Overview

Missing: June 17, 2000
Last Known Location: Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin, near Interstate 90 and Interstate 43
Age When Missing: 72
Date of Birth: December 25, 1927
Residence: Brooklyn, New York
NamUs #: MP8050
Beloit Police Case #: LBE00005249

Main Circumstances: Clemons was driving a truck from New York to the Milwaukee area when he became stuck near Rochester, Minnesota. After receiving assistance and directions, he continued traveling but never completed the delivery. His truck was later recovered in Beloit, Wisconsin, and Clemons was reportedly last seen walking away from it near I-90 and I-43. He has not been confirmed seen or heard from since.

Detailed Case Breakdown

James A. Clemons Missing Person Case: What Happened to the Brooklyn Man Who Vanished in Wisconsin in 2000?

James A. Clemons was 72 years old when an unexpected work trip carried him hundreds of miles from his Brooklyn, New York, home and ended with his disappearance in Beloit, Wisconsin. More than two decades later, Clemons remains missing, and the circumstances surrounding his final known journey continue to leave unanswered questions.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice continues to list Clemons as a missing adult from Rock County. He disappeared on June 17, 2000, after experiencing problems while driving a truck toward Milwaukee.

A Work Trip From New York to Wisconsin

Clemons, who was also reportedly known by the nickname “Steve,” was born December 25, 1927. He lived in Brooklyn and was 72 when he disappeared.

In June 2000, Clemons was scheduled to deliver a truck to the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area. Later accounts report that he had worked for the same New York trucking company for approximately ten years and normally maintained its shipping yard before agreeing to make the Wisconsin delivery.

The trip did not go as planned.

Trouble Near Rochester, Minnesota

On June 17, 2000, Clemons became stuck in mud near Rochester, Minnesota. Authorities assisted him in getting back onto the road and provided directions toward Milwaukee.

Despite receiving assistance, Clemons never reached his intended destination.

His movements that day ultimately brought him to Beloit in southern Wisconsin, near the Illinois state line.

Truck Found in Beloit

Clemons was last reported seen walking away from the vehicle near the Interstate 90 and Interstate 43 area in Beloit.

The truck was subsequently recovered, but Clemons was nowhere to be found.

A later account described the vehicle as a 2000 GMC dump truck bearing the name “Vulcan Basement Waterproofing” and reported that it was discovered abandoned on Millington Road at approximately 11:45 a.m.

From that point forward, there has been no confirmed public account establishing what happened to Clemons.

Reports of Credit Card Activity

One of the more unusual elements of the case involves reported credit-card activity associated with Clemons.

A 2024 retrospective on the disappearance reported that authorities believed his credit card had been used at a Conoco gas station in Albert Lea, Minnesota. The same source reported card activity in Champaign, Illinois, and Des Moines, Iowa after Clemons left New York.

These reported transactions complicate attempts to reconstruct his route. The official Wisconsin DOJ account, however, identifies Beloit, Wisconsin, as Clemons’ last known location and states that he was last seen walking away from the vehicle near I-90 and I-43.

Concerns About Memory Problems

Later accounts of the case have stated that Clemons was experiencing memory lapses around the time of his disappearance and may have been showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

That information could help explain why an otherwise straightforward delivery trip became so geographically complicated, but publicly available records do not establish exactly what happened after Clemons walked away from the truck.

Clemons was an older adult far from his Brooklyn home and apparently attempting to navigate an unfamiliar region when he disappeared.

Description of James Clemons

At the time he disappeared, Clemons was described as a Black man approximately 6 feet to 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing about 160 to 170 pounds.

He had gray hair, brown eyes and wore eyeglasses. He may have had a mustache, beard or goatee, and he had a scar on the upper-left side of his chest.

He was reportedly wearing a blue-and-white velour shirt, jeans and black boots when he disappeared.

Possible Connection to Unidentified Remains Was Discussed Online

Years after Clemons vanished, amateur investigators discussed whether unidentified skeletal remains discovered near Interstate 90 outside Albert Lea, Minnesota, in 2015 could have belonged to him.

The possibility was discussed on Websleuths because of Clemons’ reported travel through the area and reported credit-card activity near Albert Lea. However, there were significant inconsistencies, including the estimated postmortem interval and physical characteristics of the unidentified man.

That speculation did not solve the Clemons case. The unidentified remains discussed in that thread were subsequently identified as another man, Luis Gilberto Robledo.

The discussion is therefore useful as part of the public history surrounding Clemons’ disappearance, but it should not be interpreted as evidence that Clemons was found in Minnesota.

Latest Status of the Investigation

As of the most recently available public information, James A. Clemons remains listed as missing by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults.

The state’s current listing continues to identify June 17, 2000, as his missing date, Beloit as the city where he disappeared and the Beloit Police Department as the agency to contact with information.

The Wisconsin DOJ currently calculates Clemons’ age as 98.

No publicly available law-enforcement announcement located for this article reports that Clemons has been found or that investigators have established what happened after he left the truck. His disappearance therefore remains an unresolved missing-person case.

Anyone with information, including information that may have seemed insignificant at the time, can contact the Beloit Police Department or Wisconsin’s missing-person clearinghouse.

Very Brief Case Summary

Missing: June 17, 2000
Last Known Location: Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin, near Interstate 90 and Interstate 43
Age When Missing: 72
Date of Birth: December 25, 1927
Residence: Brooklyn, New York
NamUs #: MP8050
Beloit Police Case #: LBE00005249

Main Circumstances: Clemons was driving a truck from New York to the Milwaukee area when he became stuck near Rochester, Minnesota. After receiving assistance and directions, he continued traveling but never completed the delivery. His truck was later recovered in Beloit, Wisconsin, and Clemons was reportedly last seen walking away from it near I-90 and I-43. He has not been confirmed seen or heard from since.