Overview

• Full name: Relman Morin Goolsby
• Date of birth: July 31, 1959
• Age at disappearance: 23
• Date last seen: December 7, 1982
• Last known location: Oakland, California
• City: Oakland
• County: Alameda County
• State: California
• Original case classification: Missing person
• Current publicly reported status: No longer missing according to law enforcement, as reported by the Doe Network in December 2020
• Doe Network reference: 507DMCA
• Historical NamUs reference: MP36413
• Primary investigating agency historically listed: Oakland Police Department

Circumstances: Goolsby disappeared from Oakland under circumstances that remain largely undocumented in accessible public accounts. The Doe Network subsequently listed his case among its 2020 closed cases, stating that law enforcement no longer considered him missing. No further explanation was provided.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Relman Morin Goolsby: The 1982 Oakland, California Disappearance and the 2020 Case Closure

Relman Morin Goolsby was 23 years old when he disappeared from Oakland, California, on December 7, 1982. For decades, his disappearance was documented in missing-person records, with little publicly available information explaining what happened to him.

A significant development emerged in December 2020, when the Doe Network reported that Goolsby was no longer considered missing according to law enforcement. However, the organization provided no explanation of the circumstances surrounding that determination.

His case illustrates an important distinction in missing-person investigations: a person can be removed from missing-person records without the public receiving a detailed explanation of where they were found, what happened during their absence, or how their status was resolved.

Case Summary

• Full name: Relman Morin Goolsby
• Date of birth: July 31, 1959
• Age at disappearance: 23
• Date last seen: December 7, 1982
• Last known location: Oakland, California
• City: Oakland
• County: Alameda County
• State: California
• Original case classification: Missing person
• Current publicly reported status: No longer missing according to law enforcement, as reported by the Doe Network in December 2020
• Doe Network reference: 507DMCA
• Historical NamUs reference: MP36413
• Primary investigating agency historically listed: Oakland Police Department

Circumstances: Goolsby disappeared from Oakland under circumstances that remain largely undocumented in accessible public accounts. The Doe Network subsequently listed his case among its 2020 closed cases, stating that law enforcement no longer considered him missing. No further explanation was provided.

Sources: Doe Network — 2020 Closed Cases and Uncovered — Relman Goolsby.

Background: Who Was Relman Morin Goolsby?

Relman Morin Goolsby was born on July 31, 1959. He was a young African American man living in or associated with Oakland, California, when he disappeared in December 1982.

Historical missing-person descriptions recorded his height as approximately 5 feet 9 inches and his weight as approximately 170 pounds. He had black hair, brown eyes, and two piercings in his left ear. A tattoo containing a word was also documented on his left forearm.

Historical listings described the clothing and jewelry associated with his disappearance as a burgundy hooded sweatshirt, a brown leather jacket, blue jeans, two diamond earrings in his left ear, and a gold chain bearing a Mercedes emblem.

These details appeared in older missing-person profiles reproduced by community archives, including Porchlight International’s historical case listing.

Very little verified biographical information about Goolsby’s childhood, education, employment, family relationships, or everyday life is publicly available. There is insufficient evidence to construct a reliable account of his personal circumstances before his disappearance.

Nevertheless, his name remained associated with missing-person resources for decades, demonstrating how long the uncertainty surrounding his whereabouts persisted in public records.

December 7, 1982: The Disappearance in Oakland

According to historical missing-person records, Goolsby was last seen in Oakland on December 7, 1982.

The publicly documented circumstances are limited. Available accounts do not establish the precise address where he was last seen, who last spoke with him, where he intended to go, or whether he was traveling with anyone.

No verified contemporary account located for this article establishes whether he disappeared while working, visiting someone, traveling, or engaging in another activity.

Similarly, no reliable public documentation establishes that a vehicle, personal belongings, or other physical evidence was recovered in connection with his disappearance.

The historical case description characterized the circumstances as unclear. That uncertainty is significant: it would be inaccurate to assign a particular explanation, such as abduction, homicide, or voluntary disappearance, without supporting investigative findings.

For many years, the central publicly documented fact remained that Goolsby’s whereabouts were unknown following December 7, 1982.

Investigation History and Available Evidence

Oakland Police Department and missing-person records

Historical missing-person listings identified the Oakland Police Department as the investigating agency.

Goolsby’s case also appeared in missing-person resources outside law enforcement, including the Doe Network and historical Charley Project material reproduced by community researchers.

The Uncovered case database records his disappearance date as December 7, 1982, and identifies the historical NamUs number as MP36413.

These listings helped preserve essential identifying information about Goolsby long after his original disappearance.

However, the existence of a database listing does not independently establish which investigative actions occurred or when they were undertaken.

