Donald Messier

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Vermont State Police Berlin (VT)

Missing From:

Waitsfield, Vermont

Summary:

Donald Messier was a 34-year-old Waterbury, Vermont resident who disappeared on October 15, 2006, after leaving a party in Waitsfield. His vehicle was found submerged in the Winooski River in October 2022, but he remains missing. Despite extensive searches and the vehicle recovery, no human remains have been found.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Messier was last seen at a party in Waitsfield, Vermont at 2:00 a.m. on October 15, 2006. On October 4, 2006, one day before he was last seen, Messier went to a friend's house to watch a NASCAR race before making his way to a party in the town of Waitsfield. He left the gathering driving his red 1997 Ford F-150 dual cab pickup truck and has never been heard from again. Donald did not show up to work on that following Monday or make any contact with friends or family since that day in October. Donald Messier, 34, of Waterbury was reported missing by family members on October 18, 2006, after he was last seen in the early morning hours of October 15, 2006, at a party in Waitsfield, VT.

Additional Details:

Family reported that Donald was depressed and possibly suicidal. Messier, an employee of a Green Mountain Coffee Roasters plant, was in the midst of a divorce at the time of his disappearance. Since his disappearance, Messier's bank accounts, credit cards and cellular phone have been inactive. No trace of the 34-year-old Waterbury man or his red 1997 Ford 150 pickup were ever found despite extensive searches in the area in the days and months afterward and in subsequent years such as after Tropical Storm Irene and as recent as last fall. Messier was depressed at the time of his disappearance due to his recent divorce and had been hospitalized for this in August 2006; his loved ones fear he may have harmed himself. In October 2022, searchers with a private organization discovered his vehicle submerged in the Winooski River in Duxbury. The vehicle has been recovered, although no definitive sign of Messier was located and he remains listed as a missing person. Donnie's remains were not located inside the vehicle. Currier can attest to the fact that her brother's 15-year absence is still painful to his family, including their parents, Lou and Brenda, who still live in downtown Waterbury, and her four children. The family has photos they hold dear, and a park bench along the Thatcher Brook under the Interstate 89 overpass bridges on Stowe Street is dedicated to Donald Messier's memory.

Case Last Updated:

Aug 08, 2026