TX TX - Caleb Diehl, 18, Nocona, 30 March 2015

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Caleb Diehl was last seen running errands for his employer on March 30, 2015, in and around Nocona, Texas. The 18-year-old had borrowed a pickup truck from the employer, Ricky Dale Howard, who was also a family friend. The truck mysteriously reappeared just days later, its keys found on their proper hook at the business. Caleb’s cellphone and social media accounts have not been used since he disappeared. Shortly after Caleb’s disappearance, his employer was arrested for three counts of unlawfully possessing a firearm (Howard was convicted of bank fraud in 2007, which makes him ineligible to have a firearm.) In December of 2015, while investigators were searching for Caleb, Howard was arrested on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a 13-year-old child. In June of 2016, he was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to the 2015 firearm charges. In January of 2016, Howard was arrested a second time on two more complaints of aggravated sexual assault of a different child. A trial date has yet to be set for the new sexual assault charges. Howard was up for parole consideration in the summer of 2018 for his firearms conviction, but it was denied in July after he was indicted in April on two counts of indecency with a child and 34 counts of possession of child *advertiser censored*.

In October 2018, Howard was indicted on 15 new felony counts, including 12 counts of possession of child *advertiser censored* with unknown victims. The remaining three counts are for indecency with a child in connection with Caleb Diehl. Officials tell Dateline Howard is a suspect in Caleb’s disappearance, but he has not been charged. Caleb’s family is offering a reward for information leading to his whereabouts.

Five years of Dateline’s Missing in America: 109 still missing
 
Missing North Texas teen: Who is Caleb Diehl?
Caleb came immediately to my mind when skeletal male remains were found in Bowie, TX this week.

The linked article has a pretty good rundown of the events surrounding his disappearance.

[Thanks for moving this to the appropriate place. I did not find it using the search function.]
 
Last edited:
Caleb Diehl
NCMC1246601c1.jpg

    • Missing Since
    • Mar 30, 2015
    • Missing From
    • Nocona, TX
    • DOB
    • Mar 15, 1997
    • Age Now
    • 21
    • Sex
    • Male
    • Race
    • White
    • Hair Color
    • Blonde
    • Eye Color
    • Blue
    • Height
    • 5'11"
    • Weight
    • 145 lbs
Extra Photo
NCMC1246601x1.jpg

Both photos shown are of Caleb. He was last seen on March 30, 2015.
Have you seen this child? CALEB DIEHL
 
Watching this on Crime Watch Daily and right away when they started talking about RH and how he's the first one to help someone. I got a bad feeling about this guy.
 
Caleb Diehl was last seen running errands for his employer on March 30, 2015, in and around Nocona, Texas. The 18-year-old had borrowed a pickup truck from the employer, Ricky Dale Howard, who was also a family friend. The truck mysteriously reappeared just days later, its keys found on their proper hook at the business. Caleb’s cell phone and social media accounts have not been used since he disappeared. Shortly after Caleb’s disappearance, Howard was arrested on three counts of unlawfully possessing a firearm. Howard had been convicted of bank fraud in 2007, which made him ineligible to have a firearm. In December of 2015, while investigators were searching for Caleb, Howard was arrested on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a 13-year-old child. In June of 2016, he was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to the 2015 firearm charges. In January of 2016, Howard was arrested a second time on two more complaints of aggravated sexual assault of a different child. A trial date has yet to be set for the new sexual assault charges. Howard was up for parole consideration in the summer of 2018 for his firearms conviction, but it was denied in July after he was indicted in April on two counts of indecency with a child and 34 counts of possession of child *advertiser censored*. In October 2018, Howard was indicted on 15 new felony counts, including 12 counts of possession of child *advertiser censored* with unknown victims. The remaining three counts are for indecency with a child in connection with Caleb Diehl. Officials tell Dateline Howard is a suspect in Caleb’s disappearance, but he has not been charged. Caleb’s family is offering a reward for information leading to his whereabouts. If you have any information regarding Caleb’s case, please contact the Nocona Police Department at (940) 825-3281.
Seven years of Dateline's Missing in America: 156 still missing
 
A Nocona man — who is a person of interest in the disappearance of 18-year-old Caleb Diehl — has been charged with a federal sex crime connected to the missing teen, according to court documents.

