The Infographics Show - "Why 2025 Will Be The WORST Year Ever" Preview and Criticism

By: Shane Lambert

The Infographics Show, which is a popular channel on YouTube, had an interesting upload from about a month ago. "Why 2025 Will Be The WORST Year Ever" is a video the channel uploaded in the late part of 2024. Primarily discussing America, the 26-minute show concludes "As things stand, we are getting sicker, sadder, fatter, angrier, more divided, and lonelier."

Obviously, this isn't a video for someone looking for a big pick-me-up. However, I did think that they were talking about facts and truth so maybe it's a video we should all watch. While they mainly talk about the USA, I think the video has insight into other countries for sure.

Channel: The Infographics Show
Title: Why 2025 Will Be The Worst Year Ever
Date: December 18th, 2024

Near the start of the video, the narrator discusses death rates in the USA -- and the fact that they have not improved since the end of the pandemic. America was called "the Grim Reaper's favorite workplace" due to the spike in deaths that the country has seen.

Personally, I think a lot of people are post-pandemic right now. By that, I do not mean to say that the pandemic is history for them. Instead, I mean that they are still in the after-effects of having their lives uprooted from March 2020, when COVID restrictions went viral, to late 2022, when things were somewhat back to normal.

How did things go for people in late 2022 and early 2023? I think this is a time frame when you could once again hope to find a job. However, at this time anyone unemployed had to take the first job that was offered to them.

I was definitely like that and the first job I was offered was not a great one. It ended up being short-term but the first long-term job I had wasn't all good news either. Certainly, in 2022/23/24, I was not in the position that I was in at the start of 2020, before the pandemic restrictions went mainstream. I think there are a lot of people out there who, while they survived the pandemic, have yet to get back to their former glory and that this is one of the reasons why the post-pandemic period has been unstable.

There were a lot of interesting topics discussed in this 26-minute video at The Infographics Show. One interesting part was when they discussed social media and self-harm. Apparently, America's Surgeon General said that social media should have warnings about mental health effects, not unlike the warnings on cigarette packages (the screenshot below is from the video).

In early 2025, Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General also advocated warnings be put on alcohol. It seems that you should avoid cigarettes for the toxic fumes, alcohol for causing cancer, and social media for toxic people.

Enterprise-Journal
Jan. 4, 2025

I have no plans of reviewing everything the video talked about. However, the following quotes come from the video: "political polarization," "chronically lonely," and "ultra-processed food." The video also came with a suicide helpline, which I think YouTube selected because of the topics discussed.

One criticism of the video need not be framed as having the benefit of hindsight. 2025 is certainly off to a terrible start for the USA, in part because of the wildfires in California. At the time the video was produced, the wildfires had not started but I would say that a forthcoming environmental catastrophe has been building for quite some time. Any 'doom and gloom' video can't ignore the topic, yet The Infographics Show's episode mainly talked about political polarization, loneliness, social media, mental health, processed foods, and other topics.

But you can judge for yourself. If you want to watch the whole video, then it is embedded below for you.

Preview of the Infographics Show: "Dumbest YouTubers Who Filmed Their Own Crimes"

By: Shane Lambert

Dumbest YouTubers Who Filmed Their Own Crimes - Infographics Show Breakdown

YouTubers will do anything for views—even film their own crimes. The Infographics Show’s January 2025 publications included a 15-minute video that spills the tea on 10 creators who took it too far.

Unlike their usual long uploads, this one’s short, snappy, and packed with bizarre stories that will make you scoff. Normally, I focus on missing people here, but this detour into YouTube chaos was too good to skip. Curious? Let’s dive into "Dumbest YouTubers Who Filmed Their Own Crimes," released last week!

The bold animation style of The Infographics Show.

Author: The Infographics Show
Title: Dumbest YouTubers Who Filmed Their Own Crimes
Date: January 11th, 2025

Ever Wonder If YouTube Stunts Are Real?

Have you ever watched a YouTube video and questioned the authenticity of the wild stunts? This Infographics Show episode has you covered. It exposes YouTubers who faked videos—and paid the price. From Target store hoaxes to vigilante schemes gone wrong, here’s a taste of what’s inside.

