Robert Dale Jr., known as Bob, disappeared from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, on the night of May 18, 1996, after attending his employer’s wedding reception with his wife, Kristi. Witnesses saw Bob and Kristi leave the gathering in a van shortly after 11:00 p.m., traveling north on Mackinac Trail toward downtown. Multiple witnesses place him asleep in the passenger seat around 11:15 p.m., but there is no confirmed sighting after that point.

One person later claimed to have seen Bob behind the Downtowner Bar between about 11:30 p.m. and midnight, but that witness withdrew the statement, so investigators cannot establish a reliable timeline that night. He had been heavily intoxicated, carried only a few dollars and no credit cards, and no verified account shows him walking away, entering another vehicle, calling a taxi or hitchhiking. Bob was described as about 5 feet 7 inches, 165–170 pounds, with short dark hair, brown eyes, a mustache, dimples and wearing a bright yellow polo shirt, black slacks or jeans and deck-style shoes.

A devoted father of three and a carpenter who enjoyed hunting, fishing and time at the family cabin, Bob’s disappearance was completely out of character, and his family rejects the idea he left voluntarily. The Sault Ste. Marie Police Department continues to investigate. If anyone was at the reception or downtown that night and remembers seeing Bob or anything unusual, please share what can help fill the gap in his timeline.