Robert Ahtonen, 30, walked away from the Newberry Regional Mental Facility in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula during a severe blizzard on January 21, 1980. His aunt had planned to pick him up for a home visit but was delayed by the storm; staff reportedly noticed he was missing about 4:00 p.m. when he failed to appear for medication, and law enforcement was not notified until about 7:30 p.m. Temperatures that night fell to around 11 degrees.

Robert was especially vulnerable: diagnosed with epilepsy, an organic brain disorder, chronic undifferentiated schizophrenia and an intellectual disability that left him functioning at roughly the level of a seven- or eight-year-old. He needed medication to prevent seizures and had difficulty following directions. Descriptions list sandy-brown hair, blue eyes, severely crowded and crooked teeth with a double set of eyeteeth, scars on the little fingers of both hands, a previously fractured left hand and a gold-tone watch. Reports vary on his height and weight.

The prevailing theory is that he likely succumbed to the elements after leaving the facility, but no body has been found and the case remains unsolved. Did anyone in the Newberry area in January 1980 remember seeing Robert or a lone man walking in the storm?