Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 10/12/1982

Missing Since:

Missing Since 10/12/1982

Missing From:

Missing From Los Angeles, California

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Male

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 08/09/1973 (51)

Age:

Age 9 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 4’8, 90 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Some agencies spell Mitchel’s first name “Mitchell.”

Details of Disappearance:

The Salomon family—Sol, Elaine, their son Mitchel, and daughter Michelle—disappeared from their Northridge, California home on October 12, 1982. Sol had recently invested $20,000 in Harvey Rader’s car dealership. Rader, a British citizen, was the last person seen with Sol.

The family’s home showed signs of a struggle: blood splatters, a removed carpet, and a baseball bat near the bar. Their beds were made, unusual for them. Five days later, some of their belongings were found scattered along a freeway.

A year later, Rader’s cousin, Ashley Paulle, claimed he saw Rader shoot Sol and helped bury the entire family in the desert near Acton. Paulle initially got immunity but later failed a lie detector test, was charged as an accessory, and then the charges were dropped. He refused to testify against Rader.

Rader was eventually arrested in 1988 but his trial ended in two mistrials before he was acquitted in 1992. The evidence against him was circumstantial. Witnesses claimed to have seen Sol alive after the disappearance. Rader’s defense argued Sol was involved in illegal activities and had marital problems.

Despite extensive searches, the Salomon family’s bodies were never found. Rader also remained a suspect in the disappearance of another couple, Peter and Joan Davis, but he was never charged in that case either. The Salomon family’s disappearance remains a mystery.

Agency:

Los Angeles Police Department 213-996-1800

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