Leo Paul Trabert

Trabert, circa 1992

  • Missing Since 04/09/1992
  • Missing From Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Male
  • Race White
  • Age 77 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'11, 210 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A plaid flannel shirt, a navy blue jacket, dark-colored pants and a blue captain's hat.
  • Medical Conditions Trabert had triple-bypass heart surgery prior to his disappearance. He had chronic pain in his back and leg due to a war injury and was depressed over the state of his health at the time of his disappearance. He needs multiple medications, including antidepressants, narcotic painkillers and heart medicine, and left all these behind.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, brown eyes. Trabert had a full white beard at the time of his disappearance. He is missing his right eye. He normally wears silver wire-rimmed eyeglasses, but they were left behind at home. He walks with a brown wooden cane and wears a back brace on the outside of his clothes.

Details of Disappearance

Trabert was last seen in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin on April 9, 1992. He lived on Swan Boulevard. His wife was visiting friends that morning, and when she came home, she found a goodbye note from her husband; he wrote, "I think the best birthday present I can give you is to disappear." He left all his medications behind at home, as well as his eyeglasses.

A bus driver recalled picking up a man matching Trabert's description near his home that morning, but didn't remember when the passenger got off. Trabert's family doesn't think he would have ridden on a bus or train for very long, because his back and leg problems made it uncomfortable to sit for an extended time period. An extensive search of the area turned up no indication of his whereabouts.

Trabert is a World War II veteran who injured his back while serving in the Army. He was declared legally dead in 1999, and his wife died about a year later. His case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

  • Wauwatosa Police Department 414-471-8430

Source Information

Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated May 15, 2019; casefile added.