Viswa Vanapalli
In November 2002, a fun night out at a friend’s place was the last time anyone saw young Joshua Guimond. The investigation that followed was hampered by few clues and little evidence regarding what happened. Netflix’s ‘Unsolved Mysteries: What Happened to Josh?’ focuses on the tragic case and how the case progressed over the years.
What Happened to Joshua Guimond?
Born in June 1982 to Lisa Cheney and Brian Guimond, Joshua Guimond grew up a happy kid. After graduating from Maple Lake High School in Minnesota, the 20-year-old chose to attend St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. At the time, Joshua had grand plans for his future, hoping to attend law school and then explore a career in politics. But all that changed during his junior year in November 2002.
On November 9, Joshua attended a party at another dormitory on campus, Metten Court, to play cards with some of his friends. He arrived around 11:30 pm, and by all accounts, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. As per the show, Joshua got up from his seat somewhere close to midnight, and many assumed he was headed to the bathroom. However, the 20-year-old seemingly vanished into thin air that night and was reported missing on November 10, 2002.
Joshua Guimond: Missing Without a Trace
As per the show, a search of Joshua Guimond’s room revealed nothing amiss. All his belongings, including his contact lenses, spectacles, credit card, and keys to his car, were still there. Also, his car was still parked in the parking lot. The last time Joshua’s keycard was accessed to get into the room was at 11:06 pm on November 9, 2002, when his friends said he went in to get more beer. The walk between Metten Court and St. Maur House, where Joshua’s dorm room was located, was only three minutes long.
Between 12:15 and 12:30 am on November 10, 2002, two witnesses saw a man matching Joshua’s description walking past them on the route between the two dorms. Over the next few days, the authorities searched all over the campus but found no clue regarding Joshua’s whereabouts or what might have happened to him. The investigators initially considered the possibility of Joshua falling into one of the lakes on campus. But despite searches over the years, there has been no evidence that pointed to him submerging in one of the water bodies.
As per the show, the family brought in a bloodhound to help with the search in December 2002. The dog eventually traced Joshua’s scent to Saint John’s Abbey, a monastery on campus. Around the time of Joshua’s disappearance, some of the monks at the Abbey were accused of sexual abuse, with the university settling several claims. Josh’s father, Brian, later learned that these monks supervised Josh’s dorm and the one he was at before he went missing.
Ultimately, though, the authorities stated that none of the staff members or the monks were involved with Joshua’s vanishing. While the police didn’t initially consider abduction a possibility, that changed in 2005. According to the show, in 2008, Joshua’s computer was examined, and it was revealed that someone had used an internet washer program sometime after his disappearance. A few years later, technological advances helped the police learn more about what was removed.
The investigators realized that Joshua had been active on Yahoo! Personals, an online dating service, where he had at least two accounts impersonating a woman. So, the possibility of Joshua meeting someone he didn’t fully know was considered. For now, the authorities have maintained that the case remains active and have been trying to identify the men in the images found on Joshua’s hard drive.
Read More: Where Are Joshua Guimond’s Parents Now?
