Left and Center: Randy circa, 1988
Right: Age Progressed to age 44
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: April 15, 1988
Missing From: Linwood, Leavenworth County, Kansas
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: July 25, 1970
Age: 17 years old
Height and Weight: 6’3″ and 220 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Male, Brown hair, Blue eyes, Randy has a mole on his left ear
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A blue pocket t-shirt, blue Levi’s jeans, white socks, and a pair of white low cut sneakers
NCMEC Number: 721790
Details of Disappearance
Randy was last seen in Linwood, Kansas on April 15th 1988. He left his home at 6:30 pm to go and attend a friends pre-graduation party in a rural area about 5 miles east of his own home. He went to convenience store before he went to the party and purchased candy, soda pop, and gasoline. He then talked to some friends and then went to De Soto to check on the car that he was restoring at the time. He didn’t arrive to the part until between 9:30 pm and 10:00 pm. He drove his mothers gray four door 1985 Dodge sedan with the Kansas license plate number LVJ8721. He was also carrying $50 to $60 in cash at the time.
He was one of 50 to 170 guests at the time. There was evidence that a huge portion of the teenagers that attended the party used alcohol and or drugs. Witnesses told investigators that Randy appeared to be behaving drunk. It’s unclear if he actually consumed any alcohol that night. He also told a friend that he didn’t know what was wrong. Investigators believe it’s possible that Randy left the party at some point between 1:30 am and 2:00 am. It’s possible that he was seen at the party until 2:15 am. No attendees actually saw him leave. Randy never returned home and was never seen or heard from again.
Randy’s parents both reported Randy missing on April 16th. Randy had a 12:30 am curfew that he usually followed and obeyed. They didn’t realize he was missing until 6:00 am or that morning. They were initially concerned that Randy had gotten into some kind of a car accident. They called one of Randy’s friends but she stated that she hadn’t seen him or heard from him. After the police were contacted, they went to the house that the party was held at. The area had been cleaned, however, and no evidence as to his whereabouts was discovered.
Investigators doubt that Randy’s disappearance was voluntary. He wasn’t having any problems at the time of his disappearance and he had no plans of leaving his home. He also left behind his 1966 Dodge Mustang that he was restoring when he went missing. The car he was driving that night was never found.
Investigators believe that Randy might have been abducted and slain on the night of his disappearance, possibly by an active satanic cult. Later in the year of 1988, a man called police and stated that he was abducted by a satanic cult and held against his will in a cave for two weeks. He claimed that he saw a human body that resembled or might have been Randy. Investigators searched the cave that was indicated but they found no remains or any evidence of a crime at the location. They believe the man was under the influence of drugs and hallucinated the whole scenario.
There was once a statement given to police that Randy left the party with a man. The man was allegedly said to have dismembered Randy’s body after he died of a drug overdose. There were also statements which said that a classmate of Randy, Robert Marble, was satanic and community members accused several of his peers of being satanic after Randy’s disappearance. After his disappearance, a classmate of Marbles called police and accused him of showing off a knife in a Walmart parking lot. He allegedly said that “this is what we used to sacrifice Randy”. He claimed that the accusation was made due to his status as an outcast. Investigators are not sure if satanism was linked to Randy’s disappearance.
In 1993, 3 men were arrested on suspicion of abducting and slaying Randy. One of the men was a satanist according to a community member. The arresting officer stated he felt he had a probable cause which linked the men to Randy’s disappearance and presumed death. They were released without charge soon afterwards due to lack of evidence. Investigators stated they were mistaken about their involvement in the case.
A adult acquaintance of Randy found a severed foot on the banks of the Kansas River in March of 1989. He was one of the last people to see Randy before his disappearance. The food turned out not to belong to Randy. He is a very odd person in the case. Randy’s parents both told police that the man drove past their house at 10 miles per hour on the morning that Randy’s disappearance was discovered. The area they lived in was a 55 mile per hour zone. The man has since died. Investigators have not named him as a suspect in the case and it’s unclear if he had any involvement in the case.
In 2018, a long time investigator on Randy’s disappearance, Timothy Dennis, revealed a longtime theory that he had on Randy’s disappearance. He does not believe that Randy was murdered on the night he disappeared as it would have taken an extensive and not likely coverup. He theorizes that Randy got into a car accident and that his vehicle might have plunged into Stranger Creek. The creek was deep enough to conceal a vehicle through all the seasons without being detected. Sonar searches of the creek found a vehicle but it turned out to not be Randy’s car.
Dennis thought that Randy’s vehicle would remain in one place as he assumed the car was too large to fit through the bridge pillars. One day, however, the dive team discovered a stolen vehicle that was seemingly pushed past the pillars due to the creeks current. This has given Dennis hope that Randy’s vehicle is somewhere in the water. He stated that it could be impossible to find the car since it could have gone anywhere in the past 30 years. A diver even said that Randy’s car and his remains could be anywhere between the bridge and St. Louis, Kansas.
Randy’s parents also have considered that creek theory. His mother said that two fisherman searched the creek a few months after her sons disappearance. Searches of the Kansas River have produced no traces of him.
At the time of his disappearance, Randy was described as an entrepreneur and a hard worker. He was described as an excellent student but he did not have any plans of what to do after he graduated High School. He enjoyed the outdoors and liked to fish. He was considering enrolling at trading school when he disappeared. The house that the party was held at has since been destroyed by a fire.
Randy’s disappearance remains unsolved. His parents remain hopeful that they’ll get an answer as to what happened to Randy that night. They still live in the same house they shared with him in 1988. Foul play is possible in his case.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Leavenworth County Sheriffs Office 800-572-7463
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children