Shivangi Sinha
In July 2009, Michael Bradyn Fuksa spent a night with his girlfriend, and afterward, a neighbor observed him entering his parents’ house. Subsequently, he failed to communicate with any family members or friends, leading to the filing of a missing person report. In the episode titled ‘Disappeared: Lost Highway,’ various small details that emerged after Fuksa’s disappearance are scrutinized, along with a secret he had been keeping from his family. The investigation seeks to determine whether something unfortunate occurred to Fuksa or if he chose to depart voluntarily.
Bradyn Fuksa Left Kansas and His Car was Found in Wyoming
Michael Bradyn Fuksa, born to Todd and Starla Fuksa in May 1987, was raised in Olathe, Kansas, surrounded by the love of his family. Known for his diligence and minimal trouble-making, he graduated with good scores from Olathe East High School. Following high school, he enrolled in community college while residing in his parents’ home. Expressing his aspiration to work as a game warden in Montana, he moved out of his family’s house in 2009, opting to live with a roommate in Lawrence, Kansas. He secured a job in loss prevention at the Olathe Bass Pro Shop.
Living with his best friend as a roommate, Michael Bradyn Fuksa embarked on a new romantic journey with Megan Loach after a four-year-long relationship came to an end. While his ex-girlfriend, Alana Ryan, characterized Bradyn as shy, Megan portrayed him as outgoing and social. On the night of July 14, 2009, Bradyn and Megan enjoyed a cozy evening at his house, preparing dinner together. The following morning, he informed Megan and his flatmate that he planned to spend the night at his parents’ house in Olathe. However, his parents were out of town at this time.
On July 15, his parents observed an $800 withdrawal from their account, a sum slightly larger than the occasional amounts he would borrow from them. Initially not overly worried, they sent him a text. However, as the next day unfolded without any response from Bradyn, their concern heightened as it deviated from his usual behavior. Attempting to reach out to his roommate and girlfriend, they discovered that neither had heard from him. Megan mentioned that he had left very early on the morning of July 15, and neighbors reported seeing him enter the house for about 15 minutes in the morning.
The parents also discovered that their 9mm gun, kept for protection, was missing, and as only family members were aware of it, they suspected Bradyn had taken it. On July 19, they filed a missing person report and subsequently learned that Bradyn’s car, registered in his name, had been found abandoned on the highway in Wyoming. The car had been located in the middle of the road on July 16, and it was only after the missing person report that it was linked to Bradyn. Inside the car, his car keys, along with some personal belongings such as clothes and a phone, were discovered.
The police began investigating Bradyn and discovered that he had been facing financial difficulties recently. His flatmate revealed that he had been late on rent a couple of times. Further investigation revealed that on July 9, he was arrested for felony theft and accused of stealing $1000 from the Olathe Bass Pro Shop. Although he returned most of the money, he spent a night at the New Century Adult Detention Center in Gardner, Kansas. Bradyn was released but had a court appearance scheduled for July 16.
The police began to suspect that, as a diligent young man who had never had run-ins with the police, Bradyn might have been frightened by spending the night at the station and decided to run away on his own. They discovered a receipt from an auto-repair shop for a changed tire. After contacting the person from the shop named Reuben Kauffman, he informed them that Bradyn had called him to change the tire and also requested a ride from the pit stop, asking to be dropped off at his car. According to Kauffman, when asked where he was headed, Bradyn replied that he was going to Cheyenne.
The parents were aware of Bradyn’s fondness for the outdoors, particularly hiking and climbing, and believed that if he chose to disappear, Cheyenne seemed like the type of place he would go. Despite the uncertainty surrounding his disappearance, they held onto the hope that wherever he was, he would be safe. Additionally, they wished for him to realize that whatever awaited him at home was not as daunting as he might have thought and hoped for his return to confront it.
Bradyn Fuksa’s Remains Were Found by Hikers
On May 3, 2015, two hikers exploring the Wolf Creek area of Casper, Wyoming, discovered human remains beneath some leaves. They promptly notified the police, who also found a 9mm gun and a backpack near the remains. The body was sent to the coroner for identification, and the report on May 8 confirmed that the body belonged to 22-year-old Michael Bradyn Fuksa. His identity was verified through dental records, and the cause of death was determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Details surrounding how Michael Bradyn Fuksa arrived at the location where he was found and any public statements from his family remain undisclosed.
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