I'm confused as to why he's still listed as missing? Maybe I'm not understanding properly. See the below excerpt and link. I've bolded the important part:
April 10, 2025 Post from Tennessee Missing and Unsolved
The oldest Tennessee Missing Persons case listed in Namus.
This is the case of the man who was known as Robert Lewis Sands. It is essential to speak of this case and tell everyone how it ended because it may help raise awareness that may help solve another case.
A copy of the 2nd post to fill you in..
Robert Sands is the oldest missing person's case listed on Namus for the state of Tennessee.
"Some of you may recall that we shared his story here in October 2017. That post stayed pretty quiet until August 2018, when we were contacted by a lady who said that she was looking for her grandfather by the same name and on a similar timeline.
After comparing pictures and birth certificates of both Daughters, it was determined that these two women were without a doubt looking for the same man. Neither of them knew a whole lot about Robert, as he had left both of them while they were very young, and neither was left with anyone to really tell them much about him.
It was decided that both of these sweet Ladies would do Ancestry DNA in hopes of finding more family members that could help provide answers as to what happened to their Father. The results shocked us all! We learned that their DNA did not match. They both went on to find that neither of them was a biological daughter of Robert Sands.
Yes, Robert Sands was married to both of their Mothers, and not only was he listed on both birth certificates, but they both have pictures of Robert Sands.
Unfortunately, this also means that the DNA namus had on file for Mr. Robert Sands is not accurate. Yes, the case manager has now been notified.
Though his Daughters are not biological children of his, they both wish to learn about who he was and what happened to him. He was the only daddy either of them knew.
We have learned a few details about his life before his disappearance. I hope that something here will "ring a bell" with someone who may have known him.
Robert Sands lived in Utah, where he married Karen Sands, and their daughter was born in 1956. Robert and Karen separated, and that is when Robert left Utah for good. Their Daughter's birth certificate has his name spelled "Robert Louis Sands". According to the information he provided, he was born in Los Angeles, California. His age is listed as 29 years old, and his profession was listed as a cook. Karen Sands was later murdered in Salt Lake City, Utah, while she was 8 months pregnant by her boyfriend. Nobody knows if Robert ever received the news of Karen's death as he never returned for his daughter.
In 1957, Robert Sands married Lavenia Sue Weeks, and their daughter was born in 1958 at St. Mary's Hospital for Women in Madison, Wisconsin. When they separated, Lavenia later moved to TN with their daughter. The daughter recalls Robert coming to visit and her mother acting as if she was fearful that Robert would take her away. The last visit the daughter remembers ended with her being sent to her room while Robert and Lavenia had what seemed to her as a serious conversation. The previous visit would have occurred in the early 1960s, and the daughter never saw Robert again. Lavenia eventually made a post in the newspaper that ran for around 6 weeks so that she could obtain a divorce from Robert Sands. This same Daughter continued to ask questions and look for her father for years. Her maternal grandmother told her that her daddy had always loved her very much. Lavenia was not supportive of the Daughter's search for answers, but she never told her that Robert was not her Father.
Lavenia once told their daughter that Robert Sands was not his real name. She said she could not recall it because it was very hard to pronounce.
The Daughter of Lavenia and Robert would go on searching for answers. She contacted the Crockett County Sheriff's Office in TN to have him officially reported missing. Robert was entered into Namus, and a DNA sample from this daughter was collected. The Crockett County Sheriff's Office told her this year that Robert was never officially entered as missing. She also went to the Social Security Office in hopes of finding information. They wouldn't give her much to go on, but they did say that his social had not been used for work since the 1960s.
Robert Sands' known places of work are "The Hoffman Brothers," which was either in Madison, Wisconsin, or Rockford, Illinois; "The Madison Club," located in Madison, Wisconsin, where the picture in the chef hat with the cake was taken; and "The Holiday Inn," in Memphis, TN.
Over the years, many thoughts have come to mind.
Could Robert Sands have had ties to the Mob? A daughter recalls a vague memory of being told that their phone was tapped, among other things. The other daughter says her Grandmother referred to him as a horse thief.
Could Robert Sands have been in service? The daughter was told that he was going blind from a war injury. It is unknown if this was just an answer given by her Grandmother to help ease her after his disappearance.
Did he know neither Daughter was biologically his? They both have pictures of them holding them and appearing to be a happy Father, but one does have to question the chances of the same man unknowingly marrying two pregnant women within such a short period of time. "
As it turned out, the granddaughter I mentioned would be dedicated to solving this mystery. She and the daughters would eventually learn that the man known to them as Robert Lewis Sands was actually Louis Joseph Rogato.
He passed away on January 2nd, 2017. He had at least seven wives during his life. He was also the "father" to multiple children, some biological and others just legal.
During the search, another daughter was found. She was also interested in uncovering the mystery. Her DNA was a match, and she kindly submitted it. The women were all accepting of each other. Unfortunately, that daughter passed away not long after the mystery was uncovered.
The mystery of Robert Lewis Sands's disappearance has been solved, but the question of why Louis Joseph Rogato lived such an odd life remains.
This post has been made with the permission of his daughters to let people know cases can be solved regardless of how much time has passed.
P.S. The sisters and the granddaughter have all remained in contact with each other. <3
