Missing
James Dale Yarbrough
Yarbrough, approximately 1999
Date and time person was reported missing : 09/15/1999
Missing location (approx) :
Palmyra, Missouri
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
Age at the time of disappearance: 30 years old
Height / Weight : 6'0, 180 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A yellow CONGO t-shirt, blue jeans and sneakers.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Yarbrough may have a mustache, beard or a goatee. He wears eyeglasses. He goes by his middle name, Dale.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Yarbrough resided with his parents on their 200-acre farm near Palmyra, Missouri. He was last seen inside their house during the morning hours of September 15, 1999.
Yarbrough's mother noticed that he left all of his personal belongings behind, including his wallet. She assumed her son would return home shortly, as all of his vehicles were parked near the family's farm. Yarbrough's mother became concerned when he failed to contact anyone by 12:00 p.m. He has never been heard from again.
Yarbrough's mother told authorities that she did not hear any cars approach their residence during the morning of her son's disappearance. He left a large amount of money in his bank account, which has remained untouched since September 1999. There has not been any activity on Yarbrough's Social Security number either. His loved ones walked around the family's property after he was reported missing, but no evidence related to his case was discovered.
A new sheriff was elected in Marion County, Missouri in January 2000. Yarbrough's father requested that law enforcement look into his son's disappearance again shortly afterwards. There was speculation that the former sheriff did not thoroughly investigate Yarbrough's case, an accusation that he denied.
The former sheriff said that he believed Yarbrough may have left of his own accord to start a new life, but he admitted there was no evidence to support his theory. The new sheriff's administration followed numerous unconfirmed sightings of Yarbrough, which were reported from St. Louis, Missouri, Texas and Memphis, Tennessee. All of the incidents proved to be false leads.
The Yarbrough family's farm was extensively searched by law enforcement in June 2002, nearly three years after his disappearance. The former sheriff did not conduct an extensive investigation of the area in 1999. Yarbrough occasionally walked to a wooded area on the property near the Fabius River. It did not appear that he was injured in an accident at the location.
Yarbrough vanished during bow scouting for the deer season, but authorities stated that they did not believe his disappearance was related to the event. Investigators announced that they completed a thorough search of the property at the end of June 2002, but no evidence connected to Yarbrough's case was discovered. The farm encompasses rough terrain with numerous steep inclines.
Rumors persisted that Yarbrough visited Jim Gibson prior to his disappearance. Gibson was a local resident who was convicted of child molestation after Yarbrough vanished in 1999. Authorities interviewed Gibson at a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri during the summer of 2002. They announced that Gibson was not involved in his case. Investigators do believe that several individuals in the local area have information that could solve Yarbough's disappearance, however.
Yarbrough was employed as an asphalter for several local asphalt companies in 1999. He enjoyed playing pool and his favorite beverAge at the time of disappearance: was Mountain Dew. Yarbrough did not smoke or drink alcohol at the time he went missing. His disappearance remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Marion County Sheriff's Office
573-769-2077
September 2021 updates and sources
The Hannibal Courier-Post
North American Missing Persons Network
KQHA 7
Unsolved in the News
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
