Sports Stars Who Suddenly Vanished and Were Never Seen Again

It’s always unsettling when someone goes missing. Loved ones are left to deal with uncertainty and terror while trying to find out what happened, and the police work overtime to find answers. Sadly, many missing persons are never found, and it’s even worse for pro athletes. Below are some stories of famous athletes who went missing and were never found again. 

1. Bison Dele Bison Dele was a successful basketball player who played for the Chicago Bulls, and when he was offered a $35 million contract by the Detroit Pistons, he turned it down. He walked away from the sport and bought a yacht, and sailed around the world. In 2002, when Dele was in the South Pacific Ocean with his girlfriend, Serena Karlan, his brother, Miles Dabord, and the captain, something terrible happened. Months later, Dabord reappeared alone with the yacht. People wondered whether Dabord disposed of the rest of the group. Dabord passed away from an insulin overdose less than three months later, and Dele, Karlan, and Saldo have never been seen again.

 2. Mamie Konneh Lahun Mamie Konneh Lahun was Sierra Leone’s best long-distance runner and quickly became one of the world’s best marathoners. During the London Marathon in 2014, after finishing 20th, she disappeared. London police investigated, but they never turned up anything. Over the years, people wondered if she filed for asylum, but she didn’t. Back in Sierra Leone, her friends and family were shocked at the situation. To this day, Lahun has never been found. 

3. Rico Harris Rico Harris was a rising star in the world of basketball in the early 1990s. Sadly, because Harris did not get along with coaches, he lost his scholarships, ending his NBA dream. Ten years after suffering a traumatic brain injury from being struck by a baseball bat, Harris landed a job interview in Washington, but during his drive from Los Angeles to Seattle, he disappeared. Harris told his family he was going to stop and rest and pulled off the highway to sleep. That was the last they heard from him. His car was found hours later with a dead battery and no gas. There were no signs of foul play, and searches proved fruitless. Harris had simply vanished. 

4. Three Members of the Croatian Handball Team The World Junior Handball Championships was held in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2014, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo sent a team hoping for the best. Unfortunately, three of their athletes vanished, 18-year-old Laetitia Mumbala Mayunga, 19-year-old Julie Betu Mvita, and 20-year-old Mirnelle Kele Mazenga. Croatian leaders expected them to turn up soon and claim asylum, given the issues going on in the DRC. However, all three women left their passports and personal belongings behind, dismissing that theory. An investigation was initiated, but nothing came of it.  

5. Trevor Moore Trevor Moore was one of the best young sailors in America, having been a key member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic sailing team. While prepping for the 2016 Olympic Games when he disappeared on the open ocean. In June 2015, Moore took a boat out onto South Florida’s Biscayne Bay, where he had sailed since he was just seven years old. However, Moore vanished. The Coast Guard spent days searching for him but found no sign. Moore's loved ones were heartbroken after the search was called off. They immediately began to wonder what had happened. At the time, the Olympian was only 30 years old, so a medical emergency was unlikely. But still, nobody had any answers. Moore’s college coach suggested that something unexpected must have happened on the boat.