Searches, witness information, and physical evidence

The accessible case-specific sources do not provide a detailed history of searches, interviews, or investigative procedures.

In particular, no publicly verified case-specific information was located establishing:

• The scope or results of searches conducted after his disappearance.
• Identified witnesses who described his final known movements.
• Recovered physical or forensic evidence connected to the disappearance.
• Publicly identified suspects or persons of interest.
• DNA testing or investigative genetic genealogy associated with his case.
• Criminal charges, arrests, or court proceedings arising from his disappearance.

These are gaps in publicly available documentation, not proof that investigators never conducted such activities.

Historical database records and the 2020 change

The Doe Network maintained a historical case entry for Relman M. Goolsby under reference number 507DMCA.

Its archived updates record an important change on December 18, 2020: Goolsby had been located and his entry was moved into the organization’s closed-case collection.

The current closed-case listing states:

Relman M. Goolsby (507DMCA) is no longer missing per Law Enforcement. No further information is available.

This is the most consequential publicly documented development identified in the case. It establishes that the Doe Network received or recorded a law-enforcement-based change in his missing-person status.

It does not establish whether Goolsby was found alive, whether remains were identified, or what circumstances led to the change.

Sources: Doe Network — 2020 Updates and Doe Network — Closed Cases.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

Was Goolsby’s disappearance connected to a crime?

There is no verified public evidence in the reviewed sources establishing that Goolsby was abducted or murdered.

Although criminal involvement can be investigated in missing-person cases, there is no sound basis for presenting it as an established explanation here.

No publicly identified suspect, motive, or criminal prosecution was located in the reviewed case-specific sources.

Did Goolsby disappear voluntarily?

The historical records do not establish that Goolsby intentionally left Oakland, severed contact with people he knew, or chose to remain unidentified.

Voluntary disappearance is therefore not a confirmed explanation.

What did the 2020 closure mean?

The most important unresolved public question concerns the Doe Network’s December 2020 announcement.

The organization stated that Goolsby was no longer missing according to law enforcement, but it did not explain the underlying findings.

Several possibilities might explain why a missing-person record is closed in general, but none should be attributed to Goolsby’s case without documentation.

The evidence supports only the narrower conclusion that his missing-person status changed.

Why do older listings still describe him as missing?

Historical articles, archived profiles, and community discussions can remain accessible after a case’s status changes.

For example, Uncovered displays the original missing-person information, while the Doe Network identifies Goolsby as no longer missing.

This discrepancy should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of an active investigation. It may reflect differences in when and how databases update their records.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

December 18, 2020: Doe Network records case closure

The Doe Network’s archived December 2020 updates identify December 18 as the date Goolsby’s case was added to its closed cases.

Its published description states that he had been located, while the current closed-case page clarifies that he was no longer missing according to law enforcement.

Neither publication describes the method by which his status was determined.

July 29, 2022: Uncovered case record

Uncovered’s case page displays a last-updated date of July 29, 2022.

The page continues to provide historical disappearance information, including the 1982 date and NamUs reference MP36413.

This database timestamp should not be interpreted as evidence of a new search, discovery, or investigative breakthrough.

Current status as of October 25, 2026

The Doe Network’s publicly accessible closed-case listing continues to identify Relman M. Goolsby as no longer missing according to law enforcement.

No publicly confirmed recent investigative developments were located in the reviewed sources that explain the closure or document a subsequent criminal investigation, identification of remains, arrest, or court proceeding.

The available information also does not establish whether Goolsby is alive or deceased.

Accordingly, the most accurate public description is a historically documented 1982 missing-person case that the Doe Network reports was closed following a law-enforcement determination in 2020, with the underlying circumstances undisclosed.

Conclusion and Public Appeal for Information

Relman Morin Goolsby’s disappearance began in Oakland on December 7, 1982, when he was just 23 years old.

For decades, public missing-person resources documented his name, identifying characteristics, and last known location while providing few answers about what happened.

The December 2020 Doe Network update marked an important change: law enforcement no longer considered him missing. Yet the absence of a detailed public explanation leaves important questions about his case history unanswered.

Responsible reporting requires recognizing both sides of that record. Goolsby should not continue to be described unconditionally as an actively missing person, but neither should the closure be presented as evidence of a homicide, recovery of remains, or reunion without verification.

Anyone possessing reliable historical information about his disappearance or the circumstances of the case’s closure may contact the Oakland Police Department through its official channels. Because the case is publicly reported as closed, individuals should first confirm whether the department is seeking additional information.

The public record preserves Goolsby’s name and the history of his disappearance. It does not yet provide a complete account of what happened.