AK AK - Mason Roberson, 16, took off after his parents caught him drinking, smashed his phone, homeschooled, Anchorage, 18 May 2024

[BethInAK]

I know he broke his phone, but have his parents been able to access his phone records or his computer?

they posted that they fixed his phone and would like to give it back to him.

 

[BethInAK]

Does he have social media- anyone dug anything up?

I wish we knew more details. Says he was last seen around 6am after a fight with parents 9verhis drinking alcohol.

Was he out with friends and strolled in sometime before 6am? Was he at home the whole time drinkng alone? Parents' stash of alcohol? His own? Unknown?

the family has been very forthcoming with information.
Mason was found intoxicated in his home by his parents. My impression about what Dad stated on Nextdoor is that there are not a whole lot of friends. Mason was not hanging with friends as he doesn't seem to have friends. My impression, although not stated, is that this is a depressed teen, homeschooled for that reason. My impression is he was drinking at home alone. Parents discovered this, confronted him and he took off down the street. Neighbors doorbell cameras showed him smashing his phone and parents were able to retrieve phone.

He has not been seen since this camera view.


He was wearing shorts and a sweatshirt, and its cold at night. He has no id, no money, no phone. He lives near a bluff to the mudflats which are similar to quicksand and the tides come in fast. However, the bluffs and the flats and the woods near the house have been fully searched and there is no sign of mason.

He has mentioned knowing someone in the valley. This is why they consider he might have hitched a ride to the valley. There are buses - and hitchhiking is not terribly uncommon compared to the rest of the country - i would, even if driving alone - pick up a young person hitchhiking without much caution.

This is not a case of a kid run wild and partying with friends. Mason is a homeschooled homebody. He may have friends but they are likely online friends, and he does not have an electronic way to contact them. The library does have public use PCs, so i suppose that is possible.

Lots of locals assume its just a party kid run away. After reading what dad wrote about Mason and the circumstances, I am very concerned for Mason's safety, I do not believe he's a party kid hanging out with friends getting wasted. At about the same age, my son was also depressive and had no friends. I see that this could have been us, this could have been my son and I hope every day that Mason is out partying with friends. That is the best case scenario.

 

[MissMalowe]

the family has been very forthcoming with information.
Mason was found intoxicated in his home by his parents. My impression about what Dad stated on Nextdoor is that there are not a whole lot of friends. Mason was not hanging with friends as he doesn't seem to have friends. My impression, although not stated, is that this is a depressed teen, homeschooled for that reason. My impression is he was drinking at home alone. Parents discovered this, confronted him and he took off down the street. Neighbors doorbell cameras showed him smashing his phone and parents were able to retrieve phone.

He has not been seen since this camera view.


He was wearing shorts and a sweatshirt, and its cold at night. He has no id, no money, no phone. He lives near a bluff to the mudflats which are similar to quicksand and the tides come in fast. However, the bluffs and the flats and the woods near the house have been fully searched and there is no sign of mason.

He has mentioned knowing someone in the valley. This is why they consider he might have hitched a ride to the valley. There are buses - and hitchhiking is not terribly uncommon compared to the rest of the country - i would, even if driving alone - pick up a young person hitchhiking without much caution.

This is not a case of a kid run wild and partying with friends. Mason is a homeschooled homebody. He may have friends but they are likely online friends, and he does not have an electronic way to contact them. The library does have public use PCs, so i suppose that is possible.

Lots of locals assume its just a party kid run away. After reading what dad wrote about Mason and the circumstances, I am very concerned for Mason's safety, I do not believe he's a party kid hanging out with friends getting wasted. At about the same age, my son was also depressive and had no friends. I see that this could have been us, this could have been my son and I hope every day that Mason is out partying with friends. That is the best case scenario.

Didn't mean to imply that I thought the parents weren't being forthcoming with information- however you have provided a good example of what I was trying to point out- which is that not many details about Mason, his life & habits and the details of that morning have been reported in the media, it seems all of that sort of info has been shared by the dad..... on nextdoor.

 

[BethInAK]

Didn't mean to imply that I thought the parents weren't being forthcoming with information- however you have provided a good example of what I was trying to point out- which is that not many details about Mason, his life & habits and the details of that morning have been reported in the media, it seems all of that sort of info has been shared by the dad..... on nextdoor.

yes.
His parents are clearly very very concerned, but i think to the media and to the LEO that he seems like a rebellious teenaged runaway.

 

[MissMalowe]

I haven't seen too much non-msm info, but because there was no mention of "after an evening out with friends" or something of that nature, I was leaning towards him solo drinking, which given his young age, that was concerning, imo. Coupled with the differences in his appearance in the photos that were circulated, I wondered if stress or mental health was possibly an issue because he appeared well put together in the photo with the sunglasses and more disheveled in the 2 others that have been heavily circulated.

