Plot Synopsis

Each episode begins from the time immediately before the individual vanished, searching for clues hidden beneath seemingly everyday behavior that may indicate whether or not the person left voluntarily. The series then follows the unpredictable twists of the missing person case, tracking investigations aimed at solving how and why this person simply vanished. Some cases are resolved and heartwarming while others end quite tragically. Unfortunately, many of these cases remain open to this day, and the program asks viewers to share fresh leads in hopes of deciphering what truly happened to the missing. TLC aired a sneak peek of the series on Saturday, December 26, 2009 from 10-11pm ET.

This series returned for its fifth season on Monday, November 19, 2012, ending in April 2013.

Following viewer demand for new episodes, ID aired a season consisting of four specials in 2014 and 2015 tied to timely cases making headlines.

Season 7 of DISAPPEARED premiered on Monday, April 11, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT on Investigation Discovery. The show's seventh season harnesses the twists of the original series with the verite feel of the instamentary specials. The season opener, "Somebody's Watching," tells the story of Jessica Heeringa. Jessica works the night shift at a gas station in Norton Shores, MI, to help support her 3-year-old son and fiance. The night of April 26, 2013 is no different, but when a customer arrives at 11:15pm to find the store empty and the cash drawer left open, investigators find themselves in a race against time to locate the missing 25-year-old mom. It's a case that reveals Heeringa's biggest secret and the many men who adored her. Suspect after suspect, police continue to hit dead ends and her loving family struggles to live without answers. Subsequent episodes feature the stories of: 25-year-old artist Tiffany Daniels, missing since 8/12/2013 from Pensacola, FL; college student Bryce Laspisa, missing since 8/30/2013 from Orange County, CA; Tammy Kingery, missing since 9/20/2014 from North Augusta, SC; 25-year-old nationally renowned BMX rider Brian Histand, missing since 5/15/2013 from Phoenix, AZ; 60-year old stonemason David Riemens, missing since 8/8/2012 from Watertown, TN; former Harlem Globetrotter Rico Harris, missing since 10/10/2014 from Rumsey, CA; Robert Hoagland, missing since 7/28/2013 from Newtown, CT; waitress Brandy Hanna, missing since 5/20/2005 from Charleston, SC; and recent college graduate Jennifer Kesse, missing since 1/24/2006 from Orlando, FL.

The eighth season of DISAPPEARED premiered on Sunday, March 26, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT on Investigation Discovery. In the season opener, "American Gothic," when a bible teaching mom goes missing from her family's farm, Missouri investigators must decipher a cryptic handwritten note. Was Lynn Messer a troubled soul or the victim of foul play? A walk in the woods uncovers a mysterious skull.

Season 9 of DISAPPEARED premiered on Sunday, April 1, 2018 at 8pm ET/PT on Investigation Discovery. The season opener, "Edge of Fourteen," chronicles the story of Ashley Summers, a fun-loving 14-year-old. When she vanishes on July 4th, her family is at a loss. The mystery deepens when the FBI connects her case to two other young women missing from her neighborhood.Ten years later, there's still no answer.
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After a 4.5-year break, DISAPPEARED returned for its tenth season on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT on Investigation Discovery. Season 10 shines a light on individuals who vanished seemingly without a trace and aims to facilitate answers about the missing in order to bring closure to their loved ones. In the season opener, "Vanished in the Night," surveillance cameras record a young woman fighting with her friends outside a bar in Indianapolis, Indiana and two hours later, the cameras catch her walking by herself in a parking lot and disappearing into the night. Desperate for answers, Kirsten Brueggeman's family shares her story and their plight to find her in the hopes that more people who know Kirsten's story will be able to come forward with new information.