Buckhannon, West Virginia | Missing Since July 18, 2012

On the afternoon of July 18, 2012, 24-year-old Luke David Stout walked down the long driveway of his family's rural home in Buckhannon, West Virginia. He was carrying the frame of a broken green bicycle and planned to meet someone who was supposed to help him repair it.

Before leaving, Luke told his mother and one of his brothers that he loved them and that he would be back later that day.

His family watched him disappear from view.

It was the last time anyone who loved Luke would ever see him.

More than thirteen years later, Luke's disappearance remains unsolved. His family continues to search for answers, while questions surrounding his case have only multiplied with time.

Who Was Luke Stout?

Luke David Stout was born on July 6, 1988, and grew up in the small Appalachian town of Buckhannon, West Virginia alongside his three older brothers. Although the family faced challenges, they were exceptionally close.

Luke's mother, Elizabeth Stout, affectionately called him "her Lukey" and often referred to her four sons as her "Four Musketeers." Family was the center of Luke's life.

While Buckhannon is known for its forests, rivers, and outdoor recreation, Luke's interests were a little different. He loved spending time playing video games, reading comic books, skateboarding, and creating artwork. Friends and family also described him as a talented carpenter who began working as a teenager.

But the role that defined Luke more than anything else was that of caregiver.

His mother was terminally ill, and Luke chose to remain at home so he could help care for her. Although his brothers frequently stepped in to help, Luke became Elizabeth's primary caregiver, balancing work, family responsibilities, and the challenges of being a young man trying to build his own life.

Those closest to Luke say he was dependable and devoted to his family. Because of his mother's condition, it would have been completely out of character for him to disappear voluntarily without telling anyone where he was going.

That fact would become one of the most troubling aspects of his disappearance.

July 18, 2012

Just twelve days after celebrating his 24th birthday, Luke made plans to spend the afternoon with a friend known publicly only as Dillon. The two intended to repair an old bicycle that Luke planned to give away, and in exchange, Dillon had agreed to help fix Luke's own damaged bicycle.

At the time, bicycles had become Luke's primary means of transportation because his automobile insurance had lapsed, preventing him from driving his car.

According to Luke, Dillon wasn't coming himself. Instead, someone Luke didn't know would arrive in a pickup truck to transport both him and the bicycle.

Rather than wait at the house, Luke walked to the end of the family's long driveway to meet the vehicle.

As he left, he paused long enough to tell his mother and brother something simple but meaningful:

"I love you. I'll be back later."

Those were the last words they would ever hear from him.

When Luke failed to return home that evening, his family immediately sensed something was wrong.

Luke wasn't the type of person to disappear without explanation. More importantly, his mother depended on him for daily care. Missing a night at home without any communication simply wasn't something Luke would have done willingly.

His brothers began searching for him that same evening.

They would find nothing.

The Search for Luke Stout and the Early Investigation

As night fell on July 18, 2012, Luke Stout still hadn't returned home.

For most families, that would have been enough to spark concern. For the Stout family, it was something far more alarming.

Luke wasn't simply living at home—he was his terminally ill mother's primary caregiver. He had responsibilities that he took seriously, and his family knew there was no chance he would simply disappear without telling someone where he was going.

Something had happened.

His brothers immediately began searching throughout Buckhannon, hoping Luke had simply lost track of time or run into someone he knew. They tried to determine exactly who he had gone to meet that afternoon, but no one seemed to know much about the friend Luke had mentioned. The only name they had was "Dillon," and despite asking around, they couldn't locate Luke or anyone who knew where he might be.

A Frustrating Response

When the Stout family attempted to report Luke missing, they were met with frustration.

According to the family, law enforcement showed little interest in taking an immediate missing person report. Convinced that Luke would never voluntarily leave his mother behind, his loved ones continued searching on their own while pleading for help from authorities.

The first day passed without answers.

Then the second.

Despite her declining health, Luke's mother, Elizabeth, joined the search herself, desperately hoping to find some sign of her youngest son. By the third day, panic had completely set in. The family says they still struggled to get authorities to take Luke's disappearance seriously.

