Rodney John OLSEN was born on October 1, 1954. He had moved from his native Britt, Iowa area to a farm northeast of Mason City. He was the father of a young son.

Reportedly, Rodney left his rural home around 1 a.m. on October 18, 1986 and has not been since since then. Several months later, OLSEN'S black 1978 Pontiac Sunbird was discovered abandoned in a Forest City trailer park. There were no clues to indicate what had happened to OLSEN.

Twenty-one years later, OLSEN'S family still think of their lost son. Myrlen, OLSEN'S father, lives in Britt. "You always want to know," he said. "We always have hope."

Myrlen said that Rodney, one of his three children, just "went off in the middle of the night by himself - and after that, we just don't know."

Myrlen keeps in contact with the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Department, hoping that new information about his son's disappearance can be developed. Rodney's son lives in California today.

At the time of his disappearance, Rodney weighed 210 pounds and stood at 6'0?". Although officials reviewed the OLSEN case in 2007, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin PALS said there were no new leads. PALS stated, "I wouldn't say it's cold on the shelf yet, but we're still considering some options on trying to drum something up."

OLSEN'S disappearance remains a mystery to this day.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2011