No. 10: The Target Fort Fiasco

Take this YouTubing couple who claimed they spent the night in a Target store. Spoiler: they didn’t. 

Instead, they built a fort out of boxes during the day, hid until closing, then slipped out before 3 AM in February 2022. They re-entered at the opening to fake the “overnight” stunt. Clever? Maybe. Legal? Not quite. It kicks off the countdown with a bang.

March 13th, 2022. The Morning Call

No. 9: Vigilantes for Clout in Japan

What I love about this episode? It’s not just Canada, the USA, or Europe. They dig into Asia too. 

At No. 9, four Japanese men staged drug deals, called the cops, and filmed the arrests like innocent bystanders. It worked—until the police noticed the same guys at the second bust. Oops. Dubbed "Vigilantes for Clout Get Arrested," it’s a fresh twist for English-speaking fans of these lists.

This reminded me of vigilante stunts in North America—luring predators online to “bust” them—or even the 2014 Jake Gyllenhaal flick, Nightcrawler.

Ever seen it? It’s about a guy who blurs the line between observer and criminal for fame. Sound familiar?

Down and Out in the Canadian Rockies

A BLEAK GLIMPSE INTO RESORT TOWN LIFE FROM A WORKER'S PERSPECTIVE

Get your copy of this engaging ebook now

Available on Amazon for Kindle or as a physical copy

Buy Now (Canada) Buy Now (USA)

Watch It Yourself!

I’ve barely scratched the surface of this Top 10 list. If public YouTuber antics annoy you, this “revenge” watch will hit the spot. Check out the full episode below—trust me, you won’t believe what’s at No. 1.

Keep Exploring

Loved this? Dig into more of my posts—like my take on missing persons mysteries—or share your thoughts below. What’s the wildest YouTuber stunt you’ve seen?

Jian Fang (Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack) - Businessperson, Murder Victim....and Welcher?

By: Shane Lambert

Original time of writing: January 18th, 2025

Today, I partook in an old hobby of mine. I watched some old episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, the hit television show from the 1980s and 1990s starring Robert Stack as the host. The episode I watched, in part, was from Season 6, Episode 11 (aired March 3rd, 1995) and it was available on YouTube at the original time of writing. I focused on the first topic of the episode, the 1993 murder of a San Francisco businessman named Jian Fang.

Fang's Murder: As Presented on the Unsolved Mysteries episode

Fang was the owner of a prominent noodle factory. As presented in the episode of Unsolved Mysteries, on December 18th, 1993, Fang left work with a supervisor in his factory. This supervisor (called a foreman in the media) was a woman whom he was giving a ride home. Presumptively, she has nothing to do with the crime. As presented in the TV show, Fang offered her a ride. If true, that would mean she was not a willing participant in this sordid affair but was a "wrong place at the wrong time" kind of actor in this scene.

Unbeknownst to either him or the woman, two assailants had entered Fang's vehicle where they lay in waiting. Shortly after Fang drove away, these assailants emerged from the backseat to rob Mr. Fang.

One of the assailants fashioned a knife, which was described as little more than a cheap kitchen knife. After arguing with Mr. Fang for some time, a commotion ensued. As presented in the Unsolved Mysteries episode, the assailant who fashioned the knife stabbed Mr. Fang in this commotion. The blade pierced his heart, leading to Mr. Fang's death.

The woman in the vehicle was threatened but she was spared. After two hours, she contacted help.

Amateur Sleuths Offer Their Opinions

In the episode, a group of amateurs are asked their thoughts on the case. Let's call them Pre-Internet Websleuths. 

I did one like one of the theories that was presented in the episode. Mainly, one of the students suggested that Mr. Fang was murdered as a result of his affiliation with sports gambling circles. His affiliation with such activities was mentioned in the episode.

Back in 1993, sports gambling was not generally legal in the USA. It was only during Donald Trump's first tenure as president that sports gambling enjoyed broader legalization. Before Trump, it was Las Vegas and casinos on Indian reservations where gambling was allowed. I think you could also gamble at some weird locations, like on a riverboat situated on a river that acted as a border between two states. 

Regardless, you couldn't gamble on sports as much as you can today in the USA. The article below is from San Francisco in 1993.

The San Francisco Examiner
September 24th, 1993.

