In this week's edition of "The Missing," we will be revisiting the mysterious disappearances of Roxanne Paltauf, an 18-year-old resident of Austin, Texas, who went missing in 2006 and 32-year-old Carlos Diaz of The Bronx, New York, who vanished in 1986.
Roxanne Paltauf
On July 7, 2006, Roxanne Paltauf, 18, disappeared from the Budget Inn hotel in Austin, Texas. According to Roxanne's mother, Elizabeth Harris, Roxanne had been staying at the hotel with her boyfriend. The couple had checked in together with plans of celebrating their two-year anniversary. Unfortunately, the celebration was to be short lived.
"I spoke with Roxanne the night she disappeared and she said she would be home the following day," Elizabeth said in a recent email. "I did not like her boyfriend, he was no good for her and she knew it. He is 12 years older than her and exceptionally controlling of women."
The following day, Roxanne's boyfriend called her mom and asked her if she had seen Roxanne. He allegedly told Elizabeth that they had an argument the previous night and that Roxanne had walked out of the hotel room and left all of her belongings behind.
"He stated that he went after her and she said leave me alone," Elizabeth said. "He said he walked away and went back to room to cool down before going out to look for her again, but was unable to find her. That was almost 20 months ago. The only thing we have to go on is what he had told us."
Despite their best efforts, the Austin Police Department has been unable to find any clues that might suggest what happened to Roxanne. Nonetheless, her mother refuses to give up and continues to do everything she can to get the word out. Elizabeth was able to get America's Most Wanted to bring national attention to the case last year and she recently convinced Regan Advertising to donate billboard space. As a result, Roxanne's photo and information has been appearing on billboards throughout the Austin area. Roxanne's mother has also been using the Internet to help spread the word, by making sure Roxanne's photo is available on every Web site that is dedicated to the missing.
"She did not leave her family on her own accord," Elizabeth said. "Someone has taken her and as her mother, it is my duty to find the truth. I still investigate every outlet I can and I will not stop until my Roxanne is found."
Anyone with information should contact the Austin Police Department at (512) 974-5250 or the Missing Persons Clearinghouse at (512) 424-5074.
For more information on this case, visit the MySpace page Roxanne's mother set up at: http://www.myspace.com/rubibubi.
Carlos Diaz
Carlos Diaz went missing from his home in The Bronx, New York, on December 23, 1986. According to Carlos' sister, Nancy Freneire, the family dog had died and Carlos went to bury the animal. What happened next remains a mystery.
"It was getting late and my other brother Nelson went to search for him and all he found was the dog, still not buried," Nancy said in a recent email. "Carlos left behind his beautiful baby daughter and loving family. He would have never left on his own."
It remains unclear if Carlos, then 32, met with foul play or if a medical condition played a role in his disappearance. According to Nancy, he suffered a head injury at some point in his life and his doctors had cautioned him that he could lose his memory at anytime, without warning.
"My mother and sister went to the police station and the detective's response was that my brother wasn't eligible for a missing person report," Nancy said. "The police kept his photo and we continued to call them for information but the responses were always, 'We do not have anything new.'"
According to Nancy, police still refuse to file a missing person report, now claiming that too much time has passed. Nonetheless, Nancy has continued to search for answers and has created a page on MySpace devoted to the case.
Carlos is described as a Hispanic male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5'8" and weighed 170 lbs. at the time of his disappearance. He has a tattoo with the initials C.D. on his left hand. Anyone with information should contact Nancy at ndfreneire or Shannon Vita, from Doenetwork.org, at usaforcewife@yahoo.com.