Rogest Cain

Cain, circa 1986

  • Missing Since 02/18/1986
  • Missing From Los Angeles, California
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Male
  • Race Black
  • Date of Birth 10/12/1924 (99)
  • Age 61 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'7, 165 pounds
  • Medical Conditions Cain may have suffered from a stroke and resulting memory loss after his disappearance.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics African-American male. Black hair, brown eyes.

Details of Disappearance

Cain was last seen at his home in Los Angeles, California on the afternoon of February 18, 1986. He said he was going to the hardware store. He never returned. The next day, Cain called a friend and said he was not feeling well and would not be going to work.

Two days after that, the police came in contact with a man who appeared confused. He gave them Cain's sister's telephone number and she came to see him, but by the time she arrived the man was gone. He is believed to have been Cain. He has never been heard from again.

One month after Cain's disappearance, his car was found parked on a busy street twenty miles from his home. His eyeglasses, dentures and all his papers, including the deed to his home and insurance information, were found inside the vehicle.

Authorities discovered Cain had spoken to a mechanic at a gas station near where the car was found, the day after his disappearance. He paid to have it repaired. The mechanic stated he was staggering and swaying as he walked, and his speech was slurred.

Cain was carrying a phone card at the time of his disappearance. The card was used several times after he was seen at the gas station. All the calls were placed to telephone numbers listed in want ads in local newspapers. He may have been trying to find a job.

Cain is described as a dedicated family man and a hard worker. Authorities believe he may have been taken to a hospital for treatment as a "John Doe" patient. There was a possible sighting of him in Topeka, Kansas after his disappearance; the man resembling Cain was calling himself Elmer Jackson. Jackson had disappeared by the time police arrived, however, and he has never been confirmed to be Cain.

Cain was declared legally dead in 1995. His disappearance remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

  • Los Angeles Police Department 213-485-3261

Updated 4 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated January 2, 2019; picture added.