Viswa Vanapalli
When a 20-year-old junior at a university suddenly disappeared in November 2002, his loved ones were devastated. Joshua Guimond’s abrupt vanishing from a friend’s house left everyone with more questions than answers. Netflix’s ‘Unsolved Mysteries: What Happened to Josh?’ chronicles what happened to Joshua and where the investigation went as time progressed. It also features interviews with Joshua’s parents, Lisa Cheney and Brian Guimond. So, if you’re curious to find out more, here’s what we know.
Who Are Joshua Guimond’s Parents?
Joshua Guimond is Lisa Cheney and Brian Guimoind’s only son. He was a standout student in school and wanted to pursue law at Northwestern University in Illinois. But before that, Joshua was a student at St. John’s University in Stearns County, Minnesota. In November 2002, Joshua didn’t go on his regular hunting trip with Brian, staying back on campus because of homework. But on November 9, a night of poker at a friend’s dorm just three minutes away from his changed things forever.
Joshua left the party around midnight, only to be never seen again. He was reported missing the following day, but the authorities had little to go on, and there were no clues that pointed to what happened. Initially, the police considered the possibility of Joshua falling into a lake after drinking. However, there was no evidence of that. Brian said, “The first twenty-four hours are the most critical, and they just kept saying, ‘He’s in the lake.’ Well, where’s your evidence? They just kept saying, ‘He’s in the lake.’ They just kept repeating it.”
Brian later convinced an investigative organization to search the lakes, and no evidence connecting Joshua was found. The family continued their search around the campus for Joshua and had ample help from volunteers. A few weeks into the disappearance, they searched the woods close to the university. Lisa also felt that the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office could have done better, adding, “We feel there’s just not enough communication. We’re saying to them that they need to call us every day. We’re trying to find other avenues or go over their heads to see if we can get the BCA in there.”
Despite the searches, what happened to Joshua remained a mystery. Brian later speculated that his son’s disappearance could have had something to do with the Abbey on campus. The monastery’s monks had been accused of sexual abuse, and as per the show, a bloodhound tracked Joshua’s scent to the monastery. While Brian felt that his son was possibly “set up and grabbed,” the authorities thought otherwise.
Where Are Joshua Guimond’s Parents Today?
In the years that followed, Lisa and Brian appeared on the news to keep Joshua’s story in the spotlight. Later, Brian was handed a restraining order by Joshua’s university. Nevertheless, he has continued to push for answers. In March 2021, he filed a lawsuit against the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office to gain access to Joshua’s investigative file.
While Brian stated that he had a theory about what happened, he refused to talk about it. For now, Lisa and Brian, who were separated by the time Joshua disappeared, live in Maple Lake, Minnesota. As of 2016, Brian worked as a landscaper. On the other hand, it appears that Lisa has maintained a low profile since then.