Years before Caleb's disappearance, Ricky Dale Howard is suspected of making sexual images of a 13- to 15-year-old boy — images on a computer later sent to Tennessee, according to court documents.

Howard charged with federal child sex crime
 
Caleb Ray Diehl – The Charley Project

Last updated March 4, 2021; picture added, details of disappearance updated.

Details of Disappearance
Diehl was last seen in Nocona, Texas on March 30, 2015. He lived with his sister in Grapevine, Texas, but at the time of his disappearance he was visiting his mother in Nocona and had a part-time job there. His own vehicle was in the repair shop, so Diehl borrowed a pickup truck from his employer, Ricky Dale Howard, to go to another job. Howard was also a good friend of Diehl's family. A photo of him is posted with this case summary.

Diehl never returned to his mother's home that night. The truck he was driving was found abandoned at Howard's home two days after his disappearance, with its keys hanging on their usual hook. Authorities aren't sure how it got there. Since his disappearance, Diehl hasn't used his cellular phone or his social media accounts. He didn't take any belongings with him.

Howard has a prior criminal record for bank fraud and aiding and abetting; he was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to 46 months in federal prison. In May 2015, he was arrested on weapons charges. He gave police investigating Diehl's disappearance permission to search his property, and they found several guns, which as a convicted felon he wasn't allowed to possess. Howard pleaded guilty to the firearms charges and was sentenced to five years in prison.

In 2016, he was charged with four counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child after two boys came forward and said Howard had sexually abused them during the 1990s. One alleged victim stated Howard began abusing him in 1996, when he was thirteen years old, and the assaults continued for four years; he estimated that he was abused about 500 times. Another alleged victim said Howard had abused him in 1994, when he was twelve. Howard is still awaiting trial on those charges, which will take place after he is released from federal prison in the firearms case.

In 2017, police obtained Howard's desktop computer and found 300 images of child *advertiser censored* on it, as well as images of Diehl. While none of the photos of Diehl were pornographic, they did show him in various states of undress. In 2018, police recovered Howard's laptop computer, which he had given to a relative in Tennessee to help run his business. They found child *advertiser censored* on that as well, including images of Howard sexually abusing a nude male minor about 13 to 15 years old. Diehl's family identified the boy in the photos as him.

As a result of these photographs, in October 2018, Howard was charged in state court with possession of child *advertiser censored* with unknown victims and indecency with a child by exposure and by sexual contact, that child being Diehl. In February 2021 he was charged in federal court with sexual exploitation of a minor, the minor being Diehl. Authorities aren't sure what happened to Diehl and no charges have been filed in his disappearance, but foul play has not been ruled out and they think it's possible Howard was involved in his case.

He was a high school senior at the time of his disappearance, and planned to move to California or Colorado after graduation. His loved ones stated he was close to his family and it's uncharacteristic of him to leave without warning. His case remains unsolved.
 
Oh my Lord.

Ricky Dale Howard, 59, pleaded not guilty to a new four-count federal indictment....for sexual exploitation of a minor that alleged Howard induced or coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and imaged were recorded and stored in a computer.

...300 images of child *advertiser censored* in Howard’s laptop...

...found four images showing Howard in sexual conduct with the missing boy and the missing boy’s family estimated him to be 13 to 15 years old then.

The family said the boy routinely visited Howard from the ages of 13 to 15, and that the images were taken in a camper trailer owned by Howard.

...Two men came forward and said they had been assaulted multiple times in the ’90s while working for Howard.

One was 12-years-old and the other 13-years-old at the time. The then 13-year-old estimated he was assaulted about 500 times.

Details taken from link two posts above.
 
spiritseeker31 said:
Oh my Lord.

Ricky Dale Howard, 59, pleaded not guilty to a new four-count federal indictment....for sexual exploitation of a minor that alleged Howard induced or coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and imaged were recorded and stored in a computer.

...300 images of child *advertiser censored* in Howard’s laptop...

...found four images showing Howard in sexual conduct with the missing boy and the missing boy’s family estimated him to be 13 to 15 years old then.

