FL FL - Michael John Olson, 20, West Palm Beach, 1 Dec 1979

[Layover]

Mike went to my high school and one of the first letters in my campus mailbox when I got back from Christmas break in January 1980 was from a friend back home who mentioned that Mike had "disappeared" in Florida. There really wasn't anything else and when I came home that summer there were a couple of rumors and suppositions but that was it.

So, the course of doing some research for a podcast a couple of months ago I this kind of jumped out at me on Charley Project.

Michael John Olson – The Charley Project

It filled in some of the missing pieces.

<modsnip>

The thing about the car never being found is weird but it happens and south Florida was a funky place in the 70's and 80's.

<modsnip> I did a Google map and there ARE a lot of bodies of water if he took the direct and ultimately longer route back to the hotel.

So...I pulled up aerial photos from 1979 and today just to see if any ponds had been filled in during the construction boom. And there were none....BUT....right at the edge of the hotel property are a north-south canal and an east west canal and a pond where they connect.

This is where I am right now:

1. The detective in the article is still retired but is 82. I emailed his sons yesterday and asked them, if they felt comfortable, to ask him if they had looked at the ponds. I did NOT insinuate that they'd blown it or had missed anything. In fact, in one newspaper article in 1980 the father said he'd wake up and have an idea, call the police and no, they'd already looked into it.

2. Reached out to South Florida Water Management. They clean canals of foliage every few years. They replied that they had no record of the pond being cleaned.

3. Reached out to a scuba club and asked if they were up for an adventure. Got a quick reply that because of gators, this might be a police dive team opp. In the look for a link I found a company there that TRAINS fire and police recovery teams with retrieving cars, planes and other stuff. Waiting for a reply.

4. I also founf his coworker who he dropped off and obviously must've been cleared. In his 70's in Connecticut. He hasn't replied in a couple of weeks and neither have his kids.

The pond is a long shot but hey, he's returned EARLY in the morning and instead of turning right into the Ho Jo's, he goes left and kasplash. It happens. Like the cars from 1969 and 1970 that were pulled from an Oklahoma lake in 2018. The Ho Jo's is now El Dorado Furniture. The cars in the lot from this 1979 shot give some perspective.

So, take a look, noodle, and let's see what I've missed.

 

[Layover]

I created this video to help keep a spotlight on the case of this young man from my highschool. On the morning of December 1, 1979, he and his car vanished into thin air. (30) The Unsolved 1979 Disappearance Of Michael John Olson - YouTube

 

[MadMcGoo]

Michael John Olson – The Charley Project
Michael John Olson

Olson, circa 1979

Missing Since: December 1, 1979
Missing From:West Palm Beach, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing
Sex: Male
Race: White
Date of Birth: November 9, 1959
Age: 20 years old
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 165 pounds
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Hazel

Details of Disappearance: Olson was last seen in West Palm Beach, Florida on December 1, 1979. He is from Edina, Minnesota and had been a student at the University of Minnesota, studying business, but he was taking time off school when he disappeared. Several weeks before his disappearance he traveled to Florida and got a job as a bag boy at the President Country Club in West Palm Beach. He was staying temporarily at the Howard Johnson's hotel on Okeechobee Boulevard, he called his parents in Minnesota once a week.

Friday, November 30, was Olson's day off from work. He played golf then went to a rental agency trying to find a permanent place to live. At 6:00 p.m., he went to the dog track with coworkers, a mile from his hotel, to watch some races. It is known he placed some bets but it isn't clear how much he won or lost.

Olson and his friends went to a bar after the track closed and watched a boxing match on television there, then went to two other bars, staying until closing time at 4:00 a.m. on December 1. His friends stated he didn't drink very much. At 5:00 a.m., Olson dropped one of his friends off and said, "I'll see you at work in the morning," then drove away, presumably back to his hotel. He has never been heard from again.

When Olson missed work later that Saturday, his friends called his hotel and got no answer. They drove to the hotel that night and his car, a maroon 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix, wasn't there. Sunday morning they spoke to the hotel desk clerk, who confirmed he hadn't checked out. The clerk thought Olson might have decided to leave without settling his bill, and called the police. The next day, Monday, Olson's boss called his parents and told them Olson was missing.

Olson was apparently happy with how things were going in Florida and his parents didn't believe he would have walked out of his life, especially without taking his clothes or other belongings with him. Because he had just cashed his paycheck and a $700 check his parents sent him, he may have been carrying up to a few thousand dollars when he disappeared. He wasn't involved with drugs and his family stated even if he had gotten in trouble, such as by gambling away all his money at the dog track, he wouldn't have been afraid to come home and ask them for help.

Olson's family theorizes he was murdered, either because he accidentally witnessed criminal activity, or because thieves wanted to steal his new car and the cash he had on him. The Grand Prix has never been recovered and there has been no sign of Olson since 1979.

Investigating Agency: West Palm Beach Police Department 561-822-1900

 

[YaYa_521]

Michael John Olson – The Charley Project
Michael John Olson

Olson, circa 1979

Missing Since: December 1, 1979
Missing From:West Palm Beach, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing
Sex: Male
Race: White
Date of Birth: November 9, 1959
Age: 20 years old
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 165 pounds
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Hazel

Details of Disappearance: Olson was last seen in West Palm Beach, Florida on December 1, 1979. He is from Edina, Minnesota and had been a student at the University of Minnesota, studying business, but he was taking time off school when he disappeared. Several weeks before his disappearance he traveled to Florida and got a job as a bag boy at the President Country Club in West Palm Beach. He was staying temporarily at the Howard Johnson's hotel on Okeechobee Boulevard, he called his parents in Minnesota once a week.

