Left and Center: Robert circa, 1990
Right: Age Progressed to age 40
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: July 6, 1990
Missing From: Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date Of Birth: October 27, 1974
Age: 15 years old
Height and Weight: 5’9″ and 180 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Male, Brown hair, Brown eyes, Robert was known to have emotional and behavioral problems at the time of his 1990 disappearance, he has a small scar on the middle of his forehead and scars on the last two toes of his right foot, he also has brown discolorations on his right arm and on top of his right hand due to burns he sustained as a child, he might be wearing glasses with silver frames and tinted lenses, his nicknames are “Bobby” and “Robb”, his name might be spelled as “Robert Pillsen Thomas Rahier”
NCMEC Number: 741528
Details of Disappearance
Robert was last seen in Colorado Springs, Colorado on July 6th 1990. He was last seen at approximately 8:45 am in the area of the 13500 block of south 8th Street. He was never seen or heard from again afterwards. Earlier in the morning, he called his mother and hinted something was wrong but couldn’t elaborate on why because the calls were monitored.
Robert had been staying at the Cheyenne Mesa. The Cheyenne Mesa was a facility which helped adolescents with psychiatric and behavioral problems. Robert was traumatized after witnessing the suicide of his stepfather when he was 7 years old in the 1980s.
His mother immediately called the facility and asked to have a visitation with her son. She was told, however, that Robert had gone on an outing. She was informed by an employee later that day that Robert had runaway from the facility.
All of his belongings were returned to his mother after his disappearance. The facility even told her that Robert was wearing a blue plaid shirt and black trousers. These were among the items she was given. It’s unknown what Robert was actually wearing on the day of his disappearance. She also said that Robert brought two pairs of shoes to Cheyenne Mesa and both were returned to her. He might have been barefoot at the time of his disappearance.
This would’ve been unusual since he had sensitive feet and didn’t like to go anywhere without his shoes. Robert was only at the facility since late June. He previously spent several months at the facility prior to his disappearance.
His mother has been suspicious of the facility since her sons disappearance. A week before he went missing, Robert went on a home visit for the weekend. When his mother was washing his cloths, she found blood on his underwear. She believes her son might have been sexually abused at the facility. She believes this might have been what he wanted to tell her on the day of his disappearance.
Investigators have been unable to draw any conclusions from his case. There’s no evidence that Robert ran away. He had a close relationship with his mother in 1990 and he would’ve contacted his loved ones by now. He also has no history of running away. There’s also no evidence he met with foul play either.
Roberts case might be classified as an endangered runaway with some agencies. It’s since been reclassified as endangered/physical missing. Cheyenne Mesa closed in 1997 due to financial troubles. His mother lives in Kansas. Roberts disappearance remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Colorado Springs Police Department 719-444-7000
Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children