That gambling was more than just frowned upon in 1993 -- it was illegal in many American locations -- is important to note for a couple of reasons for this case. Firstly, we learn something about the murder victim. It's important not to put a murder victim on a pedestal, which I think some amateurs do.

If he was into sports gambling circles in 1993 in California, then Mr. Fang wasn't the type of citizen who followed the law religiously. I don't think sports gambling is that bad of a crime. I would say it was more like smoking marijuana and maybe not quite as bad as participating in prostitution. But Mr. Fang must have been a willing member of some clandestine circles and that's important because it can call his character into question a bit.

Secondly, when an industry is illegal, then there is no legal forum to enforce non-payment of debts. This happens in drug trafficking. When someone owes a debt over drugs, that person cannot just litigate against the other party because it would be incriminating. It makes the drug industry inherently violent. 

In the world of clandestine sports betting, there was no way to enforce winning bets. When you gamble on sports legally through a casino or sportsbook, there are legal parameters that must be adhered to. When you gamble illegally, bets can be welched on much easier. That can make illegal sports betting rife with intimidation and violence.

The theorist that I liked in the episode stated that Mr. Fang might have won a bet against the assailants. They then were poor sports and, after paying the bet, tried to rob Mr. Fang to recover their losses. I think there's a bit of a bias here to see the murder victim as a saint in life. In contrast, I would simply suggest that the robbers were trying to collect a bet that Mr. Fang might have welched on.

From this perspective, that Mr. Fang was not the perfect citizen is important. He participated in clandestine activities when he made illicit sports bets. His character wasn't perfect and, accordingly, perhaps he was a welcher in unregulated sports gambling.

My scenario for this murder (opinion)

The San Francisco Examiner
September 29th, 1994.

The assailants stalked Mr. Fang, I'm sure of this. They knew his vehicle, and where it would be parked, and they seemed to know the route he would take from his workplace to his vehicle. That's clear because they broke a window to get into his vehicle. They must have picked a window that Mr. Fang wouldn't see on his approach as that's the only way they would go undetected after breaking into the vehicle.

The assailants broke the back window of Mr. Fang's car. There must have been a degree of confidence in their belief that Mr. Fang wouldn't approach that way nor go to the back of the car to load it. I think that would have required some stalking and planning.

The assailant who stabbed Mr. Fang probably did so in panic or accidentally. I do not think that these were hardened criminals the day that they planned to collect on what I believe was a genuine gambling debt. The assailant left the basic kitchen knife at the murder scene. Any mafioso-type killer probably would not do that. I think leaving the actual murder weapon at the scene of the crime is the mistake of a novice criminal. This was a robbery that escalated into a murder, in my opinion. The detective in the Unsolved Mysteries episode seemed to think the same thing.

Who did it? I think this theory would point toward someone that Mr. Fang owed money to after losing a bet. While that doesn't name a name, I think it makes more sense than the other theories presented in the episode.

Newspaper Clipping Details

• The suspects were thought to be younger than 30.
• There was a BB gun near the crime scene.
• He was killed on a Saturday night during the NFL season, which plays on Sunday (it was suggested in an article that Mr. Fang might have had a lot of money on him at that time because football is heavily bet on).
• The detective in the case thought that there might have been a third assailant, a getaway driver.

One thing that didn't add up was the timing. One newspaper source so it was almost midnight on December 18th, 1993 when Mr. Fang walked out to his vehicle. In the Unsolved Mysteries episode, the drama in the vehicle is described as taking almost half of an hour to unfold. When I play that timeline out, I have Mr. Fang being murdered very early on December 19th, 1993 as opposed to very late on the 18th. However, the point may be moot.

Jian Fang: What Happened After the Unsolved Mysteries Episode?

• I did not find any newspaper articles or online media that stated that this murder had been solved since 1993.

Eugene Gabbard Jr. -- Missing Since January 14th, 1985

Missing Person: Eugene Gabbard Jr.

Note: This photo was taken from a 1979 high school yearbook, 5-6 years before the person disappeared.

He had facial hair at the time of his disappearance.

