vsp.vermont.gov
Hughes, circa 2008
- Missing Since 08/17/2008
- Missing From Williamsville, Vermont
- Classification Lost/Injured Missing
- Sex Male
- Race White
- Age 59 years old
- Height and Weight 6'0, 190 pounds
- Medical Conditions Hughes was despondent at the time of his disappearance and may have been suicidal.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, blue eyes.
Details of Disappearance
Hughes left his Williamsville, Vermont at 3:00 p.m. on August 17, 2008 to go a business meeting in Provincetown, Massachusetts. At 12:30 p.m. the following day, an Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) shuttle dropped him off at the head of the Zealand Falls Trail in the Pemigewasset Wilderness area of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire.
Hughes apparently attempted to make reservations for the night at the AMC Zealand Falls Hut on his cellular phone, but the transaction wasn't completed.
On August 20, Hughes wife got an envelope in the mail from him. It contained letters to family members saying he planned to commit suicide in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Hughes has never been heard from again.
Police found his vehicle at the AMC Highland House in Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, which is where he said it would be in his letters. An extensive search of the White Mountains turned up no sign of Hughes or his body.
Hughes is not an experienced hiker and is unfamiliar with the White Mountains area. Since his disappearance there hasn't been any activity on his credit card, bank accounts or cellular phone. Hughes is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and worked as an architect at the time of his disappearance.
Both Vermont and New Hampshire authorities are investigating his case, which remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
- Vermont State Police 802-254-2382
- New Hampshire Fish and Game Department 603-271-3127
Source Information
Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 19, 2016; name and details of disappearance updated.
