Roy Jacob Hagel was a 38-year-old traveling salesman from North Dakota who disappeared after a cross-country trip in early 1989. He attended a bowling tournament in Fargo on February 26, 1989, and by March 8 phoned his ex-girlfriend from Kingman, Arizona saying he had driven through nine states in nine days, had only $200, sounded depressed and hinted at suicidal thoughts, and intended to return to Bismarck. That call is the last confirmed contact.

On March 10, 1989, Hagel’s blue Ford Tempo was found abandoned near the Death Valley National Monument in California with his wallet and keys on the front seat. Investigators found a single set of footprints leading away from the car and followed them about six miles before the trail disappeared. A baseball-style cap and a long gun case were discovered along the route. No further definitive evidence proved Hagel left the car or what happened after the tracks ended.

There has been no activity on his financial accounts or Social Security number since his disappearance. Theories range from suicide to an intentional disappearance—noting that his father once vanished and later reappeared—and foul play has been considered without supporting evidence. Does anyone have information about Roy’s travels in late February or early March 1989, or recall sightings in California around that time?