Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry, episode 043: Missing and presumed dead.

Alan Cross Corus Radio

June 23, 2025 4:10 pm

Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry, episode 043: Missing and presumed dead.

Before the internet, it was easy to disappear with fake ID, some cash, and leaving the country.

One notable example is the infamous D.B. Cooper. On November 27, 1971, he hijacked Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 during its short journey from Portland, Oregon to Seattle.

Upon landing, he received a ransom of $200,000, and the flight resumed towards Mexico City with a planned refueling stop in Reno, Nevada. Approximately 30 minutes after departing from Seattle, Cooper took the money, strapped on a parachute, and exited the rear of the aircraft.

He has never been found, and his identity remains unknown. The authorities believe he is missing and presumed dead.

Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, head of the powerful union, met with two Mafia associates at the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Detroit on July 30, 1975. He disappeared that day and hasn’t been seen since. Some suggest he was disposed of in an industrial waste incinerator or buried within the concrete of Giants Stadium in New Jersey. He is missing and presumed dead.

And then we have the spectacular case of Maddie McCann. Her parents left her sleeping in their rental apartment in Portugal on the evening of May 3, 2007. When they returned for the night, she was gone and hasn’t been seen since.

These mysteries can also be found in music, with artists disappearing without a trace—not just those who retired and became recluses.

Steve Perry has remained out of the public eye since he left Journey. He is alive but prefers to stay away from fame. Syd Barrett, after experiencing significant effects from LSD use, was dismissed from Pink Floyd and lived a reclusive life until he passed away from cancer in 2006. John Deacon of Queen retired from the music industry following Freddie Mercury’s death and has maintained a low profile since then.

There are musicians who have disappeared under unknown circumstances. One day they were present, and the next day, they were gone. This phenomenon has occurred more frequently than one might think.

This is episode 43 of “Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry.” The next episode in this series is titled “Missing and Presumed Dead.”

Get Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry wherever you get your podcasts. Both Uncharted and The Ongoing History of New Music will be heard back-to-back overnights five days a week on these Corus news stations:

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