FL FL - Benjamin Errol Dobson, 58-59, West Palm Beach,15 Mar 19 1981

[DannyRichard2006!]

Not much information is available on this case, In fact it is so scarce that neither The Charley Project nor The Doe Network can agree on how old he was and when he disappeared. The premise of this case is quite simple he was last seen leaving his Lake Worth home in his 1979 BMW on March 17, 1981 and reported missing 2 days later on March 19. His car was found unspecified days later at Wellington Country Plaza Shopping Mall, locked and covered in dust. Other than that, there is no other trace of where he went.

Links:

Benjamin Errol Dobson – The Charley Project

4188DMFL - Benjamin Errol Dobson

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Note: Like I mentioned before, his car was locked in a shopping mall parking lot, so it is unlikely that he ran away to start a new life. Because nobody locks their car without intending to return to it. Through some research, I believe I found the mall where Dobson's car was found. The caption in the reddit post mentions that the mall had an insurance office. noting that Dobson was a insurance agent he may had worked there.

https://www.reddit.com/r/deadmalls/comments/iu67be/the_original_wellington_mall_wellington_fl

Photo of Dobson taken from his Charley Project page. The photo is also available on his Doe Network and Names Page. (links already posted above).

 

[mst]

that mall still exists

 

[PayrollNerd]

The links in the NAMUS page no longer work. I'm not sure Reddit is an approved source but I could be wrong.

Anyway, the thing that stands out to me is the car was covered in dust. What kind of dust? Dust from a sand storm? I've been in one of those in south FL. You can see them coming and you must go inside and take cover.

There were high winds in St Lucie County March 16th per the NOAA document. Palm Beach County is less than 1.5 hours south of St Lucie County. However, he was seen March 17th so maybe he didn't drive far enough or fast enough to blow the sand off his car from the previous days sand storm?

Lake Worth FL is really Lake Worth Beach FL and is only 11 miles to the mall. The topography of the west side of that mall is rural and flat, sandy, swampy so nothing to slow down wind or blowing sand.

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/pub-pdf/storm_1981_03.pdf

from his Charley Project page:
Snip
Dobson was last seen in West Palm Beach, Florida on March 17, 1981. He left his home in Lake Worth, Florida that morning, driving his 1979 BMW, and never returned. He has never been heard from again.

After his disappearance, Dobson's vehicle was found locked, abandoned and covered in dust at the Wellington Country Plaza Shopping Center. He worked as a partner in an insurance agency at the time of his disappearance. Few details are available in his case.

 

[PayrollNerd]

In this source, it is referred to as road dust. Perhaps from construction and the prior days high winds? Sand is sand regardless of the source. I'm wondering what was combined with sand to make it be road dust. If there wasn't any local construction, where did he travel prior to March 17th that he would have encountered it.

4188DMFL - Benjamin Errol Dobson

His 1979 BMW was found in the Wellington Country Plaza Shopping Center, locked and covered with road dust.

 

[mst]

In this source, it is referred to as road dust. Perhaps from construction and the prior days high winds? Sand is sand regardless of the source. I'm wondering what was combined with sand to make it be road dust. If there wasn't any local construction, where did he travel prior to March 17th that he would have encountered it.

4188DMFL - Benjamin Errol Dobson

His 1979 BMW was found in the Wellington Country Plaza Shopping Center, locked and covered with road dust.

not sure if you are familiar with the area but there is lake worth and lake worth beach. parts of Lake Worth are now annexed into Wellington. There are a ton of back roads that are all dirt in the area, even to this day

 

[Senora_Smith]

TheDoeNetwork says "Missing Since: December 15, 1980", but farther down it says "Benjamin Dobson left his Lake Worth home in his 1979 BMW , on the morning of March 17, 1981. Benjamin, a partner in an insurance agency, was reported missing on March 19, 1981, from West Palm Beach."

4188DMFL - Benjamin Errol Dobson

 

[Senora_Smith]

Namus also has two different dates.
"Date of Last Contact
December 15, 1980"
"Circumstances of Disappearance
DOBSON, BENJAMIN was last seen alive on 03/19/1981."

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

 

[PayrollNerd]

not sure if you are familiar with the area but there is lake worth and lake worth beach. parts of Lake Worth are now annexed into Wellington. There are a ton of back roads that are all dirt in the area, even to this day

I thought there was but when I searched for Lake Worth, it consistently brought up Lake Worth Beach. I figured I was wrong, maybe misremembering the area from years ago. I lived on the east coast in the 80s. Thanks for the update on the area.