Modesto Robles Jr.

• Missing Since 09/08/2000
• Missing From Matagorda, Texas
• Classification Lost/Injured Missing
• Sex Male
• Race Hispanic
• Date of Birth 07/08/1957 (66)
• Age 43 years old
• Height and Weight 5'11, 200 pounds
• Associated Vehicle(s) 25-foot white 1985 Wellcraft boat with a Bimini top, a cuddy cabin, twin 115-horsepower Yamaha outboard engines, the hull identification number 1BTBKRR20D1202790, the description number ELA8576M82B248, and the Texas registration number 4113EF
• Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Robles's nickname is Bud. He has a scar on his neck.

Details of Disappearance

Robles departed from Matagorda Bay, Texas on September 8, 2000 for a deep sea fishing excursion with two friends, Hilario "Larry" Cardenas and Daniel "Danny" Gonzales. The men were traveling in a 25-foot white 1985 Wellcraft boat with a Bimini top, a cuddy cabin and twin 115-horsepower Yamaha outboard engines.

Photos of the boat are posted with this case summary. The boat's hull identification number is 1BTBKRR20D1202790. Its description number is ELA8576M82B248 and its Texas registration number is 4113EF. Robles's group never returned to port and their boat has never been located.

The United States Coast Guard launched an extensive search for the group on September 11, 2000, three days after they departed from the bay. Two of the men's coolers were found floating in the water; one of them was tied to a shoe. No other evidence was located and the search was halted on September 15.

Leg bones, including a femur severed several inches above the knee, were discovered on the beach at Mustang Island on September 18, 2000, ten days after Robles's group disappeared. Additional skeletal remains were also located in Kleberg County, Texas south of Nueces County on September 22, 2000.

DNA tests proved that the remains located in the areas were those of Cardenas and Gonzales. The medical examiner was not immediately able to determine the men's cause of death.

The boat has never been located and Robles remains missing. Authorities said it was odd that debris from the boat were not discovered. His case remains unsolved.