Robert Theodore Thompson, 42, was last seen in Spokane, Washington, on July 14, 1974, while living a transient life that took him between Corvallis, Oregon, and states including Washington, Montana, and Minnesota. He followed seasonal work as a circus hand and restaurant cook. He was a white man with brown hair and blue eyes, about five feet six to five feet eight inches tall and 140 to 150 pounds, with a healed partial amputation of one finger.

On June 27, 1978, badly charred remains of an unidentified man were found in the abandoned Cadillac Apartments, a block or so from where Thompson was last seen. The remains were described as about 5 feet 6 inches tall and showed a healed amputation on the left index finger, a feature investigators and family members later noted as similar to Thompson’s. Fire damage left no usable fingerprints or dental comparisons at the time.

A family member requested exhumation for DNA testing in 2022, and as of early 2025 no results had been publicly confirmed. The disappearance remains unsolved and the family continues to seek answers. Did anyone who knew Robert or saw transients around downtown Spokane in 1974–78 ever notice a man matching his description?