Overview

Last seen: April 2012, with April 15, 2012 most consistently reported in Wisconsin missing-person sources.

Location: Town of Bradley/Tomahawk area, Lincoln County, Wisconsin.

Main circumstances: Cartwright apparently left his home without his vehicle or wallet. Friends reported him missing on April 17, 2012. Searches were conducted around his residence and properties near Allery Road off County Road E, south of Tomahawk, but investigators found no publicly reported trace of him.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Robert O. Cartwright Missing Person Case: Wisconsin Man Vanished Without His Vehicle or Wallet

Robert O. Cartwright disappeared from the Tomahawk area of northern Wisconsin in April 2012, leaving behind his vehicle, wallet and few publicly known clues about where he may have gone. More than a decade later, his disappearance remains unresolved.

Cartwright was 56 years old when he vanished from the Town of Bradley area in Lincoln County, near Tomahawk. Published descriptions list him as a white male approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall and roughly 160–165 pounds, with brown or graying hair and hazel eyes.

Very Brief Case Summary

Last seen: April 2012, with April 15, 2012 most consistently reported in Wisconsin missing-person sources.

Location: Town of Bradley/Tomahawk area, Lincoln County, Wisconsin.

Main circumstances: Cartwright apparently left his home without his vehicle or wallet. Friends reported him missing on April 17, 2012. Searches were conducted around his residence and properties near Allery Road off County Road E, south of Tomahawk, but investigators found no publicly reported trace of him.

Robert Cartwright Disappears Near Tomahawk

According to Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy, law enforcement believed Cartwright likely left his residence in the Town of Bradley on April 15, 2012. His friends did not report him missing until Tuesday, April 17.

A particularly important detail was what remained behind: Cartwright reportedly did not take his vehicle or his wallet with him. Publicly available accounts do not identify what clothing he was wearing when he disappeared.

There is a minor discrepancy concerning the precise date of last contact. Wisconsin missing-person listings use April 15, 2012, while a Websleuths case listing identifies the case as “Robert Cartwright, 57, Tomahawk, 14 April 2012.” Because multiple Wisconsin-focused sources identify April 15, that is the date used here while acknowledging the discrepancy.

Searches Around Bradley and Allery Road

The disappearance prompted searches in the Tomahawk area. Search efforts reportedly concentrated near Cartwright’s home as well as properties around Allery Road, off County Road E south of Tomahawk.

The search effort involved Cartwright’s friends, Lincoln County sheriff’s deputies, Tomahawk firefighters, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources personnel and volunteer K9 teams. Despite those efforts, no publicly reported evidence established where Cartwright went after leaving home.

The heavily wooded character of north-central Wisconsin continues to be relevant to missing-person searches in the region. Recent coverage has again encouraged hunters and others traveling through wooded areas to remain alert for evidence connected with long-term missing-person cases. Cartwright continues to be included among the missing people associated with Lincoln County and the Tomahawk area.

What Happened to Robert Cartwright?

Public information about Cartwright’s disappearance remains unusually limited. No publicly available source located for this update identifies an arrest, named suspect or confirmed explanation for his disappearance.

His decision—or apparent decision—to leave without his vehicle and wallet remains one of the central publicly known circumstances of the case. There is also no publicly reported indication in the sources reviewed that Cartwright’s remains have been recovered.

Because there is no established public evidence explaining what happened after he left the Bradley-area residence, theories about accidental death, voluntary disappearance or criminal involvement should not be presented as established fact.

Latest Publicly Available Case Information

A significant recent development in the public documentation of Cartwright’s disappearance occurred on February 25, 2025, when The Doe Network added Robert O. Cartwright to its missing-person database under case number 6624DMWI. The organization identifies him as missing from Wisconsin since 2012.

Cartwright also continued to appear in Wisconsin missing-person coverage in late 2025. Wausau Pilot & Review included him among north-central Wisconsin’s unresolved missing-person cases while urging hunters to remain alert for missing people and possible evidence. That publication contains an apparent typographical error listing his disappearance as 2015; earlier Wisconsin records consistently place the disappearance in 2012.

As of September 2026, The Doe Network’s publicly accessible update history shows Cartwright’s February 2025 addition and does not show a subsequent notice identifying his case as resolved. Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy also continues to include Robert Cartwright on its public list of missing people.

No reliable public announcement located during this review reports that Cartwright has been found or that authorities have announced an arrest in connection with his disappearance.

Physical Description

At the time he disappeared, Cartwright was in his mid-50s. Published descriptions generally place him at approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall and 160–165 pounds. He had brown or brown-gray hair and hazel eyes.

His clothing at the time of his disappearance is not publicly known.

The Search for Answers Continues

Robert O. Cartwright has been missing from the Tomahawk/Bradley area since April 2012. Years of public missing-person listings have produced no publicly announced resolution.

Anyone with first-hand information about Cartwright’s whereabouts, his activities immediately before he disappeared, people he may have planned to meet, or anything unusual observed around the Bradley/Tomahawk area in April 2012 should provide that information directly to law enforcement rather than attempting to investigate individuals independently.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office remains the appropriate local law-enforcement contact. The county currently lists 715-536-6272 for non-emergency dispatch and 715-536-6273 for Sheriff’s Office Investigations.