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Dad had a schedule. He got up in the morning, he had a cereal. He went and did his errands run to town or to go visit other elderly people there.

Whatever he needed to do, he was home at 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the latest app was after the nap.

It got to be 3 o'clock, and mom started to get a little nervous. We didn't really think too much of it yet. We were too worried about it, but they were married for 50-some years, so they were pretty intuned to each other.

So, she started to get a little frantic, so we decided we'd better go drive. I drove in town and go see if I could run into him or if he was long to road somewhere or what not.

My brother, Franz, he went in a different direction.

I think somebody did something to my dad. I have no clue who or why. Like I said, my dad would stop and take up a hitchhiker or help somebody who needed help.

He had to have stopped for some reason on his way, after he left the grocery store in order for anybody to have gotten ahold of him and to have the car stashed like that.

On July 24, 2009, 82-year-old Peter Ackerman was last seen in Staples, Minnesota. He had left his home to run errands and he was spotted driving around town.

Peter's wife expected him to be home between 2 and 3 p.m. that day, but Peter never returned.

The following day, Peter's 1995 Chevrolet Caprice station wagon was found about 10 miles from his home near a wooded area and his car was stuck in the mud.

Inside the vehicle were the groceries and medication that Peter had picked up for his wife the previous day. However, the car keys and Peter's cane were missing.

According to Peter's family, he was in good health and wasn't experiencing any type of medical issue that would cause him to be confused and wander off.

Nor do they believe that he would have any reason to walk away from his family.

What happened to Peter Ackerman on July 24, 2009?

This coming July, it will be 10 years since Peter disappeared and after all of those years, his family hasn't gotten any closer to solving the mystery of what happened to him.

Last summer, they decided to have a funeral and celebration of Peter's life to help bring them some sense of closure.

But the questions still remain.

I'm Marissa and from Wondery, this is episode 157 of The Vanished. Peter Ackerman's story.

Well done. You've sorted through the embarrassment of riches that is the modern podcast landscape and found me Rob Briden on my podcast.

In this series of Briden and I talk to, among others, Harry Hill, Ben Elton, Charlotte Church, Steve Cougan and Dame Harriet Walter.

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