Native American father when he was last seen in Rochester, New York, around May 16, 1999. Family lived largely on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation while he was in Rochester; he had a young son and another child expected.

Investigators later linked his disappearance to a violent drug trafficking ring. Federal indictments in March 2011 named several members of that organization, including two of Cooper’s cousins, James Kendrick and Pablo Plaza. Authorities say Kendrick led the gang and that Cooper, also a member, was killed because he knew about the earlier disappearance of Francisco Santos and might cooperate with police.

In May 2014 Plaza pleaded guilty to the murder of Francisco Santos and told investigators he had been present when two others beat Cooper to death. In July 2016 Kendrick was convicted on charges that included the murders of Santos and Cooper. Cooper’s body has never been recovered; authorities believe he was dismembered and his remains discarded near railroad tracks in Rochester.

If anyone knew Ryan or has information about his disappearance or where his remains might be, please share what you remember.