Joel Amundson was 26 and from Williston, North Dakota, when he disappeared on October 18, 1996, during a bow hunting trip near the Missouri River. He launched a boat in McKenzie County that morning; by noon the boat was found empty on the north side of the river in Williams County, three miles east of the Lewis and Clark Bridge. The bow remained in the boat and there were signs the vessel may have struck an object, possibly a log, but Joel was nowhere to be found.

Authorities note he was a strong swimmer in excellent physical condition but believe he may have fallen from the boat and drowned; his body has never been recovered. His family has held out hope he might still be alive, possibly with amnesia from earlier head injuries. Anyone with information about that October day is asked to come forward.