Disappearing People

People go missing every day. In the United States alone, around 10 million people are reported missing each year. About 95% of them either return or are found, and around 4% are fugitives, victims of abductions, or other criminal acts. But there remains a small percentage of disappearances that cannot be explained. The fate of these individuals—and often entire groups—is shrouded in deep mystery. Where did they go? Did they enter a time loop? A disrupted space-time? Were they victims of alien abductions? The circumstances surrounding these cases raise more questions than answers. Let’s explore several specific cases:

The first case defies any rational explanation and is quite credible due to the presence of many eyewitnesses. It occurred in 1815 at the Prussian prison of Weichselmunde. A prisoner named Diderici, serving time for impersonating his deceased employer, was in a chain gang being led to the courtyard. According to witness testimonies, his skin began to darken before their eyes. Then, his body gradually became more and more transparent until he completely vanished. All that remained were the empty shackles on the ground. He was never seen again.

Another case of disappearance took place on September 3, 1873, in England. James Worson made a bet with friends that he could run the 30-kilometer route from Leamington to Coventry. His friends Hammerson Burns and Barham Wise followed him on horseback to ensure he wasn’t cheating. Suddenly, Worson tripped and appeared to fall forward—but he never hit the ground. His body simply vanished. His footprints ended abruptly and went no further. A massive search was launched immediately, but James Worson was never found.

A similar incident happened in November 1878 in Illinois. Although this case lacked eyewitnesses, its circumstances are no less perplexing. Sixteen-year-old Charles Ashmore went to the well for water one cold November night and never returned. His family, worried, went searching for him. They found only Charles’s footprints in the snow—ending suddenly in the middle of the yard. He was never seen again.

Another case occurred on April 14, 1959. Bruce Campbell and his wife were on a cross-country trip visiting relatives. One night, they stopped at a motel in Jacksonville, Illinois. After dinner, they went to bed as usual. The next morning, Mrs. Campbell woke to find Bruce gone. Only his pajamas remained beside her. His personal items, money, and car were untouched. The motel receptionist confirmed that no one had exited the building that night. Bruce Campbell was never seen again.

A case with a similar scenario was reported by the New York Times in April 1980. This time, two people disappeared. Retired couple Charles and Catherine Romer were returning from a vacation in Florida to New York. On April 8, 1980, they arrived at a motel in Brunswick. They checked in and took their luggage to their room, telling staff they were going to dinner in town. But they never reached a restaurant or returned to the motel. A police investigation yielded no results. The Romers—and their car—vanished without a trace.

Sudden Human Invisibility

As unbelievable as it sounds, there are reports of people claiming to become invisible for a short period. Could these incidents be related? A woman named Melanie from Ventura, California, experienced something unexplainable while sitting in a chair at home watching TV. She claimed she suddenly became invisible. Her husband walked around the house looking for her, even walking past the chair she was sitting in—without seeing her. After about ten minutes, she became visible again.

This unusual case is not isolated. Donna Higbee, a researcher, has been studying similar events under what she calls “Human Spontaneous Involuntary Invisibility.” According to stories she’s compiled, some people spontaneously become invisible. During this state, they feel no different—they can move and speak normally. However, others cannot see or hear them.

One such case occurred at an unspecified party. A 37-year-old guest went to the restroom. Upon returning, he claimed he was invisible. He tried speaking to several people, including his wife, but no one responded. He even asked for cigarettes at the bar and got no reply. At first, he thought it was a prank, so he angrily returned to the restroom. After a few minutes, he came back—and everything was back to normal.

According to Higbee, most of these invisibility episodes occur spontaneously, without warning or prior signs, lasting only a few minutes before ending suddenly. Some individuals claim to have experienced this more than once. Though Higbee has no definitive explanation, she believes insight may come from Rosicrucian yogis, who claim invisibility is not only possible but can be learned and controlled.

Parallel Dimensions

The idea of one or more other dimensions has existed for many years and forms the basis of many religions. Even Albert Einstein speculated about the possibility of parallel universes. Parapsychologists have long believed that there may be “portals” in certain locations allowing entities to move between dimensions—or even people to accidentally cross over. These entities may be ghosts, demons, aliens, or something entirely unknown. These portals are believed to be fixed locations on Earth. People with heightened sensitivity often report strange feelings in such places without understanding why.

Could it be true that each of us exists simultaneously in multiple dimensions? Multiple realities? Could sudden disappearances be caused by crossing into another dimension or a disruption in space-time? Could people who become invisible momentarily be straddling the line between two dimensions? There are many reports from ordinary people who notice inconsistencies in their lives. This phenomenon is sometimes called "alternate existence." One such story comes from Spain. A 41-year-old woman named Lerina Garcia woke up one day to find herself living in a different reality.

“Hello. My name is Gordo Lerina Garcia, but everyone calls me Luz. I’m 41 years old and I’m convinced I’m now living in a parallel existence. It’s hard to talk about this because everyone thinks I’m crazy. Please, if you’ve experienced something similar, let me know. One day I woke up and everything was different. I don’t mean something huge—it’s not time travel. I woke up on the same day and year as when I went to sleep, but many small things had changed. Enough for me to notice something unusual was going on. It’s like a dream within a dream.

Four months ago, I woke up and it was a normal morning. I’d been renting the same apartment for 7 years. Everything seemed normal, except my bed sheets were different, though I didn’t pay much attention to that at the time. I began to notice more significant changes when I went to work. I got to my office, only to find it wasn’t mine anymore. The name on the door was different. I connected to the company Wi-Fi and saw that there were departments that didn’t exist before. I thought I was losing my mind or suffering from amnesia. I went to the doctor for drug and alcohol tests—everything came back clean.

When I got home, more changes were obvious. My ex-boyfriend was living with me, as if we’d never broken up. Meanwhile, my current partner Augustine lived two streets away—in the same place he used to live before we met. Then there’s my younger sister. I clearly remember she had shoulder surgery two months ago. But in ‘this world,’ that never happened. My family insists this is how it’s always been.”

With a little research, anyone can find hundreds of similar stories from people all over the world. What’s really going on? Did these people accidentally or deliberately cross into another dimension? Are they making it up? Are they mentally ill? Or is something greater at play?