The Bicycle Discovery

Then came what appeared to be the first possible clue.

Behind a pharmacy in Buckhannon, Luke's brothers found his personal bicycle leaning against a trailer.

This wasn't the green bicycle Luke had carried down the driveway on the day he disappeared. Instead, it was Luke's own damaged bike—the one Dillon had supposedly agreed to repair. The handlebars were still broken, suggesting no repairs had ever been made.

Believing the bicycle could be an important piece of evidence, the family immediately contacted law enforcement.

According to the Stout family, officers never responded to examine the scene. Instead, they were reportedly told there was nothing police could do about a bicycle and were instructed to simply load it up and take it home themselves.

Whether the bicycle was connected to Luke's disappearance remains unknown. It is entirely possible Luke had left it there days earlier after it broke down.

Still, to his family, it represented one of the only physical clues they had—and they couldn't understand why it wasn't investigated further.

Silence Throughout Buckhannon

As the search continued, another troubling pattern began to emerge.

Family members later said that many people in Buckhannon seemed reluctant to talk about Luke's disappearance. Conversations led nowhere. Potential witnesses offered little information, and every lead ended in disappointment.

Eventually, several days after Luke vanished, authorities officially accepted a missing person report.

By then, precious time had already passed.

Elizabeth refused to stop fighting for her son.

She publicly questioned why no one seemed willing to discuss Luke's disappearance and why law enforcement had appeared so hesitant to investigate from the beginning.

Unfortunately, those questions remain unanswered more than thirteen years later.

Joshua Oberg's Murder, Rodolfo "Chino" Correa, and the Possible Connection to Luke Stout

Just five days after Luke Stout disappeared, another tragedy unfolded in Buckhannon.

On July 23, 2012, authorities discovered a body buried in a shallow grave along Bull Run Road, a rural area outside of town.

The victim was not Luke.

It was 29-year-old Joshua Oberg.

At the time, the Stout family had never heard of Joshua Oberg. But over the months and years that followed, the two cases would become closely intertwined in the minds of many people in the Buckhannon community.

To this day, investigators have never publicly confirmed that the two cases are connected.

Even so, the circumstances surrounding Joshua's murder—and the people responsible for it—have led many to wonder whether Luke's disappearance may be linked.

The Murder of Joshua Oberg

Joshua Oberg had recently moved to Buckhannon from Rhode Island.

According to court records, rumors had circulated that Joshua was involved in a relationship with a woman named Kelli, who was married to Rodolfo Correa, better known around town as "Chino." Whether the affair actually occurred has never been definitively established, but prosecutors alleged that Correa believed it had.

Fueled by jealousy, Correa allegedly hired Jessie Lee Heater to kill Joshua for $5,000.

With assistance from Robert Siron, Joshua was lured to a remote area, shot to death, and buried in a shallow grave off Bull Run Road.

The murder might never have been solved had Siron not eventually cooperated with investigators. He led authorities to discarded evidence, identified the murder weapon, and provided details about the crime in exchange for a reduced sentence.

Ultimately:

• Jessie Lee Heater was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy.
• Rodolfo "Chino" Correa pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy.
• Robert Siron received a lesser sentence after cooperating with investigators.

All three men remain imprisoned for Joshua Oberg's murder.

The Connection to Luke

The obvious question is:

What does Joshua Oberg's murder have to do with Luke Stout?

The answer lies in an incident that reportedly occurred just months before Luke disappeared.

According to Luke's family, Luke also knew Kelli, the same woman at the center of the rumors involving Joshua Oberg. Some local residents have claimed that Correa believed Luke was also romantically involved with her, although that allegation has never been officially confirmed.

At some point before Luke vanished, Luke and Correa allegedly had a violent confrontation.

Luke reportedly returned home with what his family described as a bruise on his forehead resembling the imprint of a gun barrel. His mother urged him to report the incident to police, but according to the family, little action was taken.

Another story has circulated among local residents for years.

Some claim Luke once attempted to report Correa to law enforcement for assault but ended up being detained or arrested himself. However, no public arrest records documenting such an incident have been located, and the circumstances remain unclear.