Details (might be paraphrased): Gabbard was last seen in Jackson, Kentucky on January 14th, 1985. He has never been heard from again. At the time of his disappearance, he was driving a blue 1976 Pontiac 2+2, license plate KY JGM-248 which has never been located. There are few details regarding Gabbard's disappearance and his whereabouts remain unknown (from Websleuths).

Not the actual vehicle. Generated image to show what the vehicle likely looked like.

Last contact: January 14th, 1985 (Monday) according to NamUs; January 15th, 1985 (Tuesday) according to journalism

Last location: Jackson, Kentucky

Age when Eugene Gabbard Jr. disappeared: 23

Sex: Male

Height in inches: 72

Weight in pounds (lbs): 150

Ethnicity: White/Caucasian

Hair color: Brown, had a beard

Eye Color: Brown

Scar or distinctive characteristic: small scar over left eyelid under the eyebrow; birthmark of a brown spot on front of left chest near shoulder; skull with spider over it on left arm between shoulder and elbow, Harley Davidson sign with eagle over a green wreath with initial H.D. on upper right arm.

Link to government source: Link to Government Source: MP9737 (right click to open).

BMI means body mass index. It is meant to describe someone's healthy body weight relative to the individual's height. It is only food for thought because it does not account for all body types. Eugene Gabbard Jr. had a BMI of 20.34. He was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance. 

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert 

A color photo from his high school yearbook. Also, 5-6 years before his disappearance. Shootout to Websleuths user MadMcgoo for the find.

Has Eugene Gabbard Jr. been found?

I did not find much information on this missing person when it came to published journalism from about the time of his disappearance. However, he received a bit of press coverage in 2001.

Reportedly, he was on his way to purchase a new truck the day that he disappeared. This day was reported as January 15th, 1985. That is one day later than the dates on his online profiles.

Was Robbery a Possible Motive?

Importantly, when he disappeared he had $3000 in cash on him that he was planning to use to buy the vehicle. That's about $8700 by today's standards. This could have made him a target for anyone who knew that he might have been carrying that kind of cash during his trip. There were some tips that he had been murdered, however, the police seemed to have very little to go on.

The Mountain Eagle. August 15th, 2001.

I feel like one loose end in this case is simply who was he going to meet?

Car sales involve more than enough money to generate clandestine activity. We're all aware of stories, in modern times, involving illicit transactions from online classifieds. The same things happened before the Internet, involving newspaper classifieds.

Bud and June Runion Murder: How a Craigslist Car Sale Turned Deadly in Georgia

As food for thought, in January 2015, Elrey “Bud” Runion, 69, and his wife June Runion, 66, embarked on a 180-mile trip to Telfair County from their home in Georgia. They were chasing a 1966 Ford Mustang convertible, a car Bud had coveted since much younger days. After posting an ad on Craigslist, they thought they’d found a seller in McRae, a quiet rural town. Carrying cash for the purchase, they left home on January 22nd, 2015, with intentions to buy the vehicle.

But things turned really dark for them. The couple never made it back, and four days later, on January 26, their bodies were found in a wooded area near McRae, both shot in the head. Their 2003 GMC Envoy was discovered submerged in a nearby lake. There was an arrest and conviction, but the point is that a simple vehicle sale can be a very dangerous meeting, due to the amount of money involved.

Source: The Runions Went Missing, Later Found

Why Hiding a Car Is Harder Than Concealing a Body: Size and Logistics Explained

Hiding a car can be far more challenging than concealing a body. A vehicle like Eugene Gabbard Jr.’s 1976 Pontiac 2+2 is a large, conspicuous object that doesn’t vanish without effort.

Abandoning it in a remote forest or ravine might seem viable. If it goes unnoticed the years and decades will pass and it will start to deteriorate. But if someone recognizes the car as belonging to a missing person, then the vehicle could be incriminating.

Often when a person is missing and the car is as well, the vehicle is found submerged in water. The following image is computer-generated based on the description of Gabbard Jr.'s vehicle.

Research in March 2025 Proved Fruitless

On March 17th, 2025, I tested a hypothesis that there might have been an advertisement in a local newspaper that Gabbard had responded to. I looked for such an advertisement for a truck that cost $3000 and did not have an exact hit. But not all of the newspapers in the region are digitalized at Newspapers.com. The Mountain Eagle was the main newspaper available, which was not entirely local to Gabbard. I gave up feeling like maybe a hit to an interesting classified ad might be possible in the future, so feel free to visit this angle with other publications, as more and more are presumably digitalized in the future. Despite extensive analysis, no definitive leads emerged.