Friday, November 30, was Olson's day off from work. He played golf then went to a rental agency trying to find a permanent place to live. At 6:00 p.m., he went to the dog track with coworkers, a mile from his hotel, to watch some races. It is known he placed some bets but it isn't clear how much he won or lost.

Olson and his friends went to a bar after the track closed and watched a boxing match on television there, then went to two other bars, staying until closing time at 4:00 a.m. on December 1. His friends stated he didn't drink very much. At 5:00 a.m., Olson dropped one of his friends off and said, "I'll see you at work in the morning," then drove away, presumably back to his hotel. He has never been heard from again.

When Olson missed work later that Saturday, his friends called his hotel and got no answer. They drove to the hotel that night and his car, a maroon 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix, wasn't there. Sunday morning they spoke to the hotel desk clerk, who confirmed he hadn't checked out. The clerk thought Olson might have decided to leave without settling his bill, and called the police. The next day, Monday, Olson's boss called his parents and told them Olson was missing.

Olson was apparently happy with how things were going in Florida and his parents didn't believe he would have walked out of his life, especially without taking his clothes or other belongings with him. Because he had just cashed his paycheck and a $700 check his parents sent him, he may have been carrying up to a few thousand dollars when he disappeared. He wasn't involved with drugs and his family stated even if he had gotten in trouble, such as by gambling away all his money at the dog track, he wouldn't have been afraid to come home and ask them for help.

Olson's family theorizes he was murdered, either because he accidentally witnessed criminal activity, or because thieves wanted to steal his new car and the cash he had on him. The Grand Prix has never been recovered and there has been no sign of Olson since 1979.

Investigating Agency: West Palm Beach Police Department 561-822-1900

Thanks for the alert and posting the CP profile. I've merged the threads and edited the title.

 

[Tiff23fr]

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[summergirl1]

This is an interesting mystery. My first thought on reading about it today was also that maybe he and his car ended up in a body of water. That may or may not be be the case, but it is a good place to start. This is still solvable, I'd say.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[Sonny Crockett]

Just heard about this case. Very sad. Two theories as to what happened here:

1) IMHO the most likely explanation is that MJO accidentally drove into a body of water somewhere, and drowned. Since he was almost certainly tired after being up all night & had recently moved to the area (and wouldn't have been that familiar with the roads, etc.) - it seems plausible that this happened. If this was the case, then his car hasn't been found because it was either swept away, or sunk to the bottom near where he went in - depending on how deep it was, of course.

I'm slightly puzzled (but not at all surprised) that his driving into a body of water wasn't theorized by those originally working on the case....given that, again, this seems the most plausible explanation as to what happened here.

2) IMHO much less likely is that he was the victim of a crime - possibly a carjacking. Maybe thieves wanted his car & also wanted to rob him, etc. I don't know much about cars & wasn't even driving during this era. However, MJO's automobile was a 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix, and - depending on the shape it was in - would almost certainly have been a desired car for thieves.

That being said, if he & his car were the target by thieves, you would think at least the car would have been found by now.

 

[JSolt1210]

I agree with the water theory.

I had to visualize it using Google Maps. The Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge at 1901 Okeechobee Blvd is about a 4-minute drive just east of the Wildside Cocktail Lounge at 2440 Okeechobee Blvd, one of the places he last hung out at. Really close.

But if he fell asleep at the wheel, he could've easily continued on Okeechobee and driven into Clear Lake, which is just half a mile farther. Or he could've gotten lost and continued into the ocean? I feel like this is less likely because, when you feel you're lost, your senses kind of 'wake up' since you're trying to figure out where you are.

Then again, could he really have fallen asleep during a 4-minute drive? (I don't drive, so I genuinely don't know if that happens.)

FWIW, it would've still been dark at 5 a.m. since it was in December, so that could've been a contributing factor.

 

[summergirl1]

Like the Kiely Rodni case making headlines recently, more than likely this was a tragic accident probably involving drinking (although his friends thought he was fine to drive) and in this case, his vehicle and him have never been found. Her case was also assumed to be a possible murder at first. I hope him and his vehicle are found one day.

 

[HopeRains]

Google image - 1979 Pontiac Grand Prix - likely similar to that Mr. Olson rented.

 

[Baddux]

The guy had a busy day and could have fallen asleep and crashed somewhere or like other people have said in a body of water

 

[Layover]

There was a gentleman who interviewed me about the case and turned it into a wildly misinformative clickbait video. He DID get AWP involved though

 

[Layover]

Let's test the sleuths.

I've been trying to light a fire under the case of Michael John Olson from November 1979, and it feels like we're getting some traction and new eyes on old files.

Using your best sleuthing skills, can you find a chop shop or junk yard operated by someone named Randy? And...go...

This is based on a psychic. A very specific psychic. At least when it comes to the names of chop shop operators.

 

[dotr]

Aug 13 2023 rbbm

Friends recruit divers to solve 43-year cold case in West Palm Beach

Friends of a missing Minnesota man since 1979, Michael John Olson, are now looking to expert divers to help them in their search.

www.wptv.com

'WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 43-year-old cold case is back on the radar in West Palm Beach. Friends of a missing Minnesota man are now looking to expert divers to help them in their search.'
Michael John Olson went missing in the city in November 1979. He was just 20 years old, working an internship at a local country club, his friends said. He had only been here for eight days when they said he went out for drinks with coworkers and disappeared.'

'The dive team spent the past few days searching local waterways for any trace of Olson or his car, a 1979 Grand Prix.'

'But even with no lead, Olson’s story is still filled with hope.
"Nothing bad will ever come from keeping a light shining on it," Neinaber said.'

VIDEO works, click 'you tube'

'Aug 13, 2023
Friends of a missing Minnesota man since 1979, Michael John Olson, are now looking to expert divers to help them in their search'