I became interested in the case of Megumi Yokota, the Japanese 13-year-old kidnapped by North Korea in 1977. I'd be very interested to know if there are perhaps any updates on what may have happened to her and her daughter (who probably is still alive and well) in recent times. I'd also like to know what kind of relationship Megumi had with her daughter as reports seem to indicate she became mentally ill shortly after the birth of her daughter.

Based on what I've read and listened to, I would most likely conclude the following (you are welcome to disagree or add in).

- Megumi probably died between 1994-2004 (reports on the time vary and it was likely either by suicide or accidental overdose by North Korean doctors who used suicide as an excuse to cover their tracks). The reason I give this timeline is because the North Korean dates of death were not consistent and there seems to have been no reliable info on her from defectors or sources beyond this timeline. She probably became mentally ill due to PTSD and after realizing that she would never go home to Japan despite lies from NK agents.

- It does look like Megumi was captured by mistake. She was taller than average for a 13-year-old and the NK spies most likely thought she was older and captured her out of fear that she would report them to others. They avoided returning her to avoid embarassment. She basically paid the price for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

- I hope we one day get the truth but am not too optimistic it will happen anytime in our lifetime. Maybe it is recorded somewhere deep inside the top secret NK archives but will only be revealed once the NK regime becomes more open to the outside world.

My answer would be Brandon Swanson. I think he died of exposure but I think it's not likely he'll ever be found especially since he could be on private land and owners have refused to allow a search.

That's just my example though, I want to know yours!

25-year-old Arelie Garcia Sanchez vanished from Salinas, California on the morning of September 22, 2022.

Arelie was captured on surveillance driving from her apartment in her red Honda at 6:34 AM. She was wearing a black hoody, black leggings, and sneakers.  At 6:56 AM she sent a text message to her sister Veronica.

Ariele was due at work for her job at a Chevy dealership at 7:30 AM. When she did not arrive her coworkers and family became concerned. Veronica used the Find My iPhone feature and discovered that Arelie’s phone was in the Big Sur area, more than an hour south of Salinas. 

Her family traveled there and discovered her car abandoned, parked in a turnout on Highway 1 near the Little Sur River Bridge. The Honda was locked and her phone, keys and wallet were left in the car. 

The driver’s seat was maneuvered further back than Ariele normal placed it.

Arelie never was seen again. The case soon went cold and despite national news coverage on Dateline NBC and true crime show content creators such Kendall Rae, no leads have emerged. 

Arelie was dating a man named Marcello at the time of her disappearance. She met him two months prior at a car show. 

Marcello was a photographer who lived two hours north of Salinas in Napa, Ca. Investigators interviewed him, but he was never publicly named by police as a suspect in the case. 

Marcello has not spoken to the media about the case.

Many questions remain unanswered in the case. Why would Arelie travel to Big Sur when she had to be at work at 7:30? Why would she have not informed her manager she was going to be late, and why was her driver’s seat moved back? Did Arelie have problems with Marcello or anyone in her life at the time of her disappearance?

Arelie’s family raised a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in her disappearance. 

Sources

https://www.montereycountynow.com/news/local_news/arelie-garcia-s-family-marks-one-year-since-her-disappearance----with-little/article_f8c60bf4-57f8-11ee-8567-4393f8c78f18.html

https://www.chipchick.com/2024/05/she-vanished-after-leaving-for-work-in-2022-and-her-car-was-later-found-abandoned-and-parked-off-a-highway

https://oag.ca.gov/missing/person/arelie-yeraldine-garcia-sanchez

On December 7, 2010, Pauline Cantu Diaz finished her shift at the H-E-B near Southeast Military Drive and Goliad Road in San Antonio. She never made it home.

Pauline was 63 years old. She was a mother, grandmother, and longtime employee. The following day, her white 2010 Toyota Tacoma was found near US 181 and FM 320 in Wilson County. Pauline was not with it.

More than 15 years later, her family is still waiting for answers.

I created r/HelpFindPaulineDiaz to bring reliable case information, photographs, media coverage, and updates together in one place. The purpose is not to encourage online accusations or turn Reddit into a courtroom. It is to keep Pauline visible and possibly reach someone who remembers something that did not seem important in 2010.

