Viater, Andrew

Missing Since: January 22, 1980
Location Last Seen: Ashland, Ashland County

Age: 22 years old
Date of Birth: January 27, 1957
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 170 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown, curly
Eye Color: Brown
Clothing: navy pea coat, black seamans type hat, blue jeans and t-shirt. He could possibly be carrying a brown or blue duffle bag.

Parents: Francis & Ida Faulkner Viater

Exclusions: 32 

Case Owner: 

Ashland PD

(715) 682-7062

Agency Case Number 201-80

Details of Disappearance

There was a blizzard that night and at 4 a.m., his dad heard the front door slam. He looked outside and saw footprints in the snow. He followed the footprints off the porch and down the sidewalk. The footprints turned right toward the railroad tracks, his dad followed the footprints. He got to the railroad tracks and then there was nothing.

The address was 109 8th St. East, Ashland - passenger trains stopped in 1961. The tracks have since been torn up. But through crazy research I found freight trains still rain in 1980 through Ashland. They slowed down in town. Based on the freight train tables from 1978-1979, the Green Bay to Proviso would have been running that hour of night. So his likely next stop, if he hopped the freight, was Proviso - but I think he'd have jumped off at some slowdown well before the city proper.

At least nowadays, the freight train would have taken him by or through the Bad Lands Reservation. You would have to check where and how to hunt in all of Ashland - too complicated for my little brain.

More Information

NamUs 

Doe Network

Websleuths

Map below. Starts on his house with a dot, leads to tracks.