On February 9, 2008, Benjamin “Ben” Roseland was last seen leaving a friend’s house party in his hometown of Clinton, Iowa, to walk to a nearby grocery store for snacks.
The walk would have taken just a few minutes, according to Google Maps. However, Ben never made it to the store and hasn’t been seen again.
His shoes were found some distance away from each other. The first shoe was located in a vacant yard that was about an eight-minute walk from the area where he was last seen.
It was in the opposite direction from the grocery store. The second shoe was in a snowbank on the east side of the street.
Ben’s mother identified the shoes as a pair similar to what Ben had been wearing, but it has not been confirmed whether the shoes belonged to Ben.
At the time of his disappearance, he was 19 years old. He was 5’11” and weighed about 175 pounds. He was wearing a short-sleeved brown polo shirt with two or three buttons, camouflage-print bib coveralls, blue jeans, white socks, and brown camouflage-print sneakers.
A large search took place, including volunteers on foot and helicopters from the air. The Clinton Fire Department searched the nearby Mississippi River by boat, but the conditions of the water prevented them from conducting the search effectively.
When he went missing, Ben was living with his parents in Clinton. He had two sisters and was close with his family. He was a student at Clinton Community College and was paying for classes with the money he had been saving since childhood.
A few months before he went missing, Ben was in a car accident. He suffered multiple skull fractures and other severe injuries. The driver of the other vehicle was seriously injured as well.
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Ben was airlifted to a hospital in Iowa City. He was charged with driving on a suspended license. His accident was described as a DUI, but it’s unclear what substance he was under the influence of.
His case was still pending when he disappeared. Ben’s family stated that he was deeply remorseful over his role in the accident and had spent $5,000 of his own savings to pay for an attorney to represent him. They do not believe he would have fled to escape the charges.
Ben did not own a car, and he had not taken any personal belongings with him. Since his disappearance, there has been no activity on his cell phone or bank account.
He left behind a significant amount of money in his account. He was hoping to use that money for a down payment on a house. It was out of character for him to leave without warning. His case is still unsolved today.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
