Missing
Ritchard Hayes Temple
Temple, approximately 2015
Date and time person was reported missing : 07/25/2015
Missing location (approx) :
Town Creek, Maryland
Missing classification : Lost/Injured Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
Age at the time of disappearance: 52 years old
Height / Weight : 6'0, 200 pounds
Medical conditions : Temple suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, a neurological condition that causes progressive muscle atrophy. It's uncurable and fatal; the median survival time is three to five years. As a result of his condition, Temple has limited use of his right arm and hand. He walks with a limp and needs a cane or walking stick to assist with mobility.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Graying blond hair, blue eyes. Temple wears wire-rimmed eyeglasses. His nickname is Ritch.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Temple was last seen on July 25, 2015. He was hiking the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath, an 184.5-mile trail between Cumberland, Maryland and Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. He had hiked from Harpers Ferry to Cumberland and was on the way back to Harpers Ferry when he disappeared.
His last communications were near Town Creek, Maryland. In early August, when National Park Service rangers launched a search, they found some of Temple's belongings on the banks of the river near Town Creek. An extensive search turned up no other sign of him. His case remains unsolved.
Some accounts report Temple disappeared from Leesburg, Virginia. Virginia police are investigating his case.
Other information and links : ncy
Loudoun County, Virginia Sheriff's Office
703-777-0445
September 2021 updates and sources
Virginia State Police
The Chronicle of the Horse
The Journal News
The Baltimore Sun
October 12, 2004. September 5, 2016; .
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
