MI MI - Robert Ahtonen, 30, Newberry, 21 Jan 1980

Robert Albert Ahtonen
Missing since January 21, 1980 from Newberry, Luce County, Michigan.
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: December 14, 1949
Age at Time of Disappearance: 30 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'8"; 142 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Sandy brown hair; blue eyes.
Marks, Scars: Scars on little fingers of both hands. His left hand is previosly fractured.
Medical Conditions: He is mentally retarded with mild chronic undifferentiated schizophrenia & organic brain disease, he also has epilepsy.
Dentals: Double set of eye teeth extruding outwards.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Ahtonen was a patient at Newberry Regional Mental Facility. He was going to be picked up by his aunt for a home visit. There was a blizzard and she would not pick him up until the storm subsided. When she arrived at the hospital she learned that he had walked away from the hospital during the storm. He has not been seen since.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Marquette County Sheriff's Office 906-225-8435

NCIC Number: M-067112312
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
The Doe Network: Case File 932DMMI


Link:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/932dmmi.html

Robert has been missing for over 31 years now.

The circumstances of this case, involving him leaving the institution during a Blizzard - and the length of time that he has been missing with no word - seem to indicate that he could have died of exposure somewhere near Newberry, Michigan.

There have been no comments or updates to this case since it was posted in 2006. Has anyone heard or seen anything on it?

Bumping this thread up for Robert...

So, I was looking at Robert's Charley Project and NamUs pages and was struck with something quite odd; the heights in both databases are drastically different. On the Charley Project, it says that Robert was anywhere from 5'8"-5'11", whereas NamUs says he was around a mere 4'11"-5'1". And previously, the Doe Network page had him listed as 5'8", but now has him listed as the same as NamUs. How on Earth does the height vary so much from source to source? Assuming that he was in a good mental health facility, surely they would've had up to date medical records.

This is a very, very, sad case,

Most likely, Robert died of exposure to the elements in the snowstorm. But what is really odd is that nobody saw him. Robert probably didn't get very far. What was the care-record like at the facility where Robert was being treated? Some of these facilities are very good, some are average, and some, you wouldn't want anybody staying there because they are so terrible. I wonder if being overworked and understaffed contributed to Robert wandering away from the facility?

This case is eerily similar to the case of Timothy Parry, who had a history of medical conditions, and could not care for himself. He walked away from his home in Utah in July of 1989, and has not been seen since. Tim's case is here:

UT - UT - Timothy Parry, 19, disabled, Cedar City, 17 July 1989

Satch

I'm always wary when I hear about patients randomly disappearing in old psych hospitals. Those places were notoriously open to neglect and abuse. Perhaps the blizzard gave them the perfect cover story? Not that I'm ruling out the idea that he wandered off and died of exposure. Not every case needs to be foul play.

Sad story. Doesn't seem like this guy ever stood a chance in life.

ekardh said:

I'm always wary when I hear about patients randomly disappearing in old psych hospitals. Those places were notoriously open to neglect and abuse. Perhaps the blizzard gave them the perfect cover story? Not that I'm ruling out the idea that he wandered off and died of exposure. Not every case needs to be foul play.

Sad story. Doesn't seem like this guy ever stood a chance in life.

Click to expand...

Agreed,

You can't dismiss cover up or neglect by staff. Why was Robert out in a snowstorm anyway?

Satch

Robert Albert Ahtonen

Ahtonen at age 17 (circa 1967, about 13 years before his disappearance; more recent photos are unavailable); Sketch of Ahtonen as he appeared at the time of his 1980 disappearance; Age-progression to age 53 (circa 2002)

• Missing Since 01/21/1980
• Missing From Newberry, Michigan
• Classification Lost/Injured Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 12/14/1949 (71)
• Age 30 years old
• Height and Weight 5'8 - 5'11, 135 - 150 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A gold-tone watch.
• Medical Conditions Ahtonen has been diagnosed with epilepsy, an organic brain disease, and mild chronic undifferentiated schizophrenia, and needs medication to control his seizures. He is also mentally disabled, with an IQ of 67. He functions at the level of a seven- to eight-year-old and cannot care for himself. He talks to imaginary persons and has difficulty following directions.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Sandy brown hair, blue eyes. Ahtonen's teeth are severely crooked and overcrowded, and he has a double set of eyeteeth which protrude outwards. His left hand has previously been fractured and he has scars on both pinky fingers.

Details of Disappearance

Ahtonen was a patient at Newberry Regional Mental Facility in 1980. His aunt was going to pick him up for a home visit on January 21, but was delayed by a snowstorm. When the storm subsided and she arrived at the facility, she discovered that Ahtonen had walked off the grounds during the blizzard and not returned.

The staff at the facility realized he was missing at 4:00 p.m. when they were supposed to give him his medication, but they didn't notify police until 7:30 p.m. He has never been heard from again. Temperatures in the area dropped to 11 degrees that night.

Ahtonen was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended public school through the eighth grade. He exhibited behavior problems from a young age, which worsened after his mother's death in 1966.

When he was seventeen, his father was killed in a car accident, and for three months he lived alone in a cabin adjacent to his aunt's home, but he was unable to function on his own, and his extended family couldn't care for him. In the years following his father's death he stayed in various state mental health facilities and group homes. His case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

• Marquette County Sheriff's Office 906-225-8435

Source Information

• The Doe Network
• Michigan Does
• NamUs
• The Green Bay Press-Gazette
• Robert Albert Ahtonen – The Charley Project
  
• 932DMMI- Robert Albert Ahtonen
  
• Robert Albert Ahtonen - Michigan Missing Person Directory

sad the story of this friend hopefully he has not suffered much without parents or people to love him

Missing 43 years

Bumping for Robert