CA CA - Fred Comstock, 19, Yosemite National Park, 11 Nov 1975

[TheArtfulDetective]

Fred Werm Comstock



Case Classification: Endangered Missing / Lost/Injured Missing
Missing Since: November 11, 1975
Location Last Seen: Yosemite National Park, Mariposa County, California

Description:

• Date of Birth: circa 1956
• Age: 19 years old
• Race: White/Caucasian
• Gender: Male
• Height: 5' 11" - 6' 1" (71 - 73 inches)
• Weight: 150 - 165 lbs
• Hair Color: Brown
• Eye Color: Brown
• Nickname/Alias: Unknown
• Distinguishing Marks/Features: Scar on unspecified leg from being broken at age four.
• Clothing & Personal Items: Often wore Levi's brand trousers, 31 x 33, with metal rivets on front.
• Identifiers: Unknown

Circumstances of Disappearance:
Comstock went missing from the Vogelsang area of Yosemite National Park on November 11, 1975. He was hiking with a female companion and her son, and was last seen at the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp. They agreed that Comstock would hike back to Tuolumne Meadows to collect her car and drive it to Yosemite Valley where he would meet up with them. Comstock failed to arrive and his personal items, including a wallet, were found in his companion's car. He was reported missing on November 30 but has never been located.

Investigators:

• National Park Service - Yosemite: (209) 372-0200
  Reference Case#: NP19189996

NCIC Case Number: N/A
NamUs Number: MP61579

Fred W. Comstock
Missing Person / NamUs #MP61579

 

[Teesside]

Where was the car found?
In so many of these cases the details are so vague.... surely more information was given to the police - and so surely after all this time it would be OK to release all information?
You never know... In the digital age cross referencing everything might just.... just....help solve a couple of the many thousands of cases - or is that just wishful thinking?

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

Where was the car found?
In so many of these cases the details are so vague.... surely more information was given to the police - and so surely after all this time it would be OK to release all information?

Agreed 100%. The vagueness of so many reports frustrates me to no end. Many simple questions could clear up a lot of ambiguity. I also wonder the same...is some information really still withheld? Or was not enough information gathered at the time? It doesn't make sense either how detailed some MP reports are vs. others. Better investigators perhaps?

If someone was "last seen" somewhere, I want to know who saw him, who reported him missing (and their relationship), when (approx. date) did he see him, and where (location) he was seen.

For example, some MP reports by comparison are:

"He was last seen in the vicinity of 18th and Sycamore Street in downtown St. Louis, Missouri". vs.
"He was last seen in St. Louis, Missouri" - without further information.

Unfortunately the latter is quite common. Didn't the person taking the MP report ask "Yeah, but where in St. Louis? A bar? His house?

My other favorite (not) is when an MP is driving a vehicle and the report never mentions if it was ever located. So frustrating!

And in this case, is the report implying that the car was still in Tuolumne Meadows? If that's the case, it tells us that Fred made it to the car, left his wallet and belongings, but then never drove to Yosemite Valley to pick the others up? Or was his belongings already in the car before their first hike which implies he never even made it back to the car, period. Knowing where the car was found is a rather key point of information. Totally agree!

I voiced similar frustrations in this case I recently posted: CANADA - Canada - Muriel Jones, 39, Toronto, ON, 1 Jan 1959 Talk about shoddy police work!