10 Strangest Vietnam War Unsolved Mysteries
9. The Disappearance Of Charles E. Shelton
Charles E. Shelton was an officer in the United States Air Force. After performing a reconnaissance mission over Laos on 22 April 1965, he was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. He sent out a radio report as soon as he could, in it he stated he had escaped by parachute. A helicopter was dispatched to search for him. Unfortunately, due to poor visibility, he could not be found. Six days after his crash, his wife was informed that he had been captured by Laotian Communist forces. Although the family heard stories from villagers, often about his bravery in the camps, he was never released.
His wife became an active member of POW-MIA Movement in an attempt to find him. Unfortunately, all the effort was in vain, they could never make any headway into finding him. In 1990 she committed suicide by gunshot apparently due to her frustration and despair over her inability to find him.
In 1994 the Army made one final search of the area where he was suspected to be captured, in an attempt to find any evidence that may have been missed. In September 1994 his status was changed from Missing in Action to Killed In Action after this search and at the behest of his children.