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Famous Disappearances in History #2: Jimmy Hoffa
James Riddle “Jimmy” Hoffa was famous for his work for labor unions. He was elected president of a union he had organized-The International Brotherhood of Teamsters-in 1957. He was known for his aggressive approach. To some, he was a hero among his peers. To others, he was nothing short of a swindler. The truth is, he got the job done. It was his methods that were questionable.
Jimmy Hoffa was known for having strong ties with the mob. He had made several shady deals with mobsters in order to get ahead in his business. Jimmy Hoffa apparently learned very little about staying out of trouble from his mob friends, who are suspected of being involved in his disappearance, but have seemingly gotten away with it. In 1964, Jimmy Hoffa was convicted of jury tampering and fraud. He was imprisoned in 1967 and released by Nixon (who knows a bit about shady dealings, himself) in 1971. Nixon ordered that Jimmy Hoffa stay away from union business.
Apparently, Jimmy Hoffa could not keep himself away from his old “profession.” Within a few years of being released, he began talking with his mob friends about becoming the President of the “Teamsters” again. On July 30, 1975, he was reportedly waiting for two mobsters outside of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He was seen leaving the restaurant in a red 1975 Mercury Marquis Broughan. He was in the passenger seat. It is unclear who was driving. He was never seen or heard from again. His body has never been found, but it can easily be assumed that he is dead.
Police traced the car that Hoffa was last seen in, to the son of one of the mobsters who was reportedly supposed to meet him Jimmy that day. The man claimed that he lent the car out to a friend, which was not denied. The friend-who was also a friend of Jimmy’s-claimed that he was nowhere near Jimmy that day. Furthermore, the men who Jimmy was meeting that day claim that they had no such meeting. They both had good alibis. The friend who had the car did not, but police were unable to charge him with any crime.
Famous Disappearances in History #1:
Amelia Earhart was an astoundingly popular, daring and skilled aviatrix. She was the product of a broken family, but had grown to be a happy, successful and well-rounded woman, despite this setback. She was in her twenties when she first flew in an airplane. It was not long before she decided to fly them herself and make flying the focus of her life. She began taking lessons and even purchased an airplane.
During her career, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Then, she became the first woman, and the second person, to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean. She continued making and breaking records until July 2, 1937, when she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared in the Pacific Ocean, in the vicinity of Howland Island. They had been attempting to circle the globe. No sign of them or their aircraft has been seen since.
These disappearances, whether mysteries or solved, remind us of how easy it is for a person to simply vanish. Anybody can be lost in the wildernesses of the Earth or taken by people who mean us harm. Even today, in a time when people can communicate with others, all over the globe, finding a missing person can be more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack.
Sources
David, Krajiceck, D.B. Cooper: The Legendary Daredevil, retrieved 6/30/10, trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/scams/DB_Cooper/index.html
Jimmy Hoffa, retrieved 6/30/10, detroithistorical.org/main/pdfs/JimmyHoffa.pdf
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