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Missing Charles Ellsworth Duke 
Duke, approximately 2003 Date reported missing : 08/16/2003 Missing location (approx) : La Junta, Colorado Missing classification : Endangered Missing Gender : Male Ethnicity : White DOB : 08/10/1946 (74) Age at the time of disappearance: 57 years old Height / Weight : 5'11, 155 pounds Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : Caucasian male. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Duke's nickname is Chuck. He has a scar on his right elbow. Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Duke was last seen in La Junta, Colorado on August 16, 2003. He and a companion, Pam Eddings, were traveling in Duke's niece's blue and gray minivan in the Vogel Canyon area south of La Junta. According to Eddings, the van became high-centered and they decided to abandon it and walk back to town. Eddings said she was unable to make the trip and Duke left her and went for help at approximately 12:00 p.m. He never arrived home and has never been heard from again. A rancher eventually found Eddings and took her back to La Junta. The van was found on August 18, in a pasture about 44 miles south of La Junta. In late September 2003, six weeks after Duke's disappearance, the Ordway, Colorado residence owned by him and occupied by his niece and her family caught fire after an explosion. A man and three young children were severely burned in the fire, but all the victims recovered from their injuries. Authorities determined the fire was arson, but they haven't connected it to Duke's disappearance. Duke is an avid fisherman. He was born in Piqua, Ohio and later lived in Kentucky. He is a U.S. Army veteran and was wounded in the Vietnam War. His case remains unsolved and his family believes he was murdered. Other information and links : ncy Otero County Sheriffs Office 719-384-5941 September 2021 updates and sources Colorado Bureau of Investigation The La Junta Tribune-Democrat Missing Veterans A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece. North American Missing Persons Network Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons October 12, 2004. April 19, 2016; Height / Weight : added, Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : and Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated. |