Robert (Bob) Bode -- Missing in Arizona Since March 2000

Details from NamUs**: 

Robert "Bob" Bode was last seen on March 3, 2000 leaving his daughter's house in Tucson, AZ saying he was going to visit his parents in Clarkdale, AZ but he never arrived.

Missing Person: Robert M. Bode
May use the following alias: Bob
Last-contact date: March 3rd, 2000 (considered his date of death in his Ancestry profile)
The area where the MP was last seen: Tucson, Arizona

Link to government source: NamUs #MP77536
Missing person's profile on Ancestry: Robert M Bode

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: White or Caucasian
Sex: Male
Age at time of disappearance: 51 years old
Birthdate: August 1st, 1948
Hair: Gray or Partially Gray
Eyes: Brown, wears glasses
Scar: Small scar on the middle of his forehead
Height/weight: 5-foot-9 and 175 to 180 pounds
BMI*: The missing person was slightly overweight by BMI at the time of the last contact.

• BMI is body mass index. It relates to an individual's height and weight. I include it believing it can help picture a missing person or describe one.

Robert M. Bode, a missing person, was last heard from on March 3rd, 2000 when he was 51 years old. From my research, this is considered his date of death. I didn't find a legal notice pertaining to him being declared dead in absentia, however, his Ancestry profile, which would likely have been made by family members, considers him deceased as of the date of his disappearance. He has now been missing for 21 years as of the original publication date of this blog post.

What stands out with this case, is that he is missing with his vehicle. That was a 1995 Ford F250.

When Robert Bode went missing he was driving from Tucson to Clarkdale. That's a 220-mile drive according to Google Maps. The most efficient route as recommended by Google would be through Phoenix, however, it's not clear that Robert made it this far. Nor can the route he would have taken be ascertained.

That Robert and his vehicle both went missing while on a road trip suggests that he may have run off of the road. Many missing people have disappeared with their vehicles while traveling, either to be found roadside or even submerged in a roadside body of water. However, Arizona highways don't really have a lot of these kinds of hiding spots. That is what makes this case puzzling.

The routes he could have taken are likely to have dangerous points, however, the vegetation in Arizona is not lush in the desert. If you run off of the highway it's not very likely that you would be missing for 20 years. In fact, it's not likely that you would be missing after the next motorist passed by. That's not like the Rockies to the north where vehicles going off the highway can be hidden by deep water or vegetation. Arizona is pretty bare and this truly is a strange case precisely because the vehicle hasn't been found.

My thoughts would be that something happened in Phoenix or maybe something happened when he stopped for gas. It would interesting if someone that knew Robert indicated if he ever picked up hitchhikers. Furthermore, the route he commonly took to Clarkdale would be interesting to know.

Robert's vehicle had a license plate of  #5AA711. It had a deep dent in the passenger side door near the hinges. Also, the right rear bumper was loose and hanging.

I did not find any newspaper articles on this matter nor news articles on the Internet. I reached out to the person who posted his Ancestry profile in hopes of getting more details about this case.

The following characteristics of his might help identify him if he is among the John Does:

1. The middle on his right hand is split in the middle.
2. His right upper front tooth had a cap.

Please share this article to social media using hashtags that are related to where the missing person went missing from, which is Tucson, Arizona. Also, it would make sense to share with hashtags that target his destination, which was Clarkdale, Arizona. Lastly, Phoenix is a place to target with hashtags as well.

Author: Shane Lambert, (Freelance Writer)

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Shane Lambert, (Freelance Writer) is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of February/March 2021.

Website hashtag: #MPCSL

*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight.
**Text might be paraphrased. If taken verbatim, then grammar or spelling errors are not necessarily corrected from original sources.
Disclaimer: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing person's case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.