Mitchell Adolfo Zepedo, 24, disappeared after setting out from Lyons, Illinois, on September 17, 1997. He was headed to Traverse City, Michigan, as the first leg of a planned trip that would eventually take him to Mexico to see his wife and son, but he never returned and family reported him missing on October 2, 1997.

On October 30, 1997, his car was found abandoned in nearby Berwyn, Illinois; that recovery produced no immediate clues. In September 2002 investigators followed a tip that his body might be buried in the basement or yard of an apartment building in Cicero where he had lived, and a search and dig at the property turned up nothing. He is described as Hispanic, black hair, brown eyes, about 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 11 inches, 160 to 180 pounds, and may have used the alias Rene Rivas. The Lyons Police Department lists the case as open and unsolved.

The key unanswered question remains whether he ever reached Traverse City or what happened after his vehicle was found in Berwyn; anyone with memories of Mitchell, his travel plans, or his time in Cicero is asked to come forward with information.