Melchor Tabag, known as Mel, was 41 when he disappeared from Honolulu on March 27, 1999. He had emigrated from the Philippines in 1986 and supported his family while working multiple jobs, including as a Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman. That morning he phoned his boss to say they would meet at a restaurant but never arrived and was not heard from again.

Investigators focused on customer Michael Robert Lawrence after testimony from Lawrence’s mother placed Tabag on the floor, bleeding, with Lawrence standing over him holding a hammer. Although no body was recovered, Tabag’s DNA was found on a bone saw owned by Lawrence, and Lawrence was driving Tabag’s car when arrested. Lawrence was charged with second-degree murder, later admitted to killing Tabag at a 2002 bench trial, and was found not guilty by reason of insanity due to paranoid schizophrenia; he was committed to the Hawaii State Hospital.

Tabag’s family remembers him as a devoted provider; the absence of his remains leaves unanswered questions about his final moments and where he was laid to rest. If anyone knew Mel, his habits, or saw him in Honolulu in March 1999, please share what you remember.