Howard Shizue Takanaka Jr. was 26 and living in Superior, Wisconsin when he vanished in January 1984. Records give only an uncertain last-seen date that month; investigators and family were told he may have planned to leave the state to seek work. He had served four years in the US Army with the 25th Infantry Division and was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii before an honorable discharge.

Howard is described as an Asian male with brown hair and hazel eyes, standing between 5 feet 9 inches and 6 feet 0 inches and weighing 125 to 140 pounds. He had a tattoo on his left forearm; the design is not widely documented. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office handled the investigation, but few concrete leads emerged. A man with a nearly identical name was located in Hawaii and ruled out.

Did anyone in Superior or Hawaii remember Howard’s plans or where he might have gone after January 1984?