NamUs #UP7139 - Jane Doe Found near Palm Desert, California (February 1980)

By: Shane Lambert

NamUs #UP7139 is a Jane Doe whose body was found in Palm Desert, California on February 16th, 1980 (Saturday). This Jane Doe case stood out to me because there is a decent post-mortem photo of her face associated with her NamUs profile. That should make this case solvable so long as enough people review the material associated with this Jane Doe case. From my research, this person appeared to be the victim of a flood.

Body found: Feb. 16th, 1980 at about 11 AM (Saturday)

Who found the body?: "a group of Canadian tourists" (San Bernardino County Sun/Feb 19th, 1980/A-3)

Location: Six miles south of Palm Desert, California; found in a gully, a landform created by running water, near highway 74.

Sex: Female

Race/ethnicity: White/Caucasian

Age: 25-30

How long had she been dead? (ie. PMI): 1 day

Estimated Date of Death: Would be February 15th, 1980

Height: 64"

Weight: 120 lbs

According to NamUs (paraphrased): This body was found at the bottom of a ravine about 35 feet down from a winding mountain roadway. She was fully dressed with no identification.

Hair: Short, light brown, 3-4 inches, presumably as pictured

Eyes: Hazel

Scars: "She has a well healed 5" scar on her right forearm and a 1" well healed scar on her upper right arm."

Physical characteristics: "She appeared well groomed with manicured fingernails, a recent haircut and nice clothing."

Clothing: Long sleeve tan colored velour blouse; Royal blue pants (no sizes noted); She had on tan sandals with no socks.

I could only find one Jane Doe case for Riverside County in California for a female's body that was found around February 16th, 1980. There was an article in the February 19th, 1980 edition of the San Bernardino County Sun that listed a woman who was found deceased in a gully near Palm Desert.

Presumptively, the article spoke of the Jane Doe known as #UP7139. The news report and NamUs both described an unidentified woman found in a ravine or gully, which are similar formations. She was listed amid numerous news stories associated with a flood in the area that had occurred around that time. The snipped paragraph from the newspaper likely describes this Jane Doe.

I found a news story of a nurse who had gone missing in the same flood. Her name was Inez Evans but she was described as a 44-year old, which would be well outside the estimated age of the Jane Doe. Evans' car was found but she was not found in the days after the flood. Whether she remains missing or not wasn't something I could ascertain. The clothing on the Jane Doe did not match the expected clothing for a woman commuting to a nursing job in addition to the mismatched age.

This case reminded me of cases where a pedestrian gets hit by a vehicle and dies -- without any identification on them. This Jane Doe did not get hit by a car but likely got washed away in a powerful flood -- without any identification on her.

That a group of Canadian tourists found her body suggests to me that she might have been doing something as a tourist herself. That would explain why no one local has found her. I would think that she would have been identified if she was a local to the area, because of the high-quality post-mortem photo. 

Lulaida Morales Sejalbo -- Missing Since November 25th, 1973

Missing Person: Lulaida Morales Sejalbo

Alias or nickname: Loyola, according to The Charley Project's webpage for this missing person

Last contact: November 25th, 1973 (Sunday), reportedly at 11 PM (friend saw her)

Last location: Santa Clara, California, reportedly at a bowling alley but seems to have worked at a McDonald's that night, perhaps near Scott Boulevard and El Camino Real.

Age when Lulaida Morales Sejalbo disappeared: 17

DOB: December 3rd, 1955 (I believe she was born in the Phillipines)

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 63

Weight in pounds (lbs): 120

Ethnicity: Asian/Phillipino

Hair color: Black (long hair)

Eye Color: Brown

Scar or distinctive characteristic: Scar on the right foot; small mole on her lower left lip

Clothing: McDonald's work uniform (McDonald's uniforms in 1973 could be blue as opposed to the yellow/orange uniforms)

Profession: Waitress at McDonald's

Link to government source: Link to Government Source: #MP4557 (right click to open)

BMI means body mass index. It is intended to describe someone's healthy body weight relative to the individual's height. It is only food for thought as to how someone may have looked because it does not account for all body types.

