Overview

Last seen: November 22, 1980
Location: Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wisconsin
Age when missing: 23
Status: Missing; unresolved
NamUs: MP120720
Waukesha Police case: 80-2930
Doe Network: 6548DMWI
Vehicle: Yellow 1975 Chevrolet Vega hatchback
Wisconsin license plate: Q19689

Main circumstances: Carrico left Waukesha for a hunting trip in northern Wisconsin. His last-known location is listed as Ladysmith. He disappeared along with the movements of his yellow Chevrolet Vega remaining unresolved in publicly available information. More than 45 years later, Carrico continues to appear in current Wisconsin missing-person reporting and databases.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Timothy David Carrico: Wisconsin Hunter Missing Since 1980

Twenty-three-year-old Timothy David Carrico disappeared during Wisconsin’s 1980 deer-hunting season, leaving behind a case that remains unresolved more than four decades later. Carrico was last known to be in the Ladysmith, Wisconsin area on November 22, 1980, after traveling north from Waukesha for a hunting trip.

Carrico remains listed as a missing person. His case is recorded in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System under NamUs #MP120720, while the investigating Waukesha Police Department case number has been reported as 80-2930.

The Disappearance of Timothy Carrico

Carrico left Waukesha, Wisconsin, driving north for a hunting trip. He was driving a yellow 1975 Chevrolet Vega hatchback bearing Wisconsin license plate Q19689. Public missing-person information identifies Ladysmith in Rusk County as his last-known location and November 22, 1980, as his date of last contact.

He was 23 years old.

Available descriptions list Carrico as a white male approximately 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall and 170 to 180 pounds, with brown hair, hazel eyes and a mustache. Clothing information in his missing-person record includes tan corduroy pants and a tan vest or red pants, along with a red sweatshirt, orange vest and hat.

A Hunter Vanishes in Northern Wisconsin

The central mystery is what happened after Carrico traveled into northern Wisconsin.

Public case summaries say he left Waukesha to go hunting “up north.” Ladysmith, a community in Rusk County, is listed as the location from which he disappeared.

A later Websleuths discussion, which should be treated as a secondary community source rather than an official investigative record, describes Carrico as having been with a hunting party before leaving. That discussion also raises questions about what ultimately happened to his Chevrolet Vega.

The disappearance of both a person and potentially his vehicle is significant because locating the Vega could provide evidence about Carrico’s movements after he separated from the people who last knew where he was.

The Missing Yellow Chevrolet Vega

Carrico’s vehicle remains one of the most recognizable details associated with the case.

The car is described in publicly available case information as a yellow 1975 Chevrolet Vega hatchback with Wisconsin plate Q19689.

In January 2025, a Websleuths contributor reported obtaining information through an open-records request to Waukesha authorities concerning the vehicle. According to that contributor, Waukesha had no record indicating that the Vega had been recovered following Carrico’s disappearance. The contributor said authorities suggested checking DMV registration records, although the individual reported being unable to obtain those records because of access restrictions.

That information comes from a citizen researcher rather than a published law-enforcement investigative update, so it should not be interpreted as official confirmation that the vehicle has never been recovered. Nevertheless, the publicly documented whereabouts of the Vega remain unresolved.

Renewed Attention More Than Four Decades Later

Carrico’s case received renewed online attention beginning in 2024.

A Websleuths discussion devoted to his disappearance was opened in October 2024. Contributors located historical newspaper material concerning the case and worked to bring additional information, including a photograph, to the attention of investigators and missing-person organizations.

On December 13, 2024, the Doe Network officially recorded Timothy David Carrico as case 6548DMWI, adding another searchable missing-person resource for the decades-old disappearance.

A Websleuths contributor subsequently reported on December 17, 2024, that a photograph had been added to Carrico’s NamUs information. Wisconsin Missing later updated its Carrico page on February 1, 2025, with a photograph as well.

Conflicting Historical Descriptions

One complication is that historical reporting apparently did not always describe Carrico in exactly the same way.

Current public case information describes him as approximately 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 170 to 180 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes.

A Websleuths contributor reviewing a December 1980 Leader-Telegram report noted that the newspaper reportedly described Carrico as 5 feet 8 inches tall, approximately 200 pounds and having blond hair. Because that differs from the present NamUs information, researchers should be aware of the discrepancy when reviewing historical sightings or unidentified-person cases.

Latest Public Information

As of the most recent reporting located for this article, Timothy Carrico remains missing.

In April 2026, Fox 25/48 (WLAX/WEUX) included Carrico in its coverage of Wisconsin’s unresolved missing-person cases. The station reported that Carrico disappeared at age 23 on November 22, 1980, and referenced the yellow 1975 Vega associated with his disappearance.

Current missing-person databases likewise continue to list Carrico as missing from Ladysmith under NamUs #MP120720.

No publicly verified announcement located during research for this article reports that Carrico has been found, that his vehicle has been recovered, or that authorities have identified a suspect. Likewise, there is no verified public information establishing that Carrico was murdered. His case should therefore be described as an unresolved missing-person investigation, not a homicide.

Anyone with information about Timothy Carrico’s disappearance should contact the Waukesha Police Department at 262-524-3831 and reference case 80-2930.

Brief Case Summary

Last seen: November 22, 1980
Location: Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wisconsin
Age when missing: 23
Status: Missing; unresolved
NamUs: MP120720
Waukesha Police case: 80-2930
Doe Network: 6548DMWI
Vehicle: Yellow 1975 Chevrolet Vega hatchback
Wisconsin license plate: Q19689

Main circumstances: Carrico left Waukesha for a hunting trip in northern Wisconsin. His last-known location is listed as Ladysmith. He disappeared along with the movements of his yellow Chevrolet Vega remaining unresolved in publicly available information. More than 45 years later, Carrico continues to appear in current Wisconsin missing-person reporting and databases.