Above: Jon Haynes in 1981

Jon Truscott Haynes

Last seen in Boulder, Colorado on July 24, 1981

Vital statistics: Born on December 21, 1962. Blond hair, blue eyes. Was eighteen at the time.

NCIC number: M-087563573

Circumstances:Jon Haynes disappeared on or about July 24th, 1981. He was originally from the San Francisco, CA, area, but was last heard from in the area of Boulder, CO, on July 24th, 1981, when he called his dad, in California. From phone records, that call was placed from a 7-11 store in Boulder. He was reported missing by his father on August 10th, 1981. Haynes was relocating to Boulder to attend the University of Colorado. He had driven to the area in a beige 1981 Subaru 2-door, CA license plate #1CPK205, and had picked up a hitch hiker (Danny Torres) via an acquaintance, enroute. Torres provided information that Haynes had been trying to buy some marijuana (cold contacts in Boulder) before they parted company. Torres was interviewed and is not considered a suspect in Haynes' disappearance; his information fueled speculation that Haynes ran afoul of a drug dealer and was killed. There was no firm evidence to support that speculation. Haynes' car was contacted by a Sheriff's deputy off of a county road near the town of Nederland, in the mountainous western half of Boulder County, on July 26th, 1981 (before he was reported missing). It was unoccupied and, aside from the fact that the windows were down and it was drizzling rain, nothing appeared suspicious. When the deputy returned a few days later, the car was gone. It was subsequently entered into the CCIC/NCIC computer, but it has never been re-located. A religious cult was active in the area at the time, and it was speculated (again, without substance) that he had been brainwashed and had joined the cult. Interviews with Haynes' friends from high school were about equally split: half of them believed that he would orchestrate his own disappearance; the others claimed that he would never do that to his family. No one had any idea as to where he would go. James Haynes (an attorney) had his son declared legally dead in Contra Costa, CA, County Superior Court in March, 1983 (having filed the petition in June 1982). Haynes sister is still pursuing the case intermittently. She found that Jon's social security number was being used in California a couple of years ago. That was found to be a clerical error. Classified as Endangered Missing.

Theories:The Haynes case seem to be pretty complex, mostly because of that, if we consider all circumstances of his disappearance as well as his lifestyle and personality, there is almost no option impossible about what his fate could be. Seemingly he was young and independent person, for the first time far from his home and on his own. There is a witness who claims that Haynes enjoyed smoking marijuana, and had contacts with drug-dealers, what could put person like him in very dangerous situation. Independent but still naive young people are sort of ideal victims for drug-related crime, and can become very easily manipulated, blackmailed or otherwise controlled by drug-dealers. There is a first possibility that I will discuss: drug deal gone bad, and crime committed by his acquaintances that Haynes might be victim of. The fact that his car was left for a short time off of a county road in mountainous part of Boulder, unoccupied and with its windows opened, and after it disappeared never to be found again, supports the theory that Haynes might be dead. His murderers could drive in his car to the mountains in order to dump Haynes'sbody(sheriff's deputy might have seen the car just in time when murderers were hiding his body), and after it's done they probably disposed the car itself (what explains the fact that it never appeared again somewhere). There is still a possibility that hitchhiker Danny Torres knows more about Haynes's fate, because as he the last known person to see Haynes and aware of his drug-related acquaintances. But, Torres is not considered a suspect. Some of Haynes's friends say that there was a possibility for him to stage his own disappearance. Maybe he would do that in order to be able to continue with his drug-related lifestyle and live amongst people who share his interests. If he actually did that, there is also a possibility that he died or was killed some longer time after his disappearance. The less probable, especially because of the amount of time passed, but still not impossible, is that Haynes is still alive and does not want to have contact with his family. I do not think that he joined religious cult that some say was active in the area. People who hang around religious cults usually let others know what they are in or show some signs of brainwashing before they cut all contact with their families and friends.

If you have any information as to Haynes' whereabouts, please e-mail For the Lost at this address. Or you may contact the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, Lt. Phil West, at 303-441-3621. Any tips sent by e-mail will be kept confidential.


Information used to compile this case file came from the following sources:
The Charley Project
The Doe Network

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