Ben Wilberding was 21 and living in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, when he was last seen on May 24, 1996. That morning he left his parents’ rural home in a maroon vehicle with two other occupants after a phone call to his sister; that call was the last confirmed contact anyone had with him. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt.

Ben had just started a seasonal job at Hurd Millwork Company in Merrill but never picked up his first paycheck. His own car was left behind, and he has not used his Social Security number or renewed his driver’s license since 1996. Shortly after he disappeared police recovered his driver’s license and Social Security card in another person’s possession, but no direct connection to his disappearance was established.

Searches and investigations produced little evidence about where he might have gone or whether foul play was involved. Does anyone who knew Ben or who was in the Tomahawk–Merrill area on May 24, 1996, have information that could help explain what happened?