James Robert Cooper

• Missing Since 10/25/1996
• Missing From Monroe, Michigan
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 12/22/1979 (44)
• Age 16 years old
• Height and Weight 5'11, 155 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A tan corduroy jacket.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Light brown to blond hair, blue eyes. James may have a mustache, beard or a goatee. He wore braces on his teeth at the time of his 1996 disappearance. He has a raised chicken pox scar on his right arm and a scar on his left arm.

Details of Disappearance

James departed from his family's residence on Maple Boulevard in Monroe, Michigan during the morning hours of October 25, 1996 for school.

He was seen outside the school building later that day, and one witness thought she saw him in a car. He didn't attend classes, though. He never returned home and has not been seen again.

James was not carrying his wallet, identification or any money with him at the time of his disappearance. He also never retrieved his paycheck from his after-school job.

James's parents believe he ran away in 1996. He had become rebellious in the months prior to his disappearance and experimented with marijuana, and the night before he vanished he got into an argument with his parents because he'd driven the family car without permission. He didn't have a driver's license, but only a learner's permit.

However, it is highly unusual for a runaway to never contact their family and friends again, as James apparently did. He attended Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in 1996 and was president of the Luther League, the church youth group.

James's parents still live in Monroe, although not at the same address, and hope for resolution in his case.