Lulaida Morales Sejalbo had a BMI of 21.25. She was at a healthy weight by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance.

Shoutout to ep1999 on websleuths for finding this.

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert 

Has Lulaida Morales Sejalbo been found?

Lulaida Morales Sejalbo went missing in November 1973. She was a waitress at a McDonald's restaurant and went out to a bowling alley with a friend. There seems to be some inconsistency between sources as to whether she disappeared from a bowling alley or on her commute home from McDonald's. I assumed the former because of the journalism that covered this case. The friend claimed that the last time she saw Miss Sejalbo was at 11 PM.

The missing person had a vehicle that she was driving. This vehicle was found on December 24th, 1973, almost a month after Miss Sejalbo disappeared. The vehicle was found abandoned in Santa Clara with Miss Sejalbo's purse and coat inside. Many of these details were reported in the Peninsula Times Tribune but not until January 16th, 1974. Another source said her keys were in the vehicle and that foul play was suspected in this disappearance.

I noticed some contradictions between sources. Some websites reported that she went missing after work. However, the journalism from early 1974 said she was missing after going to a bowling alley with a friend.

I noted that Sejalbo was described as an 18-year old in the journalism below. NamUs describes her as being 17-years old at the time of her disappearance. Her 18th birthdate was on December 3rd, 1973 so that accounts for the discrepancy (ie. she was 17 when she disappeared; if alive, she would have turned 18 prior to the news piece below).

When someone goes missing while driving a car, it can be difficult to picture how the abduction took place. But there was a method of abduction, that was actually fairly common in California in decades past known as the "Good Samaritan's Ruse."

In this scenario, an abductor sabotages a victim's car and then offers the individual assistance when the car doesn't work. This method was noted by others a long time ago. I have written about this modus operandi before and won't duplicate my writing. But you can have a look at my article from 2018 entitled "Women With Car Troubles Go Missing" if you want to learn more about this method. 

If this scenario applied to Lulaida Sejalbo, then you might expect some damage to the vehicle to have occured, either while she was at the bowling alley or maybe even at work. I didn't find any coverage stating that the vehicle was damaged but this case did not have much journalism available.

Pointers and Bullet Points

• She went to Wilcox High School, which still stands today; it is called Adrian Wilcox High School in modern Google searches; it had the same address of 3250 Monroe Street in Santa Clara in 1973 as it does now.
• Her McDonald's work location was listed by Websleuths user nanajani as being near Scott Boulevard and El Camino Real; a Reddit user (ezza111403) suggested the location of the McDonald's as 1995 El Camino Real; the Websleuths user posted the comment in 2019 and only posted ONE comment as of the time of writing; I am taking that to mean the user was genuine and motivated to post about someone she knew and registered with the website solely for that purpose.
• My thoughts were that Miss Sejalbo attended an event at the bowling alley and someone either sabotaged her vehicle or entered her vehicle while she was in the bowling alley; this individual then abducted her either by overtaking her in the vehicle or using the Good Samaritan's Ruse to lure her roadside; I lean to the latter because I think someone who enters someone else's car and lays in weight is entering a very random situation that he would not be in control of as a passenger in the car but either scenario is possible.
• There were numerous significant serial killers in California in the time frame in question.
• The name and location of the bowling alley might be good to know.
• Due to the expectation of foul play and the unlikelihood that she disappeared on her own, I don't think her age-progression depictions will prove fruitful to this case.

Nola Fujitani -- Missing Since June 18th, 1992 from Honolulu, Hawaii

Missing Person: Nola Fujitani (NamUs #MP127540)

July 25th, 1992. Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): 

Nola was last seen dropping her son off at her parent's residence on University Avenue on 6-18-1992, at about 1600 hours. On 6-19-1992, at about 0200 hours, Nola's vehicle was located in the parking lot of the Halona Blow Hole. On 6-19-1992, Nola's parents received a suicide-type letter in the afternoon mail in Nola's handwriting. On 6-21-1992, Nola's sandals were found in a cave at the same location, and the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) conducted a search of the area. Nola was declared deceased in June of 1997.

