Benjamin J. Wilberding, 21, disappeared from his parents’ rural home on County Road CC in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. The last known contact was a phone call to his sister on the morning of May 24, 1996. Witnesses reported seeing him leave the residence in a maroon car with two other people, heading toward U.S. Highway 8. He was 5 feet 10 inches, about 170 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, last seen in a t-shirt and blue jeans.

Two days before his disappearance Ben had begun a summer job at Hurd Millwork Company in Merrill but never returned to collect his final paycheck. His own vehicle remained at his parents’ property. Weeks later his driver’s license and Social Security card were found in the possession of another individual; investigators examined that person but found no evidence tying him to a crime. Ben’s Social Security number has not been used since he vanished.

Investigators do not believe Ben chose to walk away. He had moved back home to spend more time with his mother, who was ill. Multiple searches of the family property and surrounding area produced no leads. Both parents have since died and the family home has been torn down, but the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department still lists the case as active.

Did anyone in the Tomahawk or Merrill area see Ben on or after May 24, 1996, or recall the maroon car noted that morning?