The family said the boy routinely visited Howard from the ages of 13 to 15, and that the images were taken in a camper trailer owned by Howard.

...Two men came forward and said they had been assaulted multiple times in the ’90s while working for Howard.

One was 12-years-old and the other 13-years-old at the time. The then 13-year-old estimated he was assaulted about 500 times.

Details taken from link two posts above.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for sharing this information spirit seeker. The facts are shocking.

So sad for Caleb, suffering sexual abuse & possibly being ‘silenced’ by his abuser. MOO

And for his family, learning their son had been the victim of abuse.

Also two more young men who have undoubtedly been severely damaged by this paedophile. I hope they have received & continue to receive psychological support.
 
Caleb Ray Diehl – The Charley Project

Last updated November 17, 2021; details of disappearance updated.

Details of Disappearance
Diehl was last seen in Nocona, Texas on March 30, 2015. He lived with his sister in Grapevine, Texas, but at the time of his disappearance he was visiting his mother in Nocona and had a part-time job there. His own vehicle was in the repair shop, so Diehl borrowed a pickup truck from his employer, Ricky Dale Howard, to go to another job. Howard was also a good friend of Diehl's family. A photo of him is posted with this case summary.

Diehl never returned to his mother's home that night. The truck he was driving was found abandoned at Howard's home two days after his disappearance, with its keys hanging on their usual hook. Authorities aren't sure how it got there. Since his disappearance, Diehl hasn't used his cellular phone or his social media accounts. He didn't take any belongings with him.

Police tracked Diehl's cellular phone signal to Howard's property; this is the last place is is known to have been before it lost signal. Howard told police he had found a broken phone lying on the floor and had thrown it away. Before law enforcement could examine Howard's own phone, he removed the SIM card and destroyed it.

Howard has a prior criminal record for bank fraud and aiding and abetting; he was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to 46 months in federal prison. In May 2015, he was arrested on weapons charges. He gave police investigating Diehl's disappearance permission to search his property, and they found several guns, which as a convicted felon he wasn't allowed to possess.

Howard pleaded guilty to the firearms charges and was sentenced to five years in prison. In 2016, he was charged with four counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child after two boys came forward and said Howard had sexually abused them during the 1990s.

One alleged victim stated Howard began abusing him in 1996, when he was thirteen years old, and the assaults continued for four years; he estimated that he was abused about 500 times. Another alleged victim said Howard had abused him in 1994, when he was twelve. Howard is still awaiting trial on those charges, which will take place after he is released from federal prison in the firearms case.

In 2017, police obtained Howard's desktop computer and found 300 images of child sexual abuse on it, as well as images of Diehl. While none of the photos of Diehl showed him being sexually abused, they did show him in various states of undress.

In 2018, police recovered Howard's laptop computer, which he had given to a relative in Tennessee to help run his business. They found child sexual abuse images on that as well, including images of Howard sexually abusing a nude male minor about 13 to 15 years old. Diehl's family identified the boy in the photos as him.

As a result of these photographs, in October 2018, Howard was charged in state court with possession of child *advertiser censored* with unknown victims and indecency with a child by exposure and by sexual contact, that child being Diehl. In February 2021 he was charged in federal court with sexual exploitation of a minor, the minor being Diehl.

The first trial ended in a mistrial after a juror was injured and could not be replaced. Afterwards, Howard reached a plea deal with the prosecution, pleading guilty to one count sexual exploitation of a minor. More than 40 other charges, both state and federal, were dropped. In October 2021, he was sentenced to the maximum term of 30 years in prison.

Authorities aren't sure what happened to Diehl and no charges have been filed in his disappearance, but foul play has not been ruled out and they think it's possible Howard was involved in his case.

Diehl was a high school senior at the time of his disappearance, and planned to move to California or Colorado after graduation. His loved ones stated he was close to his family and it's uncharacteristic of him to leave without warning. His case remains unsolved.
 
I’m getting ready to watch season 2 of “Never Seen Again” and wanted to catch up on Caleb’s case first. I feel so bad for Caleb and his family - just devastating.
 
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