James Ronald Peters was 19 when he was last seen on September 3, 1988. He had recently moved out of his family home in La Mesa to an apartment on Peach Avenue in El Cajon with a roommate. On the night he disappeared he stopped by his mother’s house, left his house keys and seemed unusually somber, telling her she’d be safer with the keys; that was the last time the family saw him.

In December 1988 his green 1970 Volkswagen Beetle was found abandoned and stripped on Mussey Grade Road in Ramona, with a swastika etched into the car’s roof. The significance of that symbol is unclear. Reports note Peters struggled with drug use and low self-esteem at the time but was trying to get his life back on track and enjoyed skateboarding, body surfing and BB gun shooting. Speculation about involvement in an occult group called Children of the Rainbow has circulated, but no concrete link has been established.

Foul play is suspected and the disappearance remains unsolved. Does anyone who knew James, lived near Peach Avenue, or saw that Beetle in late 1988 have information to share?