#26: Weldon Kees
Year of disappearance: 1952
Year of discovery: never found
Weldon Kees, a rising star of American poetry in the early 1950s, disappeared just as his career began blooming. In 1952, his car was found abandoned near the Golden Gate Bridge, but no trace of Kees himself was recovered.

The discovery sparked enduring speculation: Did he leap into the bay, end his life, or vanish intentionally, starting anew in Mexico? Known for his darkly introspective verse, Kees’ mysterious fate mirrors the haunting themes of his work.
