Overview

Last seen: May 18, 2024, at approximately 6:00 a.m.
Location: Ocean View neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, near the 14000 block of Venus Way and the intersection of Venus Way and Gwenn Drive.
Age when missing: 16
Current status: Missing; Mason is now 18 years old.

Mason Aaron Roberson disappeared after leaving his family’s Anchorage home early on May 18, 2024. Security cameras captured him walking through the neighborhood, and footage showed him breaking his cellphone near Venus Way and Gwenn Drive. That remains his last confirmed sighting.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Mason Aaron Roberson Missing Person Case: 2024 Disappearance in Anchorage, Alaska

Brief Case Summary

Last seen: May 18, 2024, at approximately 6:00 a.m.
Location: Ocean View neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, near the 14000 block of Venus Way and the intersection of Venus Way and Gwenn Drive.
Age when missing: 16
Current status: Missing; Mason is now 18 years old.

Mason Aaron Roberson disappeared after leaving his family’s Anchorage home early on May 18, 2024. Security cameras captured him walking through the neighborhood, and footage showed him breaking his cellphone near Venus Way and Gwenn Drive. That remains his last confirmed sighting.

The Disappearance of Mason Aaron Roberson

Sixteen-year-old Mason Aaron Roberson was living with his family in Anchorage’s Ocean View neighborhood when he disappeared on May 18, 2024. According to his parents, the morning began when Mason’s father found him visibly intoxicated at about 5:30 a.m. A disagreement followed over his drinking. Mason subsequently left the house without his family immediately realizing he had gone outside.

Home surveillance footage recorded Mason leaving the residence, while a neighbor’s camera captured him continuing down the street. Other reporting and the NamUs case information place his last known location near Venus Way and Gwenn Drive, where he was recorded breaking his cellphone. No confirmed sighting of Mason has been publicly reported after that point.

What Mason Had With Him

Mason’s disappearance immediately concerned his family because he reportedly left without money or identification and did not have access to medication he had been taking. His damaged cellphone was recovered, eliminating one of the most obvious ways investigators might otherwise have been able to track or contact him.

At the time he disappeared, Mason was described as approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall, with brown hair and brown eyes. NamUs lists his weight at approximately 160 pounds and says he was wearing a gray T-shirt, gray shorts, glasses and white tennis shoes. He had noticeable facial hair for his age, which could cause him to appear older.

Early Search and $10,000 Reward

During the first weeks of the search, Mason’s parents distributed missing-person posters throughout Anchorage while police received tips and reports of possible sightings. None of those reports developed into a publicly confirmed sighting.

On June 10, 2024, Alaska’s News Source reported that Mason’s family had announced a $10,000 reward in an effort to generate credible information. The family later updated the reward terms, stating that qualifying information must be new and verifiable and lead either to confirmation that Mason is alive and safe or to investigators determining what happened to him.

Mysterious Text Messages After Mason Disappeared

One of the most significant developments came months after the last confirmed sighting.

On November 1, 2024—Mason’s 17th birthday—his mother, Marti Romero, received an unexpected text message from a telephone number associated with the San Pedro, California, area. The message used the phrase “long time no see,” language Romero said was particularly meaningful because it was something members of their family commonly said to one another. She replied but received no further response.

Another message arrived on Mother’s Day in 2025. This time, it came from a number associated with British Columbia, Canada, and asked whether she was doing something fun that day. Again, Romero responded but received no follow-up.

Authorities have not publicly confirmed that either message actually came from Mason. The texts are therefore investigative leads rather than proof that Mason was in California or Canada.

Possible California and British Columbia Connections

Investigators and Mason’s family have increasingly focused attention outside Alaska.

According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Mason was an active online gamer. After his disappearance, his parents learned that he had previously spoken with friends about wanting to travel to California to meet someone he had met online. Combined with the later messages connected to California and British Columbia telephone numbers, those details have made both locations areas of interest in the continuing investigation.

CFTK-TV in British Columbia reported in December 2025 that authorities believed Mason could have ties to British Columbia or California and appealed to the public in Canada for information.

There is no publicly confirmed evidence establishing that Mason reached either location, and there has been no confirmed public identification of the online person his family believes he may have intended to meet.

Latest Investigation Information

As of August 2026, Mason Aaron Roberson remains missing.

In May 2026, shortly before the second anniversary of his disappearance, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released Mason’s first official age-progression image, showing how he may appear at 18 years old. The image was released in hopes that people who might no longer recognize Mason from photographs taken when he was 16 could identify him today.

NCMEC confirmed that California and British Columbia remain areas of interest and reported that multiple agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, are assisting in the search. The two unidentified text messages remain potentially significant, but investigators have not publicly established that Mason sent either one.

Mason’s family and supporters also continued awareness efforts in Anchorage in 2026. A “Mason Matters: 2 Years Later” community gathering was organized in June to keep the case visible, exchange information and encourage additional search efforts.

There have still been no publicly confirmed sightings of Mason since the security-camera footage recorded on May 18, 2024. His case remains an active missing-person investigation, and authorities continue to ask anyone with information to contact the Anchorage Police Department or NCMEC.

Where Is Mason Roberson?

More than two years after Mason walked away from his Anchorage home, the central question remains unanswered: where did he go after he was recorded leaving Ocean View?

Investigators have several unusual pieces of information—the destroyed cellphone, Mason’s reported interest in meeting an online acquaintance in California and the unexplained messages associated with California and British Columbia—but none has yet produced a publicly confirmed answer.

Mason was a minor when he disappeared. He is now 18, and the release of an age-progressed image reflects the possibility that his appearance may have changed significantly since the photographs originally circulated in 2024. Authorities continue to seek information from anyone who may have encountered Mason in Alaska, California, British Columbia or elsewhere.