Name: Leo Paul Trabert
Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: April 9, 1992
Location Last Seen: Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Date of Birth: circa 1915
Age: 77 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Hair Color: Gray or Partially Gray, balding
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Missing right eye. He wears glasses, but left them at home on the day of his disappearance. At the time of his disappearance, he had a full white beard. He has had triple-bypass heart surgery and his back and leg caused him extreme pain which put him on narcotics and his depression and heart condition led to more medication.
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Available
Clothing: Blue captains hat, navy jacket, plaid flannel shirt and dark pants.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: A back brace on the outside of his clothes and a brown wooden cane.
Trabert was last seen in Wauwatosa, WI on April 9, 1992. On the day of his disappearance, his wife was visiting friends. When she came home, she found a note from her husband which read, "I think the best birthday present I can give you is to disappear."
While she was gone, Trabert had hobbled away from his home with the help of his cane. He left his new glasses at home along with his medications and identification. He was never seen by his family again. Well into his mid-70's, Trabert had triple-bypass heart surgery. His back and his leg caused him extreme pain which put him on narcotics and his depression entailed more medication. His heart condition required even more drugs. He felt he was a burden to his wife.
His family and the police tried everything they could to find him. A bus driver picked up a man who fit Trabert's description at the bus stop near the Trabert home that morning but didn't know where the man got off. It doesn't seem likely that Trabert would ride a bus or train for very long because he was uncomfortable sitting for an extended time. His disappearance was reported in newspapers, resulting in the police receiving more than 50 calls with information that led nowhere. His wife and children checked with other bus drivers and taxi companies, they distributed flyers and visited places they thought he might have gone, all to no avail.
Trabert enlisted in the U.S. Army just before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. While in the service, he injured his back. He was discharged in 1946 and three years later he married a U.S. Navy veteran. They raised four children. Seven years after his disappearance, he was declared dead. The year after he was declared dead, his wife died without knowing anything more about her husband's whereabouts.
Agency Name: Wauwatosa Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Detective Lisa Hudson
Agency Phone Number: (414) 471-8430
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 92-4762
NamUs Case Number: 19783
NCIC Case Number: Unknown
Added: 7/4/14; Last Updated: 11-13-2021 - By: Htmlcnvtr
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information is from the time of disappearance.
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