WI WI- Leo Paul Trabert, 77, Wauwatosa, 9 Apr 1992

[Pennysmom1]

Leo Paul Trabert – The Charley Project

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Trabert, circa 1992

• Missing Since 04/09/1992
• Missing From Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Age 77 years old
• Height and Weight 5'11, 210 pounds
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• Clothing/Jewelry Description A plaid flannel shirt, a navy blue jacket, dark-colored pants and a blue captain's hat.
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• Medical Conditions Trabert had triple-bypass heart surgery prior to his disappearance. He had chronic pain in his back and leg due to a war injury and was depressed over the state of his health at the time of his disappearance. He needs multiple medications, including antidepressants, narcotic painkillers and heart medicine, and left all these behind.
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• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, brown eyes. Trabert had a full white beard at the time of his disappearance. He is missing his right eye. He normally wears silver wire-rimmed eyeglasses, but they were left behind at home. He walks with a brown wooden cane and wears a back brace on the outside of his clothes.

Details of Disappearance​

Trabert was last seen in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin on April 9, 1992. He lived on Swan Boulevard. His wife was visiting friends that morning, and when she came home, she found a goodbye note from her husband; he wrote, "I think the best birthday present I can give you is to disappear." He left all his medications behind at home, as well as his eyeglasses.

A bus driver recalled picking up a man matching Trabert's description near his home that morning, but didn't remember when the passenger got off. Trabert's family doesn't think he would have ridden on a bus or train for very long, because his back and leg problems made it uncomfortable to sit for an extended time period. An extensive search of the area turned up no indication of his whereabouts.

Trabert is a World War II veteran who injured his back while serving in the Army. He was declared legally dead in 1999, and his wife died about a year later. His case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency​

• Wauwatosa Police Department 414-471-8430

Source Information​

• NamUs
• Urban Milwaukee

Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated May 15, 2019; casefile adde

 

[Pennysmom1]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

4831DMWI - Leo Paul Trabert

Distinguishing Marks/Features: Missing right eye. He wears glasses, but left them at home on the day of his disappearance. At the time of his disappearance, he had a full white beard. He has had triple-bypass heart surgery and his back and leg caused him extreme pain which put him on narcotics and his depression and heart condition led to more medication.

Identifiers
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Blue captains hat, navy jacket, plaid flannel shirt and dark pants.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: A back brace on the outside of his clothes and a brown wooden cane.

Circumstances of Disappearance​

Trabert was last seen in Wauwatosa, WI on April 9, 1992. On the day of his disappearance, his wife was visiting friends. When she came home, she found a note from her husband which read, "I think the best birthday present I can give you is to disappear."

While she was gone, Trabert had hobbled away from his home with the help of his cane. He left his new glasses at home along with his medications and identification. He was never seen by his family again. Well into his mid-70's, Trabert had triple-bypass heart surgery. His back and his leg caused him extreme pain which put him on narcotics and his depression entailed more medication. His heart condition required even more drugs. He felt he was a burden to his wife.

His family and the police tried everything they could to find him. A bus driver picked up a man who fit Trabert's description at the bus stop near the Trabert home that morning but didn't know where the man got off. It doesn't seem likely that Trabert would ride a bus or train for very long because he was uncomfortable sitting for an extended time. His disappearance was reported in newspapers, resulting in the police receiving more than 50 calls with information that led nowhere. His wife and children checked with other bus drivers and taxi companies, they distributed flyers and visited places they thought he might have gone, all to no avail.

Trabert enlisted in the U.S. Army just before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. While in the service, he injured his back. He was discharged in 1946 and three years later he married a U.S. Navy veteran. They raised four children. Seven years after his disappearance, he was declared dead. The year after he was declared dead, his wife died without knowing anything more about her husband's whereabouts.

Leo Paul Trabert

On Thursday, April 9th 1992, Leo Trabert’s wife returned from visiting friends to find a note which read, “I think the best birthday present I can give you is to disappear.” A bus driver recalled picking up a man fitting Leo Trabert’s description, who was 77 years old and walked with a cane, but...

www.wimissing.org

 

[Teamir]

This UID (Namus link) had a catheter near the body. Possibility?

 

[Teamir]

This NAMUS unidentified case is a humerus bone found in a creek in Wauwatosa. That’s where Leo is missing from!

post edit - I emailed the Wauwatosa PD to see if the two cases have been compared.

 

[Teamir]

This NAMUS unidentified case is a humerus bone found in a creek in Wauwatosa. That’s where Leo is missing from!

post edit - I emailed the Wauwatosa PD to see if the two cases have been compared.

I received a response from Wauwatosa and they said they cleared it against all missing people from their city. So the humerus bone wouldn’t be Leo’s then.

 

[Keiri]

This NAMUS unidentified case is a humerus bone found in a creek in Wauwatosa. That’s where Leo is missing from!

post edit - I emailed the Wauwatosa PD to see if the two cases have been compared.

they should have excluded them on the NamUs file, but there’s no exclusions, should we contact NamUs?

 

[Keiri]

Here's the Charley Project on Leo. Leo Paul Trabert – The Charley Project I would like to know more about the bus line, and will look into it once I have finished fixing the cases I've worked on by adding links I should have when I posted.