Peter Achermann

• Missing Since 07/24/2009
• Missing From Staples, Minnesota
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 05/21/1927 (97)
• Age 82 years old
• Height and Weight 5'7, 170 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A tan and brown cotton button-down shirt, tan cargo pants, boxer shorts, a leather belt imprinted with a Native American saying, tan socks with rust-colored toes, brown Dr. Scholl's shoes with velcro closures, a floppy red, white and blue crocheted beret, and silver crucifix necklace.
• Medical Conditions Achermann suffers from jaundice, which causes his skin to turn yellow. He was otherwise in good health and wasn't taking any medications at the time of his disappearance.
• Associated Vehicle(s) Light blue 1995 Chevrolet Caprice station wagon (accounted for)
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, brown eyes. Achermann has had multiple hip replacement surgeries, with resulting scarring. He has a strawberry birthmark on the back of his neck and he wore a black and gray beard at the time of his disappearance. He walks with a cane and wears eyeglasses and a full set of dentures. Achermann is a native of Switzerland.

Details of Disappearance

Achermann was last seen in Staples, Minnesota on July 24, 2009. He left his residence to run errands and was last seen on Warner Road by the Crow Wing River bridge, between noon and 1:00 p.m. He had only about $30 in cash on him at the time of his disappearance, and for identification he carried his driver's license and green card. He was expected home by 2:00 p.m., but he never arrived and has never been heard from again.

The next day, Achermann's light blue 1995 Chevrolet Caprice station wagon was found stuck in the mud in a wooded area at the end of a minimum maintenance road off County Road 32, ten miles from Achermann's Leader, Minnesota home. A photo of the car is posted with this case summary.

Groceries Achermann had bought were inside it, as well as prescription medication for his wife, but there was no sign of him at the scene and his cane and the car keys were also missing. The terrain in that area was rough and brush-filled, and it's unlikely Achermann would have been able to get far on foot, even with his cane. Achermann's son stated his father had no reason to go to the road where his car was found, and he thinks someone else left the car there and Achermann himself was never there.

Achermann's family stated he was in good health at the time of his disappearance and didn't suffer from Alzheimer's Disease or any other form of dementia. He had been married for fifty years by 2009 and had eleven children (eight of whom were still living by the time of his disappearance), thirteen foster children and twenty-three grandchildren.

He had planned to speak at his granddaughter's wedding, which was scheduled for the day after his disappearance. Since he went missing, there's been no activity on his bank account or credit cards. An extensive search of the area turned up no sign of him. Foul play is not suspected in his case, but it remains unsolved.