Howard Vaughn Gratteau

Gratteau, circa 1986

  • Missing Since 09/01/1986
  • Missing From Davie, Florida
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Male
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 01/21/1947 (77)
  • Age 39 years old
  • Height and Weight 6'4, 200 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description An Arrow polo shirt, blue jeans, brown work boots, and a wedding ring with four diamonds.
  • Medical Conditions Gratteau is a diabetic. He takes insulin by injection, and last had it the morning of his disappearance. He does not have his insulin with him and could go into diabetic shock without it.
  • Associated Vehicle(s) White 1985 Toyota pickup truck with novelty Florida license plates reading HOWARD2, white camper top and a B&H Air Conditioning logo on the sides
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, blue eyes. Gratteau wears wire-rimmed eyeglasses. He has a tattoo on his right arm of a heart pierced with an arrow and the his wife's name, Rejane.

Details of Disappearance

Gratteau's wife and stepdaughter last saw him at 7:30 a.m. on September 1, 1986 in their apartment in the 6600 block of southwest 41st Street in Davie, Florida. He was employed as an air conditioning repairman at the time, and left the apartment to go out on a job in the Honey Lakes subdivision of Davie. He was supposed to return an hour later to go sailing off Fort Lauderdale Beach with his wife.

Gratteau never arrived at his repair job and never returned home. He has never been heard from again and none of his accounts have been touched since his disappearance. His vehicle, a white 1985 Toyota pickup truck with novelty Florida license plates reading HOWARD2, is also missing. The truck has a white camper top and a B&H Air Conditioning logo on the sides.

Gratteau's wife stated he was behaving normally when he left their home, except he left his watch behind, and he normally always wore it. She said she believed her husband may have gone into insulin shock and had a car accident as a result. His case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

  • Davie Police Department 954-693-8200

Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 31, 2018; middle name added.