Utah Father and Husband Has "Disappeared"

[JesusPony]

Paul Swenson, husband of a minor lifestyle- and mommy-blogger Ashlee Swenson has gone missing under strange circumstances. 

Something seems off about the way the family is acting, but that may just be part of the "keeping up appearances" aspect of their community:  They are at least somewhat Mormon (He went on a mission.)  Anyway, the alcohol and drug paraphernalia found in the car is definitely not his.

Ashlee is 24 and Paul is 30. They married when she was 18. Last month, Ashlee posted a blog where she alluded to Paul cheating on her.

The family has a heavily moderated Facebook page and a GoFundMe (even though they appear to be quite wealthy.) Here's a Reddit discussion thread about the disappearance. 

Bonus WTFery: They're just a wholesome family that enjoys some occasional blackface.  Adorable. 

My gut is telling me he just ran off like some men do when shit gets real. But with possible drug and marriage issues... Who knows? Please note, it might take 23 years or more to find out the truth.

Hopefully all those links are kosher.

THE END.

 

[SusanDelgado]

Oh wow, that second story was really something. I hope this guy is OK. 

[ViolaSebastian]

1 hour ago, JesusPony said:

Something seems off about the way the family is acting, but that may just be part of the "keeping up appearances" aspect of their community:  They are at least somewhat Mormon (He went on a mission.)  Anyway, the alcohol and drug paraphernalia found in the car is definitely not his.

Ummmm....

[Kailash]

Bizarre. I do not have a good feeling about this. Nothing adds up. I doubt he will be found alive. I hope I'm wrong. 

[ladyamylynn]

Ok I'm slightly obsessed with this story.  What about the sketchy best friend Cody saying he's baby Poppy's new daddy?!

[adidas]

I would bet a very large amount of money that the drug paraphernalia did indeed belong to him ....

[JesusPony]

Ok I'm slightly obsessed with this story.  What about the sketchy best friend Cody saying he's baby Poppy's new daddy?!

Yeah, Cody is the one running the GoFundMe, which has changed its description a couple of times. Now, the family is "changing the focus" of the search -- they believe he is alive -- (http://fox13now.com/2017/08/04/family-of-missing-american-fork-man-shifting-focus-of-search-efforts/) and some people are asking for their money back on the Facebook and GFM. Trainwreck.

 

The search has made People: https://www.google.com/amp/people.com/crime/utah-dad-paul-swenson-missing-blogger-wife-ashlee/amp/

 

[seraaa]

When does an adult become a "missing person" and not just someone who has left without telling anyone?

Like, I could secretly get a new job across the country and leave without telling my family and friends, but I would be traceable and therefore not 'missing'. Is that how it works?

[Maggie Mae]

14 minutes ago, seraaa said:

 

Like, I could secretly get a new job across the country and leave without telling my family and friends, but I would be traceable and therefore not 'missing'. Is that how it works?

You could! And the polite thing to do, when found by a police, would be that you moved voluntarily and do not care to contact family. They contact the family, say the case is closed. They close the case. They don't normally tell the family anything else as you'd be a non endangered adult. 

[ADoyle90815]

With this case, it might be time to get the rescue ferrets ready since there's a lot of rabbit holes one can go down here.

[Jug Band Baby]

11 hours ago, seraaa said:

When does an adult become a "missing person" and not just someone who has left without telling anyone?

Like, I could secretly get a new job across the country and leave without telling my family and friends, but I would be traceable and therefore not 'missing'. Is that how it works?

It's usually 24-48 hours before police will act, though you can report it anytime.  If there are suspicious circumstances or other reasons to take action faster, like a disabled adult or an adult who needs medication, they can start looking quicker.

You could leave and get a new job across the country, and it's legal, but if you're made aware of a police search, you should contact the police to let them know you don't want contact.

[nokidsmom]

20 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

You could! And the polite thing to do, when found by a police, would be that you moved voluntarily and do not care to contact family. They contact the family, say the case is closed. They close the case. They don't normally tell the family anything else as you'd be a non endangered adult. 

Mr. No has a coworker who had a sibling leave years ago in this way (we didn't know him at the time).  Just walked.  Sibling reported as missing, police later reported the case as closed, no further information.   Friend was upset about this even years later and Mr. No could sympathize but the police's job here is to locate the person(s), determine them to be safe, that's all.  Not be messengers for the family to get the person to come back or navigate whatever the family issues which I believe what was upsetting our friend.  

ETA: Friend's mother recently passed and in the aftermath, the sibling reestablished contact from another state.  Unfortunately, all she wants is the money. 

Back to this missing guy, I suspect he walked and does not want to be found.  The twists and turns in this saga (changing the search focus, best friend possibly being the kids' father etc) thus far have me thinking more and more this is the case. 

[Howl]

Wow, lots of snark sisters and kindred spirits on  Reddit -- thank you for that link,  @JesusPony! 

"His 2016 BMW X6 four-door sedan was found Friday morning by Salt Lake police" 

This is a $60,000+ car.  Tell me again why they need a GoFundMe?  Apparently he made good money with some type of alarm company, but they could also be up to their ears in debt -- house and cars ready to be repo'd and 6 platinum credit cards totally maxed out, because their burn rate is out of control.  I'm sure the police are reviewing their financials --- and life insurance policies. 