 

[SleutherGirl]

He's sixteen, anything could be going on in his head. I hope he's ok.

 

[GuyfromCanada]

AUG 2

Mason is still missing, no news. Where could he be staying at for the last two and a half months?

 

[GuyfromCanada]

MAR 13, 2025

Sadly, Mason is still missing.

Missing Person / NamUs #MP124131

View NamUs missing persons case MP124131, for Mason Aaron Roberson, missing from Anchorage, Alaska. Date of last contact: May 18, 2024. NCMEC case number: --.

namus.nij.ojp.gov

Have you seen this child? Mason Aaron Roberson

Missing From: Anchorage, AK. Missing Date: May 18, 2024. Both photos shown are of Mason. He was last seen on May 18, 2024..

www.missingkids.org

 

[friendlysleuther]

Bump.. family just posted this flyer on social media

 

[friendlysleuther]

<RSBM>
There have been zero verified sightings (the sightings are verified NOT mason by his parents) and the proximity to the mud flats is concerning. <RSBM>

I was going to ask about the “mud flats” but someone, (or yourself) ended up mentioning them in another post and how it’s like quicksand & that that area has been searched.

Is there any other areas nearby, not searched?

I don’t know why, but this case hits me so hard. I think of Mason often and it just leaves my stomach in knots. I have met his parents & they believe he will come home once he is 18.

The entire situation, I can’t imagine— for any parent, friend, loved one. Sigh.

 

[GraceG]

Here's a google map of the street where he lived in relation to the mudflats and water. I know they searched that area thoroughly but if he was caught by the tide while under the influence and accidentally drowned would his body remained there or been pulled out further into the water and away from the area? Venus Way · Anchorage, AK 99515

 

[friendlysleuther]

Here's a google map of the street where he lived in relation to the mudflats and water. I know they searched that area thoroughly but if he was caught by the tide while under the influence and accidentally drowned would his body remained there or been pulled out further into the water and away from the area? Venus Way · Anchorage, AK 99515

Thank you!!

Sorry if this is silly to ask, but I assume that’s what This area is ?

 

[friendlysleuther]

Railroad tracks.. Anybody know how often the train goes by there? Or how one would learn of that?

 

[GraceG]

Thank you!!

Sorry if this is silly to ask, but I assume that’s what This area is ?
View attachment 614706

Not a silly question. I had to do some research on the mudflats. This article is hard to read in parts, due to the nature of how some people died out there, but it's got some interesting information. The true history of Cook Inlet’s deadly mud flats

 

[caradana]

I just want to say that I give the parents credit for surviving. I cannot imagine what they are going through, the retrospection, the recriminations, all that had gone on traumatically leading up to that night, the ongoing search, the not knowing. I have three daughters and if this happened with one of them I am not sure where I would find the strength to go on.

 

[friendlysleuther]

I just want to say that I give the parents credit for surviving. I cannot imagine what they are going through, the retrospection, the recriminations, all that had gone on traumatically leading up to that night, the ongoing search, the not knowing. I have three daughters and if this happened with one of them I am not sure where I would find the strength to go on.

I agree. Like I said, this case just ‘hits me’ harder than most. Maybe it’s because I had met his parents, I’m not sure. But, I have some of his flyers and each time I see one of them (they’re with some papers I keep on my desk) — I take a deep breath. Yeah, I can’t imagine

I do hope that he is just at a friend’s house somewhere.. Maybe he met someone online..? A good, wholehearted person?

I also want to mention that the family had said, that since he was drinking that night — The family has gotten a lot of pushback from all over. Whether it is the authorities not wanting to properly search because of it or others just brushing it off.
I hate that, so much. We see this so often, in so many cases.

 

[LadyL]

Not a silly question. I had to do some research on the mudflats. This article is hard to read in parts, due to the nature of how some people died out there, but it's got some interesting information. The true history of Cook Inlet’s deadly mud flats

thanks for that article
very interesting - I didn't know what mudflats were

 

[friendlysleuther]

Not a silly question. I had to do some research on the mudflats. This article is hard to read in parts, due to the nature of how some people died out there, but it's got some interesting information. The true history of Cook Inlet’s deadly mud flats

Ah.. I see that Google Earth has images from the month after he went missing. I’m not sure if you’d be able to find anything there, but..

 

[GraceG]

Ah.. I see that Google Earth has images from the month after he went missing. I’m not sure if you’d be able to find anything there, but..

I doubt it would help. Google satelline uses a prety low resolution, which makes it near impossible to distinguish a body from other features. It HAS been used to find a car, with remains in the car, but not a body by itself (that I know of).

 

[airportwoman]

Thanks for the updates.