Last contact: June 18th, 1992 at 4PM

Last seen location: Parent's residence on University Avenue in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Age when Nola Fujitani disappeared: 38 (DOB Would be June 19/53 to June 18/54; probably January 23rd, 1954)

Sex: Female

Height in inches: 64

Weight in pounds (lbs): 150-180; NamUs said she was 180 pounds but journalism said she was 150 pounds. The differences are significant for body type by BMI.

Ethnicity: Asian

Hair color: Black

Eye Color: Brown

Scar or distinctive characteristic: None.

Clothing: reportedly turquoise blouse and beige shorts.

Vehicle: 1988 Honda Prelude (CRW 621) 

• Her shoes were found inside her car.
• Also, a suicide note was found inside the car. My interpretation was that this was additional to the suicide letter that her parents received.

Not her actual vehicle. Nola's vehicle may have been a different color and had Hawaiian plates. But this is what a 1988 Honda Prelude looked like.
 DestinationFearFan, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

      

Link to government source: https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/127540?nav

BMI means body mass index. It is meant to describe someone's healthy body weight relative to their height. It is food for thought as to how someone may have looked. However, it is meant as a guide only and does not account for all body types.

Nola Fujitani had a BMI of 30.89 if you go by NamUs and their data for her weight. This would make Nola Fujitani obese by BMI standards at the time of her disappearance. However, if you use 150 pounds (her reported weight in journalism) she would have been 25.74 for BMI and in the overweight category.

Commentary and Research

By: Shane Lambert 

Has Nola Fujitani been found? 

July 25th, 1992. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Nola Fujitani has not been found. This is a missing person's case where there is some insight as to what may have happened to her. The "suicide type letter" would suggest self harm. Furthermore, it was reported that she threatened suicide in the time frame before her disappearance. Lastly, there were reports that a suicide note was found in her car. Nonetheless, I did wonder after researching this case if she might have voluntarily disappeared herself and ran off.

Her husband was the one who reported her missing, according to journalism in the weeks after she disappeared. He reported her missing at 2AM on June 19th, 1992, according to the Honolulu Star Bulletin. Here are some bullet points of interest for this missing person's case.

• The Halona Blow Hole is at 21.282165894752787, -157.6767576345056 for Google Maps. Searches feared that she might have jumped from the seaside cliffs at this area.
• She was a teacher at a school where another teacher, Carl Akio Asaeda (b. September 13th, 1948), had gone missing just shortly before she disappeared.
• The disappearance of the two teachers appeared together in journalism.

July 14th, 1992. Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

• In some journalism, it is stated that she left home the night of her disappearance "after threatening suicide".

June 27th, 1992. Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

• Carl Akio Asaeda does not have a NamUs profile at the time of writing. Sometimes cases like this are in the backlog of cases to be entered. He was described as a missing person in a classified advertisement in the legal notices section of the May 15, 2006 Honolulu Star Advertiser. Also, similar classifieds appeared in 2009. I do not know if Carl Akio Asaeda is a missing person, at the time of writing.

I think with this case, there is a question as to whether the two cases are connected. Is it just a coincidence that two teachers at the same school disappeared within 3-4 days of one another, not to turn up again in all the years that have since past? I did find this missing person case a little odd because two people that worked together disappeared so quickly and neither's body was found. Furthermore, Captain Louis Souza's comment stuck with me. As presented in the article snipped above, it's not clear whether the Captain was talking about Asaeda, Fujitani, or both.

I decided to look at Carl Akio Asaeda under the assumption that any information on his fate might pertain to Nola Fujitani. I found that his name appeared in some of those websites that offer to provide information on people. 

Have a look at the following snippet from https://www.fastbackgroundcheck.com which I took on January 11th, 2025.

Importantly, the middle address of 98-1449 Hoohonua Street does match the address of the same Carl Akio Asaeda who went missing in Honolulu. If this profile is, in fact, for only one person (ie. it's not erroneously combining two different people with the same name) then it suggests that Carl Akio Asaeda resided in Washington and Oregon after disappearing in 1992. That is the potential importance of the clipping above. 

Meanwhile, the clippings below, which pertain to the missing person's case, show the address matches to the website snipping above.

