Missing
Joseph Louis Santi
Santi, approximately 1977
Date and time person was reported missing : 01/22/1977
Missing location (approx) :
Salt Lake City, Utah
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 04/20/1922 (99)
Age at the time of disappearance: 54 years old
Height / Weight : 5'5 - 6'1, 160 - 190 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Graying brown hair, brown eyes. Santi's nickname is Joe. He had a mustache at the time of his disappearance.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Santi was last seen in Salt Lake City, Utah on January 22, 1977. The day before his disappearance he had gone to a tavern with a friend, because he wanted to buy $100,000 in coins at a discount from a stranger, and wanted his friend to appraise the coins. Santi had the bartender call the coin dealer, but the person never showed up, and Santi's friend told him, "I think you're being set up." Later that night, Santi called his friend and said the coin sale was back on. His friend told him to be careful. He has never been heard from again.
Several of his relatives, including his estranged wife, came to his apartment in the 80 block of 300 North looking for him after he missed an appointment with a friend, but he was nowhere to be found. At the apartment, Santi's shoes were sitting in front of the couch, and on the coffee table was an ashtray with a cigarette butt in it. He didn't smoke. $10,000 in cash and a case of jewelry were missing, but he left behind his watch, and his three vehicles were still parked outside.
He was known as a wealthy, prominent businessman in the area: he was a managing partner in the Royal Inn in the 200 block of south West Temple in Salt Lake City and owned the theater in Price, and made money in uranium mining, property developments, and jewelry. However, he was deep in debt and living beyond his means, his creditors were demanding payment and he was being investigated by the IRS. He had allegedly embezzled about $300,000 from the Royal Inn, and he was supposed to testify against his brother and others in a multimillion dollar stock scam in California. There was speculation that he left the country, but evidence to support this theory.
Foul play is suspected in his case. His wife, from whom he had been separated for about six months by January 1977, suggested he had been kidnapped and murdered. Seventeen months after he was last seen, he was declared legally dead.
Since Santi's disappearance his wife and daughter have both died. One of his childhood friends is still alive, however, and hopes for answers in his case. His case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Salt Lake City Police Department
801-799-3000
September 2021 updates and sources
Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Price Sun-Advocate
ABC 4
The Salt Lake Tribune
October 12, 2004. November 16, 2020; picture added, Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
