Desmond Joseph Runstedler was 27 when he vanished from rural Alberta in the spring of 1983, most likely May. Originally from Ottawa, he had moved west and was living in a rented farmhouse a few kilometres east of Lougheed with roommates and working at the Lougheed Hotel. He was last seen hitchhiking on Highway 13 just east of Lougheed after attending a wedding dance and spending time at a nearby campground.

At the time he disappeared he was wearing blue jeans, white high-top running shoes and a blue cotton shirt or sweater. He was described as 6 feet 0 inches, about 146 pounds, with brown curly hair, hazel eyes and a scar on his right thumb. All of his personal belongings were left behind in the farmhouse, and no convincing evidence surfaced that he intended to return to his family in Ontario.

His family was not notified until January 10, 1984, when the Lougheed postmistress raised concerns about unclaimed mail; that delay hampered the investigation. The Killam/Forestburg RCMP searched widely and checked phone, banking, immigration, social services and motor vehicle records without finding any trace. The case remains open.

Did anyone in the Lougheed area in May 1983 see Desmond hitchhiking or remember his movements that night?