Account
Dec 17, 2012
Jun 19, 2023
Vincent
Gartner
68
23
70 inches
140 lbs
White / Caucasian
Male
In January of 1980, a 23-year-old man named Vincent L. Gartner, who was on a pass from the U.S. Coast Guard, seemingly vanished while on a planned snowshoeing trip. His ship, the USCGC Boutwell, was left behind when he departed on Thursday, January 24, 1980. Evidence suggests he rented snowshoes in Seattle and left his Suzuki motorcycle at the Greyhound Bus Depot, leading authorities to believe he was headed for the Snoqualmie Pass area. When he did not return to his duties as scheduled on the following Sunday, concerns for his welfare grew, prompting official searches. Initial search and rescue efforts were concentrated on both the Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass areas, as these were the most likely destinations for a snowshoeing excursion from Seattle. Despite these extensive searches, no trace of Vincent was found. The challenging terrain and weather conditions of the Cascade Mountains in winter would have made any search operation incredibly difficult, and ultimately, these early efforts proved fruitless. His family has since confirmed that he was never located, and his remains have never been recovered. The disappearance of Vincent Gartner has remained an unsolved case for decades, a lingering mystery held within the vast wilderness of Washington state. He is described as a white male, with brown hair and blue eyes, standing approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing around 140 pounds at the time of his disappearance. The King County Sheriff's Office continues to hold the case file for the young Coast Guardsman who went for a winter hike and never came back. The lack of any definitive evidence, discovery of remains, or subsequent leads has left his family without answers, preserving his story as a somber reminder of the unforgiving power of nature and the enduring pain of not knowing.
Jan 24, 1980
North Bend
Washington
King County
No
12819
King County Sheriff's Office
Seattle
Washington
King County
98104
Janet Gregory
Project Program Mgr 3
516 3rd Avenue Room W-150, Washington
2062964155
County
Law Enforcement
12-290434
2012-12-17
King County Sheriff's Office
Brown
Blue
Blue
06/17/2026
