Missing Monday: The disappearance of Mason Roberson

This week on Missing Monday, we share the story of Mason Roberson, a young man who disappeared without a trace. We walk through the known timeline, the investigation, and why his family is still searching for answers.

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If you have any information about Mason Roberson's disappearance, no matter how small it may seem, please contact the Alaska Missing Persons Clearinghouse at (907) 269-5038 or your local law enforcement agency.
You can also submit information through the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, at NamUs Contact Page

Transcript

ashley 0:45

Hey y'all. Welcome back to Missing Monday, a short story series by True Crime Consumes Me. Every Monday, we tell a story with a purpose: to keep the names of the missing alive and to remind the world that silence is not the same as being gone. This is the space where we pause to remember someone who's missing, someone whose story hasn't faded, even if the headlines have. Before we begin, a quick note about this story. Everything we share in this episode is based on confirmed reporting from law enforcement, official missing persons bulletins, And credible news coverage. When information is limited, we stick to what is known and avoid speculation. Today, we're talking about the disappearance of Mason Roberson There are disappearances that happen in the middle of chaos. Then there are disappearances that happen so quietly that nobody realizes they're witnessing the last normal moment until it's already over. This is one of those stories Mason Roberson was 16 years old when he disappeared from his home in Anchorage, Alaska, on May 18th, 2024. If you've never been to Anchorage, it's easy to imagine a typical city. Well, this isn't. Anchorage is Alaska's largest city, but it sits surrounded by forests, mountains, trails, rivers, and miles upon miles of wilderness. In many neighborhoods, you don't have to travel very far before sidewalks give way to dense woods. It's beautiful. It's also the kind of place where someone can disappear much more easily than people realize. Before Mason became another missing person poster, he was a simple teenager. He loved spending time with his family, His parents have described them as an active family. They went fishing together, they spent time outdoors together, and they enjoyed being together. Mason also loved video games. Like millions of teenagers, he spent hours online talking with friends while gaming. At the time, nobody knew just how important that detail might eventually become. The morning Mason disappeared began before sunrise. Around five thirty that morning, Mason's father, David, woke after hearing movement downstairs in the kitchen. He went to investigate, and he found Mason. According to David, Mason appeared to be intoxicated. Like many parents probably would, he confronted his son. The conversation turned into an argument. Eventually, Mason walked away from the discussion, and David believed the situation had simply ended. He went back upstairs and had no idea that Mason wasn't just leaving the room, he was leaving the house. At some point after that argument, home security cameras captured Mason quietly walking out the front door. Nobody stopped him, nobody chased after him, because nobody realized that he was actually gone. A neighbor's security camera later captured Mason walking towards the end of Venus Way. That video represents the last confirmed sighting of Mason Roberson. His mother, Marty Romero, later summed up that moment in one heartbreaking sentence, "That's it. That's all we have. That's where it all ended." Investigators would later learn something else from that surveillance footage. Mason appeared to smash or discard his cell phone shortly after leaving his home. He also left without his wallet, identification, or money. From that point forward, tracking his movements became dramatically more difficult. As the hours passed, concern grew quickly. This wasn't like Mason. His parents have repeatedly said disappearing without contacting them was completely out of his character. They described themselves as a close family. The silence made no sense After the police were finally contacted, they started searching. Tips were investigated, neighbors were interviewed, and security footage was reviewed. But after the final image of Mason walking away from his neighborhood, the trail simply stopped. Months turned into a year, then two, and still nothing. Despite having so few confirmed facts, investigators never stopped working. Eventually, Mason's parents began uncovering pieces of information they hadn't known before he disappeared. They learned that Mason had spoken with friends about wanting to travel to California to meet someone he'd met through online gaming. That discovery changed the direction of the investigation. Suddenly, California became more than just another state on the map. It became a place investigators needed to consider seriously. Then came something even stranger. On Mason's seventeenth birthday, his mother received an unexpected text message. It came from a phone number with a San Pedro, California area code. The message read, "Long time no see. I hope you're all right." Most people might dismiss a random text. Marty, in this situation, couldn't. She immediately recognized something about the wording. She said that phrase, "I hope you're all right," was something their family regularly said to one another. She replied but got no response. Months later, on Mother's Day in twenty twenty-five, another message arrived This one came from a phone number connected to British Columbia, Canada. It simply read, "Hi there. I hope you're doing something fun today." Again, Marty responded, and again, no one answered. Investigators cannot confirm those messages actually came from Mason, But they also can't confirm that they didn't. Today, both California and British Columbia remain areas of investigative interest, and multiple agencies, including the United States Marshal Service, continue assisting in the search. In May of twenty twenty-six, two years after Mason disappeared, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released the first age-progressed image showing what he might look like today at eighteen years old. Age progressions are bittersweet. They're created because time keeps moving, because birthdays come and go, because children grow up even when they're missing. It's one more painful reminder that life doesn't pause for families waiting for answers. When asked what life has been like for the past two years, Mason's parents describe living in the space between grief and hope. That might be one of the most honest descriptions I've ever heard from the family of a missing person, Because grief tells you to prepare for the worst, but hope refuses to let you. And somehow, parents have to carry both every single day. Today, Mason Roberson is eighteen years old. No one knows where he is. His family has never stopped searching. They've made one thing abundantly clear There is no anger waiting for Mason, only love, only relief, only the hope that one day they'll know that he's safe. If you have any information about Mason Roberson or his disappearance, you're urged to the Anchorage Police Department at nine oh seven seven eight six eight nine zero zero, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at one eight hundred eight four three five six seven eight Here's a missing person fact of the day. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says online relationships are a factor in some missing child cases. Sometimes these connections are exactly what they appear to be. Sometimes they aren't. That's why it's so important for families to have open conversation about online friendships without making kids feel like they can't ask for help if something feels wrong Be that parent for your child. Ask questions. Know what they're doing online Every time someone disappears, silence moves in fast. But silence can be broken. When we share their stories, when we say their names, we shine a light back into the dark. Mason Roberson is still missing. Somewhere out there, somebody may know where he is, and maybe, just maybe, the right ears will hear his story. Thanks so much for listening and for helping me shine a light on the missing, one story at a time. I'll see you next Monday, same time, same purpose, right here on Missing Monday. Until next time, take care, y'all.