Joel Mark Wells

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Kentucky State Police (KY)

Missing From:

Hazard, Kentucky

Summary:

Joel Mark Wells was a 21-year-old white male who went missing from Hazard, Kentucky on January 15, 1994. After getting into an argument with friends at a shopping center, he walked to a Burger King restaurant, banged on the door appearing panicked as if someone was after him, and police arrived within minutes but he was already gone. His case remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Wells was last seen in Hazard, Kentucky on January 15, 1994. He had been at a party with friends earlier, and the friends later told police they planned to shoplift items from Walmart, then return the stolen goods for cash and use the money to buy alcohol. Wells got into an argument with his friends, walked away from them and went to a Burger King restaurant at Black Gold Shopping Center. Wells banged on the door of the establishment, which was in the process of closing, and made strange facial expressions, appearing panicked and as if someone was after him. The employees at the Burger King called the police, who arrived within minutes, but by then Wells was gone. The employee last saw Joel running off towards the KY 15 bypass. Wells apparently attempted to catch a ride with customers exiting the Walmart in the same shopping center after he was last seen at the Burger King. It was an extremely cold night that night, too cold for anyone to be out walking.

Additional Details:

On January 16, Joel's sisters filed a missing persons report when they realized he hadn't come home the night before. On January 23, police sent 13 K9's out to search the area where Joel was last seen. The dogs picked up a scent which they tracked to the Hazard bypass, leading them to the river behind City Hall. That's where the trail went cold. A search of the water and land around the river turned up no clues. The Hazard police turned Joel's case over to Kentucky State Police, who searched the lakes and rivers in the area, and did testing on blood splatter found on a vehicle, but were unable to find any further evidence in Joel's case. The night before Joel's disappearance a local high school student was murdered during his shift at a gas station on Main Street in Hazard. The unnamed student was shot to death during a robbery. The murderer was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Authorities investigated the possibility that Joel's disappearance was related to the murder, but did not find any evidence to support the theory. Due to the murder the night before, it is believed people in Hazard were hesitant to help Joel as he was pleading for help the night he disappeared. Wells is one of fourteen children and left behind two sons. Mark's sister, Pam Brewer, stated that Mark got out of the car, and that was the last time they saw him.

Case Last Updated:

Nov 15, 2026