# Two Students- Gone **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 21, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061 "2003-01-21T21:17:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/1 "2003-01-21T21:17:31Z")
I don’t know either of them personally, but as a peer I somehow feel obligated to share their mysterious story. As of Monday, two students at my high school simply disappeared. They were boating together on a local lake, Lake Livingston, and their watercraft was found abandoned and adrift, three miles from their launching point. The motor’s cover had been removed, as if they were inspecting something, but otherwise everything was in order. Except for their whereabouts. Lake Livingston is a somewhat vast lake, spanning roughly 83,000 acres, and dotted with numerous small isles. It’s a popular vacation spot, as many families around here own or rent property on the lakeside. Currently, more than a hundred volunteers are searching the lake and its nearby woods, in hopes of finding them. Theories abound as to what happened to them. A common thought is that the teens figured they had engine trouble for one reason or another, and decided to abandon ship. After abandoning, they presumably swam to one of the many small outcroppings of land. That’s really no problem, as the weather was fair last night. However, it may drop to freezing in the next two nights. As I previously noted, I didn’t know either of them. The female of the couple was in my grade, and I knew of her. The male, a senior, was a student of my mother’s last year. Although on outward inspection my mother seems to be taking this in stride, she is now cleaning the house with much fervor. She’s clearly distraught. I personally don’t know how to feel. I feel lost, and hopeless for them. As a pessimist by nature, I’m expecting the worst. Hopefully things will be all right. For those of you with access to the Houston Chronicle: [http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/1743818](http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/1743818) ---
**Author:** ![mudcrutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@mudcrutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mudcrutch)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/2 "2003-01-21T23:29:00Z")
[This](http://www.texasequusearch.org/missing%20persons%20bulletins/mercerandyoung.htm) is the flyer for the missing teens. Hopefully they swam to shore. Lake Livingston is big and I imagine it is pretty easy to get lost out there. They may show up by themselves sooner or later, who knows? Here’s hoping, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/3 "2003-01-21T23:31:06Z")
Yeeks-- they are both wearing camouflage. That’s going to make spotting them even harder. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/4 "2003-01-22T02:29:35Z")
That’s what I thought, **Beadalin**. Although she was wearing jeans…hopefully they aren’t really dark blue, so they can be seen easier. That’s pretty scary. I hope they’re ok. We had two high school girls disappear at one point, no note, nothing. They just weren’t there one day. About 3 weeks later they came home from a “trip” to Montreal. Everyone was panicing about them, and they just thought they were old enough (16) to do what they wanted, without permission. I hope these two kids aren’t doing something like that, although its better than many alternatives I can think of. I hope they come home soon. ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/5 "2003-01-22T02:55:42Z")
Well, her having a pink beanie should be helpful. Going back to school tomorrow (I missed today) will be tought. A lot of the girl’s friends are in my math class. Even though I don’t know her, for that period it will seem like I do. I try and hope for the best. And then my one time dentist is featured on national news as jury selection in her trial got underway today. She has been arrested for the murder of her husband- by running him over repeatedly. Life has become a bit surreal lately. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/6 "2003-01-22T03:01:55Z")
On the note of **mnemosyne** , when I was in seventh grade or so a friend’s older sister and her friend stole the car of one of their parents and took off. They _almost_ made it to Mexico. Stupid kids. It’s my guess maybe the kids made it ashore to one of islands. Or drowned. One of them. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/7 "2003-01-22T03:09:06Z")
The Aspirin Kid (94?), Queens of Armed Robbery, Andrea Yates, that guy that killed his wife, lover, and self in the parking lot of my local hospital, Enron, the Texans, Dentist Mc.Run-over lady: we sure live in a crazy mixed up town, **Daoloth**. ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/8 "2003-02-03T00:15:15Z")
Just for anyone still interested, they found the bodies this morning and afternoon. They floated to the surface in the warm weather. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/9 "2003-02-03T00:21:06Z")
:Silence: ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/10 "2003-02-03T00:23:47Z")
Oh, how awful. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/11 "2003-02-03T01:10:32Z")
☹ ☹ ☹ ☹ ☹ ☹ ☹ ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/12 "2003-02-03T01:56:49Z")
Have they been able to sort out what happened? Any more details availible? This is really sad… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/13 "2003-02-03T02:02:58Z")
What’s the speculated scenario? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/14 "2003-02-03T02:09:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Speaker for the Dead \* > \*\*What’s the speculated scenario? \*\* Much BS will be bandied about, but I’ll bet nobody _ever_ knows for certain. ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/15 "2003-02-03T02:10:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Speaker for the Dead \* > \*\*What’s the speculated scenario? \*\* Right now the prevailing hypothesis is that their boat struck a submerged tree stump, knocking them into the frigid water. From there hypothermia presumably set in and claimed them. However, there are some doubts to this scenario, because: -Both are experienced swimmers -How could they both be knocked overboard striking something while in a john boat? -the male had a boating license -both have spent years vacationing on the lake We’ll have to wait for autopsies before any conclusions can really be speculated, I guess. Sadly, the Mercer family has now lost both their children, one to a bike accident 12 years ago today, and now their daughter Melissa, who was found today. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/16 "2003-02-03T02:36:18Z")
How awful . . . We just lost four high schoolers in New York about a week ago; they set off in a tiny little rowboat on a sub-zero night and were never seen again (the bodies haven’t been found yet). ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/17 "2003-02-03T02:37:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eve \* > \*\*How awful . . . We just lost four high schoolers in New York about a week ago; they set off in a tiny little rowboat on a sub-zero night and were never seen again (the bodies haven’t been found yet). \*\* Ah. I heard about that. I heard tonight they found the empty boat. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Siegfried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Siegfried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siegfried)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-students-gone/150061/18 "2003-02-03T06:22:33Z")
I heard the news report about this accident and finding the bodies this evening on the news. I’m sorry to hear about this; it sounds like they were both really good people. I wish you all the best as you grieve for your classmates. I went to high school near you, **Daoloth**. I’m a '97 grad of Cy-Fair High School. We lost a couple good kids while I was there. One died after a pickup truck she was riding in crashed. The other (who was also a friend of my sister) died when a shotgun accidently fired and hit him. I didn’t know either of them, but it still hit me personally. I can understand what you’re going through.