Totally editing this post after reading an update article in the Salt Lake Tribune: Family holds out hope to find Utah man Paul Swenson despite few tips checking out

Quote

 

Police called the circumstances “suspicious” because Swenson had no connection to the area [where the car was found], and some items found in the car — including a backpack of clothing and a cellphone — did not appear to belong to Swenson. Police did not find alcohol in the car, Christensen said, as has been reported by other news outlets. Swenson‘s phone had been turned off, police said...Police are monitoring Swenson’s bank account and credit cards, Christensen said, but there’s been no activity since the man was reported missing. He added that Swenson had access to a large sum of cash at his home, but that he hadn’t taken it with him when he left...

...Swenson's wife told police that he'd suspended his social media accounts days before his disappearance, Christensen said, but there wasn't a clear explanation as to why.

 

That said, he's been gone too long, way too long for this to have a happy ending. In a place like Salt Lake/Provo/American Fork with a lot of publicity (on the local TV stations, newspapers, social media, LDS) someone WILL spot a 6', buffed out red headed man with a sleeve tattoo. 

Still, the happy ending would be if he was found alive, even if they means he has abandoned his wife and child, has drug problems, is actually gay, all of the above, whatever.

Also, this just came to mind. Earlier this year, @samurai_sarahstarted a thread called LDS/Mormon fashion bloggers.  Does Ashlee's blog fit into that category?

 

[JesusPony]

Yeah, that Blogsnark subreddit is great if you like mommy blog snark. It doesn't usually get as dark as a disappearance.

Some rumors going around on ex-mormon boards: Apparently, Paul and Ashlee left the church and have felt pressure to come back from family. Maybe he felt trapped and bolted. I'm struck by how they have been married 6 years, but he was able to hold it together until not long after the baby arrived.

Cody says he is refunding GFM donations and that it was all his idea, not the family's. :/

[Nikedagain?]

"Macklemorman" is my favorite thing today! 

[Howl]

The HelpFindPaul  GoFundMe is still open and marked as trending, $15,520 of $23k goal.

After a certain point of no new information, news outlets stop updating. Apparently, this threshold has been reached, because there is no new news and daily searches have stopped.  They should take the money and hire a PI or return it. 

The video on the GoFundMe is something else, but maybe that is just what these people do.  I really, really hope Paul Swenson is still alive and can let his wife and family know, even if he doesn't want to come home. 

I re-read the Salt Lake Tribune article I linked to upthread and noted these sentences: 

Quote

Though "a ton" of leads continue to "pour in" daily, Christensen said the most recent tip police have confirmed was from the morning after Swenson was reported missing.

“The majority of them, we’ve been able to confirm they’re not him,” Christensen said. “A handful we believe were legitimate; we believe they were likely Paul.” 

So, yeah, if they are becoming more certain he's wandering around in the area, they aren't going to keep ramping up the investigation.  Stranger and stranger. 

[Howl]

Was looking at some footage on a TV station Web page of Paul's parents talking about him.  In the comments, a woman mentioned that her adult son (30-ish?) was diagnosed with bi-polar illness that pretty much came out of nowhere. One day fine, the next day not making a whole lot of sense.  That (or something similar) could be an explanation of the strange behavior before he left. 

[Howl]

Still no Paul Swenson, but police ARE taking it seriously.  They have checked his abandoned car for fingerprints and DNA, especially  the backpack which was found in it his car with clothing that his family said is not his and a cell phone. Still no activity on his credit card(s) or bank account. 

His situation has gone somewhat viral, with rogue facebook pages proliferating.  

From the Salt Lake Tribune: 

Unified Police join search for missing Utah man Paul Swenson as tips pour in:  Social media interest in the case remains high, with a dozen Facebook groups dedicated to the hunt.

[Kailash]

I just read the story from the link you posted @Howl. There's a link at the end of the article to another story that says it was posted 7 hours ago about a body (male) found in South Salt Lake. I'm wondering if it's Paul Swenson. If so, I feel terrible for his family. 

[Howl]

59 minutes ago, Kailash said:

I just read the story from the link you posted @Howl. There's a link at the end of the article to another story that says it was posted 7 hours ago about a body (male) found in South Salt Lake. I'm wondering if it's Paul Swenson. If so, I feel terrible for his family. 

@Kailash, thanks for that update.  I have a very, very bad feeling about this:  no activity on his phone, credit cards or bank accounts and the length of time he's been missing.  No word yet on the Bring Paul Home fb page. 

[Kailash]

Spoiler

 

@Howl I googled news of Paul Swenson and found an article saying it was his body found in the lake. So sad. I'm glad that his family knows where he ended up, at least. 

[Howl]

Yes, I saw that as well.  Incredibly sad.  Condolences to the family. 

[bea]

Aww, man. That's so sad. I was bewildered by the best friend-affair-no wait mental illness thing.
I hope there was no foul play.

[JesusPony]

With all the crazy stuff in the world this week, I just heard that they found him. At least they found him and the family won't spend years wondering. In the article I read, police said no signs of foul play, but it will be several weeks for a full report: http://www.sltrib.com/news/2017/08/14/paul-swenson-the-american-fork-man-who-had-been-missing-is-found-dead-family-says/