CO CO - Thomas Riha, 39, Boulder, 15 March 1969

[Gardener1850]

Thomas Riha
Boulder County, Colorado
39 year old white male

Brown Hair
Blue Eyes

Height (inches)

Weight (pounds)

[TD="class: view_field"]70.0[/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"]140.0[/TD]

Circumstances: Riha was last seen at a dinner party in Boulder, CO. His passport and other personal effects were later found in the home of a person of interest who committed suicide in 1971.

Dental information / charting is currently not available

DNA Status: Sample is currently not available

Fingerprint information is currently not available

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/32841/

 

[Coffee56]

January 19, 1970, Page 27The New York Times Archives

BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 18— A Czech‐born associate profes sor of modern Russian history has disappeared from the Uni versity of Colorado campus.

Thomas Riha, 40 years old, was last seen nine months ago. He left the university abruptly, apparently took nothing with him and left a mysterious trail.

Professor Vanishes at the University of Colorado

 

[Coffee56]

Lots of info for this one. Theories too.

 

[alb1on]

Perhaps the best summary I have found is at THE JIG-SAW MAN - CIA - PDF Free Download , although I am not sure what this document is. It appears to be a photocopy of an article which appeared in 1980 and went through some sort of vetting. Apart from the general information on Riha and everyone involved (in more depth than elsewhere) it does contain one or two interesting nuggets. Perhaps most interesting is on page 7 of the copy (page numbered 67 at base). This states that in December 1969 Riha's mother was suggesting he was in Czechoslovakia. Of course, there are many reports that he was sighted in Czechoslovakia in 1973 (in Bratislava) but all these come back to CIA documents disclosed to the Church Committee in the 1970s. This is the first time I have seen a report that he was said to be there as early as 1969, and the first time I have seen his mother cited as a source.

What the truth is I have no idea. But there are enough pointers in a whole number of different directions to almost make you think someone has deliberately muddied the waters.

 

[Gardener1850]

Since NAMUS has updated their platform I'm bringing over the new link and his picture again: Missing Person Case

 

[Coffee56]

Where's Thomas Riha?

From the Archives: the mystery of Thomas Riha

Introducing a Four-Part Series on the 1969 Disappearance of Thomas Riha - Pretty Death Seller

 

[margarita25]

Documentary about 1969 disappearance of CU Boulder professor in the works
November 8, 2019

“One of the most perplexing and bizarre mysteries ever to challenge Boulder and Colorado law enforcement, captivating arm-chair sleuths in this country and beyond, is coming to a screen near you.

Not, not that one.

The murder of JonBenet Ramsey is nearing 23 full years without a solution in sight. But that’s less than half as long as the confounding disappearance of University of Colorado Boulder Russian history professor Thomas Riha from his University Hill home has been simmering uneasily in the purgatory of the unsolved.”

Snip

“Riha’s disappearing act is likely a fresh enigma to the many people who have made the city home in recent years. But that’s about to change. His story is the target of a deep-diving excavation courtesy of “Love, Spies & Cyanide: Cold War/Cold Case,” a feature documentary for which filming has been recently underway in Boulder and will likely continue before the end of the year.”

Snip

““It is a Shakespearean tragedy in every sense, an utterly baffling and mystifying Cold War story that sent shock waves through the nation,” says a synopsis under the banner of Ocean Coast Productions LLC. Sources said to be tapped for the production include “voluminous local police investigative files, Colorado Bureau of Investigation public records” and the “FBI dossier on the case.””

 

[CastlesBurning]

Bumping for Thomas...this month will be the 52nd anniversary.