June 16th, 1992. Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Online Addresses: Should Be Taken Lightly

I do NOT fully trust websites that offer background information on people. I think that these kinds of websites can combine profiles of people with the same name. Furthermore, I wonder what triggers an address being associated with someone. Simple mail delivery? Cyberspace computers talking to one another?

Yet, the birthdate of September 1948 in the website snipping above would be about right for the Carl Akio Asaeda that went missing in 1992, as he was 43 in June 1992. I think it's an interesting lead but solid documentary evidence (ie. signature matches) would be better.

Kalani High School, 1964. Sorry. Best I could find.

Public Record Information for Carl Akio Asaeda - Ancestry

Field	Details
Name	Carl Akio Asaeda [C A Asaeda]
Birth Date	September 1948 (likely August 31)
Residence (1)	1987–2014 98-1449 Hoohonua St (or Apt #1449), Pearl City, HI 96782 (Address at time of reported disappearance, June 1992)
Residence (2)	2012–2019 11124 NE Halsey St Apt 470, Portland, OR 97220 (Hazelwood condo; possible temporary relocation)

From my research, it's clear the Carl Akio Asaeda, Nola Fujitani's coworker, was a missing person in 2006. Whether he remains one, isn't clear but I found nothing to suggest the mystery of his disappearance was resolved.

Of course, if the missing person's cases of the two disappeared teachers from the same school are connected, then any lead on Carl Asaeda's whereabouts might be a lead on Nola Fujitani's whereabouts or fate. I would say that there is work to be done on this case to validate the website information. I hope it's a lead as opposed to a red herring.

Nola Fujitani's - Post-disappearance Addresses in Ancestry

Nola Fujitani does show up on Ancestry. She has limited hits but I am sure that it's her profile and not just a same-name match. Partly, that is because the Ancestry profile I found lists a birthday of January 1954, which falls in the birthdate rate for someone who was 38 on June 18th, 1992, as Nola was on the day she disappeared. Her middle name was Yukemi, and this matches the legal classifieds that were placed in the years after her disappearance regarding her property.

March 11, 1994. Honolulu Star-Advertiser

June 16th, 2024. Honolulu Star Advertiser.

She was married to Stephen K. Fujitani but Nola's maiden name was Nola Yukemi Swinton. Numerous addresses of hers appear in Ancestry, after her disappearance in 1992 and presumed death (considered dead in 1997).

It's not that unusual for some kind of post-death or post-disappearance activity to show up on Ancestry. Matters pertaining to your identity might continue post-death for some time. However, Nola has multiple addresses for years and years after her disappearance for some reason. That is a different than most missing people I have looked at on Ancestry. When you look at this case, it does suggest she might have reverted to her maiden name after the disappearance.

Public Record Information for Nola Yukemi Fujitani

Field	Details
Name	Nola Yukemi Fujitani [N Y Fujitani] [Nola Y Swinton]
Birth Date	January 1954
Residence (1)	1985–1992 (address at time of her disappearance) 91-944 Ololani St, Ewa Beach, HI 96706
Residence (2)	1993–2012 PO Box 61843, Honolulu, HI 96839
Residence (3)	1996–2020 2345 Ala Wai Blvd Apt 2316, Honolulu, HI 96815 Fairway Villa
Residence (4)	Dates Unknown 3570 Kumu Pl, Honolulu, HI 96822

Source: U.S., Index to Public Records, 1994–2019. Note: These records require verification, as they may conflict with Nola's reported disappearance in 1992 and declaration of death in 1997.

For some reason, there is a user-generated family tree on Ancestry that lists Nola Yukemi Swinton's life from January 23rd, 1954 to May 7th, 2024. This is a significant red flag, requiring questioning. It appears that someone, who has blocked public access to their family tree, did insert Nola into it with a death date in 2024. Surely, this requires follow-up.

If accurate, then this would mean she died 32 years after her disappearance event and 27 years after being declared deceased. The snippet below (taken October 4th, 2025) is from Ancestry, which shows the two different death dates -- one presumed and the other supported by a user on the site. To be clear, this latter date requires authentication but I think most would agree it's a rabbit hole worth exploring.

'm coming to a stronger opinion that Nola survived her disappearance event and is not missing and that Websleuths looking to work on missing persons case should focus elsewhere.