Orben Lee Dorrell

Dorrell, circa 1978

  • Missing Since 01/18/1978
  • Missing From Kansas City, Missouri
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Male
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 10/02/1925 (98)
  • Age 51 years old
  • Height and Weight 6'0, 215 pounds
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, brown eyes. Dorrell goes by his middle name, Lee. He has a large scar on the left side of his beltline.

Details of Disappearance

Dorrell was last seen at a boat shop in southeast Kansas City, Missouri on January 18, 1978. He has never been heard from again. On February 10, his car was found near the Kansas City International Airport.

Three months after his disappearance, Dorrell was charged with forty-eight counts of mail fraud. The charges against Dorrell and other defendants were the result of an eight-month federal investigation, and the indictment alleged he and his co-defendants operated two companies solely for the purpose of fraudulently declaring bankruptcy.

According to Dorrell's daughter, he was afraid for his life at the time of his disappearance. She believes he met with foul play and that his disappearance was related to the fraud investigation.

He is a former police officer who served twenty-five years with the Kansas City Police Department before his retirement in 1974. His case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

  • Kansas City Police Department 816-234-5136

Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated May 6, 2020; last name corrected, details of disappearance updated.