Duane Roy Dreher, veteran and father of three, was 34 when he vanished from Mason City, Iowa in 1955

Duane Dreher, Harold Duane Dreher Springer and Marjorie Wolff Dreher Springer Swan Timothy Springer

After Duane went missing, his son Harold spent his life trying to locate him. Harold’s son Timothy joined his father in that mission. “That was my lifelong goal — to find out what happened to my grandpa,” Timothy told Dateline. Harold died in 2014, without ever finding out. Timothy carries on the search.

Before Harold died, he was able to connect with his half-sister Leanna, with whom he had never been in contact. She was unable to provide any leads. Leanna told Dateline that, growing up, her family didn’t speak about Duane, the husband and father who disappeared.

In fact, the first time she remembers seeing a photo of her father was when she was in her late teens.

“We didn’t ask about our real father,” she said. “It’s only been lately that we’ve gotten people speaking to the police department to ask about what happened.”

Leanna says there are theories about her father’s disappearance. Maybe he angered a Native American tribe nearby, or indeed moved to Chicago and remarried, or perhaps he was murdered over a gambling debt. All really just rumors.

Leanna said her mother did tell her the creek where Duane’s car was found was searched after he went missing, but no evidence was found.

Lieutenant Jensen said police have no record of the creek being searched, but said that it certainly could have happened.

After going to school in Kansas, Timothy moved back to Iowa to continue the search for the grandfather he never knew. He connected with his father’s half-sister Leanna to talk about Duane and try to find out what happened.

“It’s my blood. Wouldn’t you want to know what happened to your blood, whether you found them or not?” Timothy asked.

Timothy continued his father Harold’s work, requesting military records and searching through archives for articles about his grandfather. He believes there is a small chance Duane is still alive. Mason City police have also requested government documents and dental records from that time, but Lt. Jensen told Dateline they’ve had no luck.

Duane’s social security number has been inactive since he went missing, Lt. Jensen told Dateline. The number shows no activity, including being used for employment and veterans benefits. “He just disappeared,” Lt. Jensen said.

Leanna and Timothy are continuing to search for answers in Duane’s disappearance. “My main goal is to find out what happened, and I don’t even know if that’s going to happen,” Leanna said. “Did he disappear, or did he get murdered, or what?”

Duane Dreher was described as being 5’11” tall with black hair and blue eyes. Duane would be 96 years old today. If you have any information, please contact the Mason City Police at (641) 421-3636.