True Crime in Music History: 4 Musicians Who Actually Disappeared Without a Trace

It’s not exactly unusual for a musician to get their 15 minutes of fame, only to disappear from the public eye within just a few years. However, these four famous artists went missing… literally. Their cases are still unsolved to this day, and we think these musicians who disappeared deserve to still be remembered today.

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1. Glenn Miller

This famed trombonist and composer from Iowa made it big during the swing boom. In the 1930s and 1940s, he found major success with the song “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, among others.

In 1944, Miller traveled to France to perform for troops during the Second World War. Shockingly, his plane, himself, and all of the other occupants of the aircraft vanished while flying over the English Channel. The plane was never found, and it is assumed that the aircraft crashed. However, many a netizen has posed conspiracy theories about his disappearance, with some claiming that Miller was a spy for the US government.

2. Connie Converse

A particularly hopeful example of musicians who disappeared, Connie Converse was a singer/songwriter set to be the next big thing in New York in the 1950s. Like many young musicians, Converse struggled to survive in the city, so she moved to Michigan in the early 1960s. She worked as a writer and editor for a time before her company would shut down, leaving her jobless and depressed.

In 1974, Converse wrote to her family that she was planning on traveling west and starting a new life. She completely disappeared, and no one heard from her again. Oddly enough, her music would resurface in the early 2000s and gain a bit of a cult following.

3. Forrest Schab (a.k.a. DY)

Remember DY? This Canadian rapper became a bit hit in 2009 with his song “Passenger”. He was set to be the country’s next big rapper. However, after briefly speaking to his parents in 2010, DY vanished. It was rumored that he was planning a vacation in Mexico, but nobody knows if he actually made it there. 

DY was reported missing that year, and he has not been seen since. Rumors spread about his involvement with the mob, but the truth behind his disappearance has never been revealed.

4. Licorice McKechnie

This entry on our list of musicians who disappeared was a core member of the psych-folk outfit The Incredible String Band. McKechnie was part of the band until 1972, after which she moved to California and got married. 

She produced more music for a few years but promptly disappeared in 1987. Her family said that she was hitchhiking in Arizona, and there is a chance that she might have gotten lost in the brutal Southwestern desert. Her fate is still unknown today.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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