Coincidence, or Something More?

These events have fueled speculation ever since Luke disappeared.

If Correa was willing to orchestrate Joshua Oberg's murder over a suspected relationship with Kelli, some wonder whether Luke may have become another target.

Others caution that there is no publicly available evidence proving Correa, Heater, or Siron had anything to do with Luke's disappearance.

Investigators have never announced charges in Luke's case, and none of the three men have publicly been linked to his disappearance by law enforcement.

Still, the timing is difficult to ignore.

Luke vanished on July 18, 2012.

Joshua Oberg's body was discovered just five days later.

Both cases unfolded in the same small West Virginia community, and both involve allegations surrounding the same individuals.

Whether those similarities point to the truth, or are simply an extraordinary coincidence, remains one of the biggest unanswered questions in Luke Stout's disappearance.

The Stout Family's Fight for Answers

As the weeks turned into months, Luke Stout's disappearance became about more than a missing persons case.

For his family, it became a relentless fight to convince people that Luke mattered—and that someone should be looking for him.

No one fought harder than Luke's mother, Elizabeth Stout.

Already battling a terminal illness, Elizabeth refused to accept that her youngest son had simply vanished without explanation. She spoke publicly about what she believed was a lack of urgency in the investigation and repeatedly questioned why authorities had been so reluctant to act during those critical first days after Luke disappeared.

Rising Tensions

As time went on, tensions between the Stout family and local officials only grew.

Elizabeth said community members began telling her that a local police officer had been making disparaging remarks about Luke while off duty at local bars. Outraged, she took her concerns to the media.

According to Elizabeth, the mayor encouraged her to address the issue during a city council meeting.

She did.

The meeting reportedly became heated, and Elizabeth was eventually escorted out.

The following months proved especially difficult for the family.

In September 2012, Elizabeth was charged with assaulting a police officer following an incident at a hospital. One of Luke's brothers was also charged with assaulting an officer, while another brother faced a domestic violence charge after an altercation involving a family member.

Elizabeth later said the emotional toll of Luke's disappearance—and the family's frustration with the investigation—had pushed everyone to a breaking point.

While some pointed to these incidents as evidence of dysfunction within the family, Elizabeth maintained that their lives had unraveled only after Luke disappeared and they felt abandoned by those who were supposed to help find him.

A Search Organization Turned Away

Determined to bring additional resources into the investigation, Elizabeth contacted Texas EquuSearch, one of the nation's best-known volunteer search organizations.

The nonprofit agreed to assist.

There was only one problem.

Like many organizations of its kind, Texas EquuSearch required approval or cooperation from law enforcement before conducting an official search.

According to Elizabeth, she pleaded with the West Virginia State Police to allow the organization to participate.

The request was denied.

No public explanation has ever been provided for why the offer of free search assistance was declined. As a result, Texas EquuSearch never deployed volunteers to search for Luke.

Elizabeth Never Gave Up

Despite her worsening health, Elizabeth continued advocating for Luke year after year.

She gave interviews, organized searches, spoke with reporters, and refused to let her son's name be forgotten.

Sadly, she would never learn what happened to him.

Elizabeth passed away in 2020, eight years after Luke disappeared.

She spent the remainder of her life searching for answers and hoping that someone would finally come forward with information about her youngest son.

A Break in the Case?

For nearly a decade, there appeared to be little movement in Luke's investigation.

Then, in December 2022, investigators suddenly returned to work.

On December 12, 2022, members of the West Virginia State Police, the Upshur County Sheriff's Office, and the FBI executed a search warrant at a property near Ellamore, West Virginia, approximately eight miles southeast of Buckhannon.

Authorities spent three days excavating portions of the property.

Officials revealed only that the search was connected to Luke Stout's disappearance.

The warrant itself remained sealed, and investigators never disclosed what information had led them there. The property owner stated he had cooperated fully but had no idea why his land had become the focus of the investigation.

When the excavation concluded on December 14, no evidence was recovered.

Another Search on Bull Run Road

Just a few months later, investigators announced yet another search.