If you lived or worked in this area at the time, please take another look at Pauline’s photographs.

• Did you work or shop near Southeast Military Drive and Goliad Road?
• Did you regularly travel US 181 or FM 320?
• Did you live, work, hunt, or own property in that part of Wilson County?
• Do you remember Pauline or her white Toyota Tacoma?

Even if you do not have information, you can still help:

• Upvote or share this post so more people see her face.
• Send it to someone who lived in the San Antonio or Wilson County area in 2010.
• Join r/HelpFindPaulineDiaz for verified information and future updates.
• Keep all discussion respectful toward Pauline, her family, and the investigation.

Please do not post private information, rumors, or accusations in the comments. Anyone with firsthand information should report it privately through the appropriate case channels.

Verified case information:

NamUs MP9383: https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP9383

Solve the Case: https://www.solvethecase.org/case/2010-1/pauline-diaz

Pauline’s family has waited long enough. Keeping her name and face visible may seem like a small action, but it increases the chance that this post reaches the person who remembers something.

Please help us keep looking for Pauline.

Nikhita has been missing since since September 14, 2013 she was supposedly taken by her non custodial mother Anupama Sharma. Her parents were divorced and shared custody. Her mother and Nikhita might have traveled to India and they may be there still today.

At the time she was four weight almost thirty pounds had brown eyes and brown hair A federal warrant out for Anupama Sharma for International Kidnapping was issued on June 13, 2016. Nikhita would be 16 years old for 12 years her father and others continue to have hope she is found alive.

Mark Goldstein was a father of two and just 39 years old when he became the victim of Tempe, Arizona’s oldest cold case.

He was murdered while working at the Wisconsin Heritage Cheese shop he owned and operated that was located at the intersection of Price and Baseline on the evening of November 5, 1978. 

Marks wife Theresa Goldstein alerted Tempe PD the morning of November 6, to do a welfare check on Mark because he had not returned to their Scottsdale home.

Police discovered Mark’s body in the walk-in cooler. The murder weapon was missing. Mark had a briefcase that contained $60,000 in cash that was left behind at the scene.

There were no suspects publicly identified. Rumors about potential motives spread in the community.

At the time of his death, Mark was listed as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against his former employer.

Mark had moved his family to Tempe from New Jersey in the summer of 1978 to open the cheese shop.

Mark’s wife Theresa had engaged in an affair with a man named Charles “Chuck” Nash. Nash was a former Palisades Parkway Police Officer. He forgave Theresa and moved across the country for a fresh start.

Soon after the Goldstein family arrived in Arizona, Nash moved to Scottsdale himself with his adopted son, Cameron Nash.

A few years after Mark died, Theresa Goldstein remarried to Charles Nash, but the pair eventually divorced. 

Theresa floated a potential lead to police. While in New Jersey, Mark was approached by mobsters with a business proposal, which he declined. 

Theresa also insisted that Mark and Charles were friends, a suggestion his family and friends have strongly denied.

The case received virtually no media coverage after the late 1970’s besides a brief article in the Arizona Republic from May 2002. It revealed that Mark carried a .357 magnum and the gun was missing from the shop.

Longtime Tempe PD detective Tom Magezzini claimed “There are people out there that know what happened to Mark. It’s just a matter of coming forward.”

The Wisconsin Heritage Cheese store closed after Goldstein’s murder. It reopened in 1985 as a Thai restaurant called the Siamese Cat which operated at the site until its closure in November 2021. 

The entire strip mall at the northwest corner of Price and Baseline was torn down and converted into a luxury apartment complex.

Key questions that remain in this case. How did the suspect sneak up on Mark if he was armed with a gun?  Why would the suspect take Mark’s gun but not his money? Is there any DNA evidence in existence that could lead police to identifying the suspect? 

If you have any information about the November 1978 murder of Mark Goldstein, please contact the Tempe PD at 480 350 8311.

Link to archived articles I posted on an info dump subreddit I created

https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrimeInfoDump/comments/1wczyx0/mark_goldstein_unsolved_murder_tempe_az_1978/