Big Thicket Mystery

I’ve mentioned before that my home is located at the Northeast corner of Harris County, where Harris, Montgomery and Liberty Counties meet.  It is at the Southwest edge of an area know as the Big Thicket; an area of dense woods and swamps that is almost impenetrable in places.

Historically, the Big Thicket has claimed its share of hunters, explorers, etc.  I used to think that was a thing of the past, but in the past year three men have vanished in the area without a trace.  These men were practically neighbors – one lived just north of me in Plum Grove, another just south in Crosby, and the third just east of here off Hwy 321.

For three families waiting for answers, the forbidding woods and bogs of north Liberty County seem to have swallowed their fathers up.

"How can people be swallowed whole and never seen again like this? This is crazy," said Kimberly Rogers, whose father, Dennis, was the last of the three men to disappear nearly 10 months ago.

When she tried to put out fliers for him, she was rebuffed by store clerks who thought she had already been there. The clerks were confused by fliers posted earlier for the other two missing men.

"It's more than weird. It's unbelievable," said Amanda Rhineburger, whose father, Mark, was reported missing four weeks before Kimberly's.

David Rogers, whose father, Edwin, was the first to be reported missing more than a year ago on Jan. 6, can't believe someone hasn't come forward with a single clue leading to their whereabouts.

All three men vanished over a 10-week span within a 20-mile radius of one another. They were not only fathers but also grandfathers who kept in regular contact with family, not the types to wander far from home.

Two of the missing - Edwin Rogers and Mark Rhineburger - mysteriously vanished after abandoning their vehicles along roadways with the keys still in them. The third, Dennis Rogers, disappeared while on his daily walk with his last cell phone call giving a "pinged" location in the middle of a remote swampy area.

Although two of the missing were named Rogers, none of the men are related. Their bank accounts and credit cards have remained untouched since they disappeared.

Anyone with information about the three missing men should contact the Liberty County Sheriff's Department at 936-336-4500. The missing are:

 Edwin Clark Rogers: Reported missing Jan. 6, 2012

 Mark Rhineburger: Reported missing Feb. 15, 2012

 Dennis Rogers: Reported missing March 8, 2012