In May 2023, authorities returned to Bull Run Road—the same rural area where Joshua Oberg's body had been discovered in 2012.

Officials said they were acting on an anonymous tip.

Once again, however, the search failed to uncover any evidence.

Although neither search produced answers, they demonstrated something Luke's family had waited years to see:

Investigators were still actively pursuing leads.

For a brief time, hope returned that Luke's case might finally be approaching a breakthrough.

Unfortunately, the mystery remains unsolved.

The Questions That Still Remain in Luke Stout's Disappearance

More than thirteen years after Luke Stout walked down his family's driveway and disappeared, investigators still have no answers.

Despite multiple searches, years of speculation, and the convictions of three men in an unrelated Buckhannon murder case, no one has been charged in Luke's disappearance.

His case remains one of West Virginia's most perplexing unsolved mysteries.

The Unanswered Questions

Like many long-term missing persons cases, Luke's disappearance leaves behind far more questions than answers.

Who Was "Dillon"?

One of the biggest mysteries centers around the friend Luke intended to meet that afternoon.

According to Luke, a friend named Dillon had agreed to help repair his bicycles. Dillon reportedly told Luke that someone else—someone Luke did not know—would drive to the end of the family's driveway in a pickup truck to pick him up.

Who was Dillon?

Who was the unidentified driver?

Did Luke ever get into that truck?

Authorities have never publicly identified either individual or explained whether they were ever located or interviewed.

What Really Happened Between Luke and Rodolfo Correa?

Another lingering question involves Rodolfo "Chino" Correa.

Luke's family has long maintained that Luke had a frightening confrontation with Correa months before his disappearance. According to them, Luke was threatened with a firearm and attempted to report the incident.

However, much of what has circulated publicly comes from family accounts and local rumors rather than official investigative findings.

While Correa has been convicted in Joshua Oberg's murder, investigators have never publicly named him as a suspect in Luke's disappearance.

Why Did the Investigation Start So Slowly?

Perhaps the most difficult question for Luke's family is one they've asked for years:

Why wasn't Luke's disappearance treated more urgently?

His family has consistently said authorities were reluctant to take a missing persons report during those crucial first days. They also questioned why Luke's bicycle wasn't processed as possible evidence and why outside search organizations were reportedly not permitted to assist.

Whether those early decisions affected the investigation is impossible to know.

But for Luke's loved ones, those questions have never gone away.

Possible Theories

Over the years, several theories have emerged.

Foul Play

The most widely discussed theory is that Luke was the victim of foul play.

Supporters of this theory point to Luke's reported conflict with Rodolfo Correa, the timing of Joshua Oberg's murder, and the searches conducted near Bull Run Road years later.

However, investigators have never publicly confirmed that Luke's case is connected to Joshua Oberg's murder, and no evidence has been released linking anyone to Luke's disappearance.

An Accident

Given the rugged terrain surrounding Buckhannon, including forests, rivers, abandoned mine areas, and remote countryside, some have wondered whether Luke may have suffered an accident while traveling that afternoon.

The area offers countless places where someone could become lost or where remains could go undiscovered for years.

To date, however, no evidence has surfaced to support this possibility.

Other Possibilities

Other theories, including self-harm or voluntary disappearance, have occasionally been suggested.

Those closest to Luke strongly reject those ideas.

Family members have consistently stated that Luke would never have willingly abandoned his terminally ill mother, who depended on him every day. His disappearance was completely out of character.

Luke's Description

At the time he disappeared, Luke Stout was:

• 24 years old
• 5 feet 7 inches tall
• Approximately 120 pounds
• Brown hair
• Brown eyes

He was last seen wearing:

• A black T-shirt with the sleeves cut off
• Blue jeans
• Black sneakers with neon green shoelaces
• A light jacket
• A silver-colored prayer ring

Luke also had a tattoo of skulls on his shoulder. As a child, he underwent surgery for a bone infection, leaving one leg slightly shorter than the other and a noticeable scar on his lower leg.

How You Can Help

Anyone with information about the disappearance of Luke David Stout is encouraged to contact the West Virginia State Police – Buckhannon Detachment at (304) 473-4200.