The Disappearance of a Lansing Man, Joe Clewley, 2008

Stories of people just disappearing without a trace has to be one of the most intriguing unexplained phenomenons.

There have been quite a few unexplained disappearances in Michigan – some believe these people were abducted by aliens, others feel it could be caused by the lake effect of the ‘Michigan Triangle’.

Well, nevertheless, here’s another strange Michigan disappearance that happened back in 2008.

Born and raised in Lansing, 73-year-old Joseph Robert Clewley drove to northern Michigan to spend time in his cabin. It was the morning of July 13 when Joe left the cabin and drove to the Tahquamenon River near Paradise to go walking the Tahqua Trail with his dog, Chip. He called his wife, telling her that he’d be back around 9pm…but that was never gonna happen.

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9pm came and no Joe.
More time went by with no phone calls from Joe to say he’d be late.
After waiting long enough, the police were called to search for Joe and Chip.

Searching the area, authorities found Joe’s van, unlocked, keys still inside, but no sign of Joe or Chip. They surmised that Joe at least made it back to the van, since the keys were there, and called for a massive search of the area. Approximately 10,000 acres of wilderness was scoured but so sign of the man, his dog, or foul play.

Almost three weeks went by. It was on August 1 that Chip showed up at the Clewley’s cabin, obviously hungry, but alive and basically doing okay.

It was almost as if somebody had taken care of him, even though he was extremely hungry. Since there was no way for the dog to let Mrs. Clewley or the police where Joe was or what happened to him, his disappearance remains a mystery.

According to The Charley Project webpage, Joe studied electrical design at Lansing Community College and was the founder of Industrial Control Resources. He also served with the Navy in Guam during the 1950s.

He has never been found.
As of 2021, he would be 86 years old.